Michigan, Under Gov. Pingree, It

now seems likely, will not be the only state to have a contest withthe railroads this winter. The battle wül be waged principally around two points- two cent fare, and the transportaron of bieycles as baggage, without extra charge. The agitation for two cent railway fares has been started in Illinois. Business men of Chicago and other large cities are behind tlie movement. The argument is made that if the railroads can afford to favor those who put up their money for mileage and give them a two cent rate, they can afford to give the great mass of people, who are the leading patrons of the railroad, the same privilege. Every succeeding legislature will haveto wrestlewith this question until it is settled, and the railroads will undoubtedly. sooner or later, see.that they must treat all alike. They will probably be the gainers in the end, as it will enable them to ref use many passes and other favors that now make the difïerence in the rates charged to the public. The matter of carrying bicycles free of charge has already been settled by many roads, by gracef nlly accepting the situation, and doing this of their own volition. The number of bicyclists in this country is beooming so large that the railroads must, or if the railroads do not the legislatures will, listen to their demands. It is said that at least one great for eign wheat growing country is desirous of an arrangement whereby the world's wheat market may be so regulated as to make the price of wheat stable. and not subject to fluctuation. Russia ia believed to be making an overture to the wheat producing nations of the world for conference, on this subject. The Washington Post says: "The idea suggested as outlined here is that these nations, should thtysee Qt to unite in an agreement upon the subject, could flx a price for wheat, to be maintained uniformly through variovis seasons of over production and unsatisfactory crops caused by drought or eontinual rain and thus make the principal grain staple upon which the millions of consumers depend for food almost as unchangeable in value as gold it-elf has become. This would enable the producer, in the event of an unusually large erop, to store hts wheat and obtain thereon a loan that would tide him over until the wheat was in deinand in the world's markets, when he would receive a full and fair price for it." This would indeed be a boon to the a?rieulturalists of all lands. # The attention of voters everywhere is being called to the use of voting machines. Wherever they have been tried they have proved to be an improvement over any of the styles and methods of balloting formerly in use. The mauy cities which have used one or other of the machines before the public, have found that they are able to get their vote immediately. without fear of error, have been able to prevent fraud, and have cast their vote with less confusión. In the matters of recounts alone, the machines would be good investments. ïhey are of course expensive to instali, but they do their work and are permanent when once put m. Iludson, Michigan, found at the last election that an Abbott machine gave them accurate returns within two minutes af ter the polls were closed. A gentleman in the office of ïiie Demockat since election said that he served on one board in the city of llochester. He took off the returns, dictated them to the newspaper men, got on nis wheel and delivered them to the proper oflicer several blocks away, within fifteen minutes of closing the polls. The voling machine has surely got to come. # MEN must be degenerating. On every hand we see and liear of woinen fighting the battles of life alone, some of whom have tried a man, and many of whom are unwilling to. The officers of a Topeka charitable institution make the remarkable statement that there are over four hundred deserted wives in that city, and every day adds to the list of such wonen who appeal to the public for assistance. They attribute it to the hard times and the utter wonhlessness of men. Every day divorces are granted to mer. andwomen, incompatibility being the general charge. Surely these are grave charges. Are men getting worse? Do they make poorer husbands than in the days gone by? It behooves man to "know where he is at." I Anotiikr tribute to civil service reform comes in the shape of the fourth animal report of Secretary Morton of the Agricultural department. The secretary reporta that with the probable saving out of the appropriations for the current year, there will have been covered back into the treaaury over S-,0OÜ,0OO, out of 811,179,455.45 appropriated. This showing he attributes almost entirely to the improvement of the force under the „civil service rules, which he declares to be "absolutely indispensible to the maintenance of an economie and efficiënt administration of the public service." The whole report is one f uil of encouragement especially to the farmer, and should be sent for and read by every farmer. Other features of our trade are commented on, and the secretary confidentlv asserts that the United States shouíd be master of the trade of the world. Detroit street residents are having a long and exceedingly unpleasant siege of discomforts caused by the macadamizing of that street by the city. The üemocrat does not wish to find iault, but it does seem as though the work should have been completed before this. AFTEK an unbroken and successful business record of twenty-seven years, Mabley & Company, Detroit's big clothing merchants, have gone into the hands of a receiver. This move was caused by ante-election hard times. Their total indebtedness is about $400,000. Chicago, ahvays up to date, is bound to have the latest of everything that is going. It now boasts of a character known as "Jack, the Hair Cutter."