A Significant Story Is Told By

Curtís, the Washington correspondent. Itrevolves aboutyoung Stephen B. Elkins. Having oalled at the white house and ben g asked by the president what he intended doing in connection with the war, Elkins promptly replied : "I have already enlisted as a private, and ain the only son of a United States senator who has that honor.' That was good for young Elkins. But the president did not lose this opportunity to prove the genuineness of nis reputation for "taking care of his friends." He said: "Well, I will take good care of you." Thus one more staiï vacancy was provided for Is it not curious, the subordínate part which West Point has thus far played in the war? Young Capron who died at La Quasina, and was re garded as one of the most promising offlcers in the army, could not get an appointment to West Point, so he enlisted as a private in the regular army, and after several years' ser vice won a commission. Gen. Law ton, whose name has been so prom inent in conuection with the ho flghting about El Gauey, came up from the position of a sergeant in a volunteer regiment during the civi war. Shaf ter himself is not a Wes Pointer. And as everybody knows Gen. Miles, who is at the head of th army, left a mercantile position a the age of 22 to begin his military career aa a lieutenant of volunteers Elmbb Kikkby, one of Jacfeson county's successful Democratie lawyers, has decided to enter the field as a candidato for the congressional nomination. Mr. Kirkby is both able and popular and if nominated will make it warm for the opposition. To the residents of Washtenaw county, greeting: July 4, 1899, wffl be the seventy-ñfth anniversary of the rirst Independence day celebrated in Washtenaw county. July 4, 1824, Major Benjamin Woodruff, with every white resident of the county, about seventy in number, formally telebrated. Fifty years later, in 1S74, the semi-centennial celebration was had, and some thirty thousand people joined us in the grandest demonstraron the county ever witnessed. In 1599 the diamond jubilee should outshine its predecessor, and will if our people unite in it. Ann Arbor pledged us her support a year ago, and all of the villages will probably be glad to do so. - Sentinel. Thatsright. The people of Ypsilanti turned out and helped the people of Ann Arbor to celébrate the Fourth of July, 1797, in a magniiicent manner and they will be glad to return the compliment. Go ahead and arrange your celebration. The new standard war Atlas which The Dbmocbat is furnishing to its readers is '-going with a rush." There is a dramatic interest in watchiner the events of the war when yciu can turn to the large clear map of Cuba, contained in this atlas, nd put your finger on the spot where our army is encamping, or ocate the position of our fleet before ie harbor of Santiago de Cuba. You can not read your paper intellijently without an atlas. But an tlas is of no valué if not strictly ccurate and up-to-date. You eau e sure that you are getting the latst and best maps published when ou buy the new standard war atlas. üand-McNally maps are standard f tne world, and The Ijbmocbat nhesitatingly gives its hearty enorsement to this collection. The jrice is within the means of all. letter maps could not be purchased t any price, For Jfurther particuars see advertisement on another age. Hox. John F. Shafroth, of Colrado, during a recent speech in Congress upon the silver question, was asked why the coinage ratio between silver and gold should be flxed at 16 to 1. He answei ed : Because that is the proportion, as near as can be ascertained, in which the metáis exist in the earth. It is, therefore, the true ratio. Although for several years the production of one metal at that ratio xceeds the other, yet in a long eries of years the total amount prouced is very near sixteen times as nuch silver in weight as gold, or at oinage value about equal. The table of the production of ilver and gold frora 1741 to the present time shows that there was produoed in that period 360,459,124 ounces of gold and 5,727,841,723 ounces of silver. Divide the silver by the gold and you will obtain as a result 15 8 9. That demonstrates that for the period of more than 150 years there was almost exactly 16 times as many ounces of silver produced as of gold, and that the coinage value of the same was about equal. An amusing ir.stance of the way in which protection, even the reciprocity of protection, helps nobody without hurting somebody, is afforded by the reciprocity treaty with France. When that treaty was proclaimed, and it was seen that France had agreed to welcome American meats on condition that America would welcome French wines, the Chicago meat packers were jubilant. Here was a new market for American goods, and great was the god Protection and his angel of mercy yclept Eeciprocity ! Butbehold you! No sooner had tha noise of this Chicago jubliatioti echoed through the passes of the Rocky Mountaina than the grape-growers and wine makers of California, in great excitement notifled their senator to protest at once against the president's reciprocity proclatnation reducing the tariff on French wines. We begin to suspect that the industries of this country are too multifarious for reciprocity treaties. What we need is a protection system that will let no foreign goods into our markets under any circunastances. Then we can live unto ourselves, importing nothing and of course exporting nothing, but in the expres3ive language of commerce eating up one another. . Our neighbor, the Courier, strenu ously objects to hitching posts on Main st. To hitch or not to hitch seems to b the question. ïteally, there are a good many in Ann Arbor who don't hitch Maybe it is because they can find noth ing but a post to hitch to. Even a post though, can hold a horse.