Ship Subsidy Outlook Gloomy

It rather looks as though the proposed ship subsidy bill, with Speaker Cannon presiding over the house and making up the committees, is doomed to defeat, and it is to be hoped that will be the fate of the iniquitous measure. There is undoubtedly a strong sentiment in the country against the proposed measure, and Speaker Cannon, holding his well known views, will probably make up the committee on merchant marine and fisheries in opposition to the bill. In the last congress Gen. Grosvenor of Ohio was chairman of this committee and did all he could to help along Senator Hanna's favorite measure, but without avail. It is thought Congressman E. S. Minor of Wisconsin, a practical vessleman of Sturgeon Bay, will be the new chairman of this committee and he was the leader of the opposition to Senator Hanna's subsidy bill. He is said to possess more direct knowledge of shipping interests and their needs than any other man in the house, and with him as chairman of the committee on merchant marine and fisheries the ship subsidy bill is likely to be relegated to the limbo of justifiably slaughtered trust benefit measures.

Detroit is passing through another upheaval in school matters, this time in the kindergarten work, two prominent kindergartners having resigned. These teachers who have resigned, say they resign because their work is constantly being lowered in quality. Whether this be all of the case outsiders may not know. but it is pretty generally known that Detroit is badly afflicted with too much school board, such as it is. What Detroit needs more than anything else is a school board with breadth and intelligence enough to attend to the duties properly belonging to a board of education--the business affairs of the school district--and judgment enough to keep its hands off the educational side of the school system. Having elected a superintendent in whom they have confidence, a man with the requisite educational training and experience for the place, the board should give him what he needs to work out his educational plans and hold him responsible for results. The superintendent should not be selected who will pay the most for the necessary number of votes to secure his being called, nor should he be forced when in the position to use the greatest part of his energy and ability pulling wires to keep his official head on his shoulders. All these points most essential to a successful school administration from the educational point of view, the Detroit board has yet to learn, or at least to practice. Nevertheless Detroit has better schools than the conduct of her board of education entitles her to. This is true not because of any manifest wisdom on the part of the board, but in spite of the constant blunders and interference of he board in the educational matters of the school system.

Now comes the report that another grand jury is likely to be called at Grand Rapids. The story is that the Salsbury confession, corroborated to some extent by other evidence, includes so many prominent republicans that the prosecuting officers fear political annihilation if they proceed against these leaders, and they fear equally the condemnation of the body of citizens who are not politicians but who demand that the law be enforced against all the criminals big or little. It is thought, therefore, the prosecuting officials will call a grand jury and lay a part of the burden on it. Here is a great condition of things, but a condition anything but complimentary to Grand Rapids. Think of it! A municipality alleged to be so rotten in offlcialdom as to lead to pressure being brought to bear on prosecuting officers to stop short of the performance of their duty in order to shield prominent citizens who have gone wrong.