The Howell Republican Is One Of The

neatest papers that come to this office, and it is not only neat but brilliant. Theri is a rivalry between Howell and Owosso as to whicb town shall secure the car shops of the Toledo road. Owosso is trying to raise $25,000 and 15 acres of land as abonu?, and Howell is depending on striking a gas well as an iaducement for the shops to come, and both towns are ndulging in volumes oL natural gas. The democratie press is trying hard to explain the following observations on the tariff question in the columns of the New York Sun, but it is not meeting with aay very great success in its laborious work : "The free traderg were rather on top in the democratie state convention recently held in Ohio, but they touched bottom gain in "Virginia. The Virginia democrats have just declared for the 'immediate repeal of the internal revenue sytem, a relie of the war and no longer necessary to meet the demanda of the Government.' While the Ohio democrats incline toward the ideas represented by John G. Caí lisie, the democrats of the old Dominion are in complete agreement with the Hon. Samuel J. Randall. Thus we see that the same disagreement upon the tariff which the free trade enthusiasts would wish to constitute the dividing line between the democrats and the Republicans is here lound to existwithin the democratie organization itself." In the course of an editorial relative to the standing of its party on the tariff question the Lansing Journal says : "With our naüonal taxes amounting in a time of profound peace to over $371,000,000 a year, it is eminently fitting that the democracy, which is always responsivo to the iemands of the people for relief, should take up this issue of tariff reform and make it the 'dividing line' between the two parties. Over $100,000,000 are being wrung from the people in excess of the actual needs of the government. Is it any wonder that the thoughtful and patriotic masses of the democratie party are determined that this burning question of tax reduction shall be pressed to an eady, decisive and statesmaalike conclusión ? " Considering the fact that the expenses of the government in this time of "profound peace" under the democratie administration have been greater than ever before in time of peace, ït would seem tnat the democracy could "respond to the demanda of the people for relief" in no way better than to get down and out of the way of reform. Who is wringing the $100,000,000 in excess of the actual needs of the government if not the officeholders in power ? And as about 138,000 of the 150,000 offioe-holders of the country, and afargreater proportion of the higher classes of officers who have the appointing of subordínales are democrats, we do not see how the democracy can shirk the responsibility for this great extravugance. The fact is Xhe "thoughtful and patriotic masses" of the democratie party are Hke hens' teeth, few and far between. The Secretary of State's report on the wheat erop in the southern four tierB of counties, was made between the 5th and 9th of August, and gives the returns from 6,173 jobs threshed, aggreg&ting 1,521,000 bushels from 123,600 acres, and indicates a total yield of 7,820,000 busbels in those counties. Accepting these figures as correct, the total production in the state will be 21,123,000 bushels. The grain is generally of good quality, though individual fields, and in some localities the berry, is more or less shrunken. On the first of August about 1,000,000 bushels of the 1886 wheatcrop were yet in the farmers' iiandg. Oats are estimated to yield 29 'oushels and barley 22 bushels per acre. The drouth that has prevailed in the southern part of the state, with scarcely a break durin? the entire season, has injured corn and potatoes beyond hope of recovery. On Aug. 6 estimates of correspondents in the southern counties place the condition of corn at 70 per cent. and potatoes at 53 per cent of an average erop, but tbe continued dry, hot weather has lowered the condition since that date very materially - one-half of an average erop oL corn and one-fourth to one-third of a erop of potatoes is more than can now be expected. In many localities corn is being cut and either fed to the stock or cured for winter fodder. Tn the central and northern counties the outlook for corn and potatoes is more favorable, though in these gections both crops will be far below the average. Hay in the southern counties was 88 per cent., in central 93 per cent., and in northern 101 per cent. of an average erop. Meadows and pastures are dried up in the southern ities, while íd the central and northern counties they have suffered lesa severely. A poor " catch " of clover sowed this year is reported, though there is hope that more may spring since the fine rains that have iallen in the past week. Apples promise about five-eighlha of an average .erop.