Candidate For Regent

It was a httle lesa than two years ago, when the Times suggested the name of Prof. W. J. Cockerasacandidate forthe position of Eegent of the University. We now take pleasure in giving the assurance to our readers that the valuable services of the Professor canstill be secured for that position. And we bring his name forward at this time with more readiness, frorn the fact that we have distinct assurance that Gov. Blair will not, under any circumstances, be a candidato for renoinination or re-election. At this time, Prof. Cocker is 42 years old, and, as is well known here, is a gradúate of the university, in which his respected father held a professor's chair for so many years. He has, since leaving the university, devoted himself to educatiou and authorship, tbough we think his educational work was entirely conüned to this city, in the schools of which he has held the position of principal and superintendent; and has done good work for the schools as a member of the board of trustees. In 1878 A. S. Barnes & Co., of New York, published a "handbook on punctuation," of which he was the author.' A "test book on the civil government of Michigan" was published in 1880 by the Richmond and Backus company, of Detroit. It has been extremelysuccessfu.1, and is now in its ninth edition. The Harpers, of New York, have now in prees for bim, and will it-sue probably within a fortnight, a "work on the government of the United States," and we are told that prominent critics, to whom the Harpers submitted the uscnpt Detore taking the puDlication, pronounced it the best book of the kind ever written. Mr. Cocker is a gentleman of ampie means. In addition to his literary labors he devotes himself to the management of his important business interests, and is at present president of the Commercial savings bank. The Republican state convention two years ago was held on Wednesday, Feb. 23d, in Whitney's opera house, in the city of Detroit. The house had been engaged for the evening by an amateur opera company, and the contention over the nomination of candidates for the supreme bench took up so muc.h of the time, that Mr. Whitney finally threatened to turn out the lights on the convention, as it was encroaching too much on the time necessary for preparation for the opera company; and, as it was, the audience to the opera began to arrive within an hour of the time the delegates left the opera house. The nominations for regents were made amid great confusión. Competent observers were of the opinión, and still maintain it, that, had ampie time been allowed for the nomination for regents, and had the vote been taken amid less confusión, Prof. Cocker would have been nominated at that vention. Speaking of this feature of the matter, the Detroit Evening Journal, in its issue of Thursday evening, Feb. 24th, 1887, had this to say : " The candidatos for regents were as usual nominated in the burry, iiurry and confusión of atijournment. Owing tn tlia ilpmuml for the theatre. the work was done this time with exceptional haste. Whether deliberation would have made any difference is a matter of conjecture. The candidates nominated were among the less conspicuous mentioned in advanre. Mr. Cocker'ü nomination would especially have pleased a large coratitnenuy of the party." Prof. Cocker will go into the convention to be held in Detroit on the 2Lst of February, as he did befare, with a solid backing from the county in which he makes his home. And our delegates to the convention will ask with as much empha8is that the mistake of two years ago be corrected in the only way possible, and that is by nominating Prof. Cocker. He is assured of a very strong backing from various other portions of the state. . He is a urn splendidly equipped for the occasion, and we are certain he ought to be nominated.