The Idea Of A Law Regulating Railroad

farea upon the same principie street car fares are based on is a novel one, yet it might work well. It would be a good idea for some of our new states to try aomething of the kind. Thk Jackson íeronaut Hogan has added one more name to the long list of fatal baloonistB. This however will not keep other adventurers from meeting the same fate. All this sacrifioe may be neceaeary to the final accomplishmentof serial navigation.bat the list will be mnch larger before succes is attained. _--_i_- __ The curious struggle for the Albion postoffice is, to say the leaBt, amusing. The anxiety of some people to feed at the public trough is simply amazing. The man Gale who tried to gain possession of the office by paying four prices for the furniture does not deserve the least sympathy for the peculiar situation in which he has placed himself. Ypsilanti people are to have water at n rating of five dollars per family. Ann Arbor pays, on an average, eight dollars per family. Ypsilanti water is furnished by the city. Ann Arbor water is furnished by a private corporation. Moral: Ann Arbor people will likely pay the extra three dollars per year for the next twenty-eight years, when the present company's franchise will run out. Thb possibility of the election of a man to the state legislature who is so ignorant of our civil government that he thought. he was elected to the United States congress shows that there is something lacking in the requirements for office holders. Michigan people should be ashamed that such a thing has happened within our borders. It is just as much of a disgrace as the brutal lynching which took place at Port Huron not long ago. The wonderful growth of the parcel post in England from one milllion to forty million packages in a very few years, shows very plainly that the people apprecíate such an arrangement. The introduction of something similar into our own country would undoubtedly meet with popular favor. We believe that such a thing would be much more largely supported in the United States than in England and would prove a great saving to a very large number of our people. A grand Bcheme for the consolidation of the principal trunk lines in the United States was the subject for ïengthy newspaper articlea last week. Seven hundred millions is the amount of the capital stock of the proposed combinaüon and its lines are to extend half around the world. This is utopian indeed. Human nature will have to be made over again and upon au entirely different basis before it would be possible for such an organization to hold together a year. The leading journals, almost without exception, condenan the action of Judge McAlaster, of Nashville, Tenn., for not ordering Sullivan to be held until extradition papers had been made out. Another thing equally worthy of the most severe condemnation is the way Sullivan was lionized by the people of 'Nashville as soon as he was set at liberty. To make such a great hero of the Boston slugger, as the people there did, shows that they were in hearty sytnpathy with the feeling which, no doubt, prompted the judge to set the bully at liberty. Jüdge Coolby gave the delegates to the eonstitutional convention of Northent Dakota some sound advice in his talk to them at Bismarck last week. Whether or not they will consider it worthy their conaideration remains to be seen. If they are of the same calibre aa the ordinary legislator they probably think their own wisdom is Bufficient for the occasion. Judging from the repairs that are needed by a large number of our older state constitutions it might be well to have some means of enforcing constitutional delegates to listen to a little sound advice now and then. The New York Sun makes a pitiful howl because so many ministers are . preaching upon the subject of Civil Serviee Reform. It says that " Ninetynrne per cent. of the people look upon themovement with derision and contempt:" Possibly the kind of Civil Service Eeform known to the San is looked upon with "derision and contempt " by ninety-nine per cent. of our people; but Civil Service Reform such as our ministers are working for has the most hearty sympathy of every right thinking man in thjs country and is growing in strength with every day that passes. The gold bïick swindle which was perpetrated upon farmer-banker McKellop, at Lansing, laat Wednesday, was a rather expensive lesuon. $7,000 is a large sum to pay for a single lesson ia financiering but some people find it necessary to pay juat such prices before the scales fall from their eyes. A ban lier whose love for gold will allow him to be so easily taken in by a slick-tongued stranger with euch an old, worn-out trick, does not deserve the least bit of sympathy from any one. The only thing to be regreted about such an occurance is that there are many othere who will not profit by McKellop's perience and will some day be taken in just as badly themselves. Not a few papers aremaking vigorous protesta against the Minnesota law which prohibits elabórate newapaper reporta of legal executions. It is claimed that the danger of abuses on such occasions is thus greatly increased. Posaibly this is true, though there is room for doubt. There are, however, none who will not readily admit that the atrictenforcement of such law would have beneficial resulte in more ways than one, principally by checking the unnatural deaire which so many people have for auch news, and by taking away the opportunity it has always afforded to so many weak-minded women togain publicity by making martyrs of the worst claas of crimináis. On the whole we think there is much more good than otherwise to be gained by such a law. The great increase, of late, in the number of murders in Michigan has become appalling. The condition of society which resulta in the shedding of ao much human blood ia one which demanda the attention of our most careful 8tudents of human nature. It is a matter which mere laws cannot reach. The cause must be found; and remedies, which may take years to eradicate the evil, must be applied before we can hope to see a diminution in the number of murders. Capital punishment will do no good for those who, without premeditation, take human life never think of the consequences, while those who deliberately plan to take the life of a fellow-being always do so with the firm convictionthat they will never be found out. The questionisoneof greatpsychological importance. To be sure of the real cause of such a condition of society is the diffieult matter. Once this is found it will be a comparativelv easy matter to flnd and apply the proper remedies. A large number of new sidewalks received the attention of the Common Council at their last meeting. Such action is to be commended. More of it is needed. Nearly one-fifth of the tar walks Bhould receive the benefit of a resolution, at least. The condition in which many of these walk are iswholly inexcusable. We hope that at the next meeting a few resolutions for repairs may be brought before the Council. No other city in the state has as many visitors in proportion to the population as Ann Arbor, and the city cannot afford to allow the walks, which are almoet the first thing to attraet a stranger's attention, to cast so mach discredit upon our otberwise beautiful city. Another thing to which th Coinmon Council could turn its attention to advantage is the necessity of haring the names of the streets posted in a conspicuous place on at least two of the four corners at every street crossing in the city. A person might travel the whole length ofsomeof our streets and not be able to learn their names unless he should take the trouble to ask. The attention of the city Council to this is a duty that should be attended to. If the members of the Council could hear some of the language used by not a few strangera visiting Ann Arbor they would be readily convinced of the necessity of such action.