It Is "mayor Beakes, Editor And

rietorof the Ann Arhor Ars' now. The Register wishes Mr. Beakrs snccess in bis increased labor and responsibility- Xhe terribie disaster to Secretary Tracy and family at Washington last Monday has filled the wliole country with sorrow. The sympathy of the entire nation is with the suddenly bereaved husband and father. Thk fifth anniversary bar.quet of the Michigan Republican club, to be held at Detroit, Feb. 21, will be one of the most notable events of the year for this state ; and fortúnate will be the possessorof aseat within hearing ofthepatriotic speakers on that occasion. The question of better highways is beginning to agítate the minds of our citizens. Our merchants are vitally interested in this Bubject. Besides those who actually ubb our roads nobcdy would reap more direct or greater benefilsfroin better roads tban our businessmen. The Brush Electric Ligbt Co., of Detroit, bas come to grief. If it bad paid more attention to reducing its expenses and thus enabled it to lower its bid, and spent less time trying to "fis" some o'f Detroit's famous boodle aldermen, it would probably now have had the contract for another period. The Detroit bridge or tunnel, whichever it is to be, seems to be in hard luck. Why don't somebody propose to change the oourse of the river, or to carry trains across the Btream In baloons ? Neither of these schemes would probably meet with any more opposition than the much needed bridge. A copy of the American Sentinel has been handed us with the request that we make Borne mention of what is said in that journal about the Blair Sunday bilí. The bilí itself is so objectionable and the comments upon it by the Sentinel are eo irrelevant to the subject in hand, nnd so unreasonable in many respecte, even more go than the bill itself, that we do not care to give any review of it. _ Tue meeting of the Farmers' Institute at Saline Tuesday and Wednesday of this week was an enjoyable as well as profitable affair notwithstanding the conditions of the weather and the almost impassible roads. Such meetings have many beneficial resulta. Il is to be regretted that more do not attend and that such meetngs are not of more frequent rence. __________ The Detroit Tribune offers a prize of $5,00 for the best program euitable to the observance of the coming Washington'a Birthday celebration. The Tribune has accomplished a great work in the education of the school children of this state in the duties they owe to the nation as patriotic, liberty-loving subjects. Over 400 flags now float over our school houses as the result of its liberal actions. _ The Sentinel of our sister city, Ypsilanti, is opposed to any improvement on the old ïnethod of voting. From his Bolitary watch-tower he announces to the owls and bats his solemn determinatioii never to vote again if any new fangled improvement on the old system is adopted. " More offensive, if possible," croaks the Sentinel, "to a free democratie voter, one who like Jefferson, really believes in the capacity of the people to govern themselves - is the "official ballot" than the machinery for casting it. While this sentiment exists Btrongly among the older, and more intelligent members of the party, thousands will firmly refuse to approach the polls. The writer of thisarticle for one will never cast an "official ballot," or go near a poll held under machine methods, except to cast a vote against their adoption, or for their abolition, and he does not claim to be the most leeply dyed-in-the-wool, or most intelligent democrat either." THEÍollowing pitiful Btory of children robbed of their childhood and healthful physical developiuent, condemned to ignorance, asickly existence and an early death, the victima of an atrocious industrial system, ought to so Btir up the eympathy and indignation of the citizens of this commonwealth that they will put a stop at once to such inhuman proceedings. If any state will not protect its defenceless citizens from such barbarbic treatment, let the general government compel it to do so, even if it has to resort to forcé. It is a disgrace to the whole country that such unnecessary cruelty and injustice is permitted to exist in any part of its rich 4fctainc. "In the thirty-three cotton factories of Georgia,, two thousand white cbíldren between the ages of seven aml iwelve :!'■ nnployed. Only seventeen out of the two thousand can read and write. The lowest number of hwirs worked by any of these operaUves is sixty-eight per week, being f jurteen more than is required of English operatives in the same industries The wagea paid, range frora twenty cents up to sixty cents per day for women and girls. The Legislature refused to investígate or interfere in their beliaK, bccause of the danger of expooing I he lliteracy of the peopie." A gebat deal of sound sense is contained in this from the Chicago Tribune: "The qnestion as to whether the tariff is or is not a tax agitates about every dry goods box loafer in the country. Men leave theirwives at home washing and sewing to support the family and from their perches contend over the proposition whether or not the tariff is a tax. They spend their Sundays down town with lager and cards and continue their cry that "the tariff is a tax." They get home late at night try to unlock the door with a corkscrew and swear at wife and babies while they inwardly mutter that "the tarifif is a tax." Some of the more ambitious put big mortgages on their property, buy a fine carriage team, build as good a house as men who are worth ten times as much as themselves, dress in the fashion and when the sheriff sells their farms are heard to curse the "robber tanfl" which is a tax." All the ills they have are caused by the robber tariff which is a tax. Suppose we admit that it is a tax. Certain it is that il we nao no tariff or internal revenue we would have to provide for our national expenditures by direct taxation. Most of those who denounce the tarift would be as strongly opposed to direct taxation. While all part íes believe in a reduction of the tariflf, none would remove it altogether. The diflerence between the parties is in the manner of accomplishing the reduction. Cleveland's administration afforded no relief and the time for this administration to act is in the future, but in the meantime our disputants might undertake a personal combat with three robbers that are most heavily taxing them. These are Tobacco, Whiskey and Laziness. Any one of these is a heavy burden, two will make a healthy man dependent upon his wife for support and all three will eend a fellow to the poorhouse swearingthat "thetariff is a tax.