The Death Of Hon. Samuel J. Randall

Sunday inorning, removes from our congressional halls one of the brightest minds and most conservative men of the nation. His life has been a busy and useful one, andworthy of imitation by the ambitious youth of our country. Now for a great race between the boulevard at one end of the city and Hamilton Park at the other. The former has a year the start, but the indomitable energy and push of the proprietors of the latter may be expected to make, what seems rather tame now, a "paradise on earth" before long. A WEU, dressed lad of about sixteen years of age was seen lying dead drunk on north Main street, Snnday. The proprietors of clothing houses and tailoring establishments are generally proud to have a well dressed specimen of their work on the corners of streets, How is it about the saloons? Do they glory in the well fllled samples tliey turn out P The demócrata havesecured complete political control of Chicago and the worst elements of that party have control of the Chicago democracy. Of course thia is a bad condition of things in any city, and Chicago is no exception to the general rule. The gamblers and crooks and cut-throats are having their day in that city at present, to the disgust of all good citizens. Last week &0 tons of beet seed and a sugar plant worth $500,000 arrived at New Orleans to carry on 8ugar-making from beets on a large scale. This suggests the idea to thoughtful people that it is not good policy for the farmers of this country tobe raising year afteryear 500,000,000 bushels of wheat and 2,000,000,000 bushels of corn, when 25 per cent less of each article would very likely bring just as much money. It is believed that beets can be successfully raised in southern Michigan. If this is so it would seem wise for the farmers to enter into this industry. At any rate, if it is positively certain that there is more money in raising Lbeets than wheat the farmers ought to know it. Xow that the April elections have passed and the existence of our city government guaranteed for another year, we may expect that quieter times will prevail in our political world, and that the thoughts of our citizens will be turned towards the business interests of the community. Street improvements, electric street cars, good roads into the country, and the coming county fair, and the question of sewerage are the important matters that should interest the attention of Ann Arbor people. That the usual business interests of the city will be pushed with vigor is indicated by the conversatiou on the Btreets and in tlie stores, and by the crowded advertising columns of the city papers. A good year for Ann Arbor has begun. That fair weather, fine crops, and good prices may cause the hearts of our agricultural friends to rejoice, and that the city, county, state, nation,- and we might as well say, the whole world- rnay haveits most prosperous year, is the hearty desire of The Register. Is it simple jealousy and nothing more that causes sorne of the leading newspapers of the east to ignore Michigan University, which is now at the head of all the great educational institutions of this country? The New York Mail and Express conducts an interesting college department in which it mentions every college in the land, no matter how insignifkant, except our University. The New York Independent and other eastern journals are almost as bad. We admit it must be rather unsaÜ8factory for our down-east cousins to see cities growing up in the west, like Chicago and St. Louis, that rival their most populous cities, and schools like the Michigan University that surpass their greatest colleges. But in its great prosperity the generous west will overlook any intended slight of its envious down-east contemporaries. Yet they should remember they are partially to blame for this condition of things, because we have followed most assiduou6ly the advice of one of their most noted and enterprising citizens, trhich reads : Don't be a clam ! The attention of the Board of Review ihich meets in June to revise the asgessments made upon the property in this city, should be called to one phase of their work which might otherwise escape their notice. For years all improvements in Ann Albor were blocked because a number of wealthy parties owned desirable land which they would Dot stil at reasonable prices. More than this, the property was allowed to run down and become a detriment to surrounding property. This has, in a measure, been done away with recently, but there yet remain several pieces of this character in the first, fourth and sixth wards. This property has usually been valued low on the assessment rolls, while property adjoining which had been improved, was made lo pay upon the full investment of the owner. This should be changed. Let the board show the preference, if any preference is shown, to the man who improves his property, builds a house thereon and otherwise beautifies our fair city. Let the man, who because he has a few dollars more than his neighbor, invests in real estáte and holds it for the purpose of making large proflts from the natural rise in value by the improvements which others make, be assessed upon this property for its full value. Let the board make the man who improves our city feel that the city appreciates his efforts, and not make the energetic upbuilder of Ann Arbor pay the taxes for his wealthy, though retrograding citizen. If the board will take this view when revising the rolls, they cannot help but receive the commendation of the citizens who desire to see our city progress. Wk published the following from tbe Farmer's Vindicator, fifteen years ago, with full belief in its good 6ense then. Our observations for fifteen years longer convince us that we can still pass it along as good advice, for our intelligent agricultural readers, of whom TnB Register has a fine list : "The best farmer is he who raises the best and largest crops on the smallest surface of Und at the least expense, and at the same time annually improves hissoil; who understands his business and attends to it; whose manure heap is very large and always increasing; whose corn-crib and smoke-house are at home ; who is surrounded by all the necessarie) and comforts of life; who studies his profession and strives to reach perfection in it ; who keeps a strict account of his outgoes as well as his incomee, and who knows bow he stands at the end of each season. Such a farmer, in nine times out of ten, will succeed, and not only make farming a pleasant but profitable occupation." We have noticed still further, that the farmer who lives the nearest to the plan thus described bas, generally, all the time he needs to inform himself on the great political questions of the day and to vote intelligently for the best interests of his country. Such an one is nearly always found to be a man of good principies and a good citizen.