THE HESPERIAN,
CURRENT COMMENT.
One by one the presidential candidates arc pulling out of
the race, the latest being Roswcll I Flower, of New York,
who sajs he "would not take the presidency" under any cir
cumstances. This appears to us to be a wise decision on his
p.rt, and wc venture the assertion that if he holds firmly to
it himself nobody else will want to force it upon him. His
political stock has been falling rapidly of late on account of
so much presidential limber in his state and a panic seems to
be approaching. It would be better for him to unload at any
price than try to carry on a hopeless boom.
It has been well said that national selfishness is not an
American fault. When wc have a good thing wc like to share
it with others. The present indications arc that several
American ball clubs arc going over to England this season
and show the native Briton how to play a genuine game ot
ball. Englishmen who have been in this country express
themselves as highly pleased with base ball, and think that
in time it will supersede their great game of "cricket." Al
ready Canada and Mexico have adopted our national game,
and if the popularity of the sport continues to grow, the
word national can nu longer with truth be applied to U and
must be eventually replaced by a more comprehensive term.
If there is any time during the college year when students
should have a holiday, it is on John Green's birthday. Wc
do not know when this event occurs, but are confident that a
little persuasion would induce him to reveal to us the . secret,
notwithstanding the flat refusals he has made of late. There
has been no man since John's advent among us who has done
so much for the students as he. By his untiring efforts to
furnish steam for the society halls, and his noble and manly
efforts to shield The Hesperian from the abuse and malign
ity of its enemies he has won the applause of all university
students in general and The Hesperian board in particular.
There is one fault which detracts somewhat from the many
qualities which ennoble and distinguish the man and that is
his promptness in having the lights extinguished Friday
nights. Aside from this fault which has considerable weight
with us, wc are willing to recommend that a day be set
apart to celebrate his nativity. Surely no one will object
to this, even though we have to sacrifice the pleasures of
some other holiday to secure this end.
The Grand Army encampment in the city this week has
been a decided success, as are all their gatherings throughout
the state. There is nothing more enjoyable to those who
faced the "shot ami shell" together a quarter of a century
ago than to get together and talk over old times. One by
one the brave boys who turned out to preserve the union and
drive from our land the greatest curse that ever blighted
humanity, are passing away, and it will not be long until the
last remaining survivor will be called to his long home. Let
us then give due credit to these meetings which are so
enjoyable to the men who sacrificed so much to maintain our
nation as the revolutionary patriots intended it should be
maintained, one and undivided, and heed not the unscrupu
lous cranks who try to discourage such gatherings by calling
them political "boosters." The Grand Army was not organ
ized for political purposes and has never allowed itself to
meddle in politics. True, there are some who are foolish
enough to belittle not the organization but themselves by
slurring the president and all other government officers. We
are glad to note the stand taken by the army boys in this
state in trying to discourage all Such acts on the part of mem
bers of the organization here. Surely the respect shown the
president at Philadelphia not long ago, clearly shows that the
organization is not in politics nothwithstanding the efforts of
a great statesman who attempted to cover himself with glory
by his eloquent invectives against the administration.
The repeal of the revenue tax on tobacco is just now agi
tating the people in the tobacco growing sections of the
country. Thus far no congressman has appeared to cham
pion the rights of the people. If one such should appear, he
would earn the lasting gratitude ol many people in this
country, for he would be striking a blow at a dangerous
monopoly. The amount collected is not too much, wc do
not mean to say, but the iron clad regulations that arc drawn
around the business arc so stringent that a small farmer can
not produce tobacco at a profit. The bonds required arc so
large and penalties for violation so severe, that both produc
tion and manufacturing have been driven into few hands and
the lucky men who have grown rich arc now fighting for the
law that exists at present in order to maintain their monop
oly. This revenue not only falls hard upon the small farmer,
but restricts the growth to certain localities, and the men who
would be able to make a fair living if allowed to produce
what tobacco they wished would not be starving to day. It
may be said that tobacco is a luxury, but it must be a delight
ful luxury to pile up millions of dollars through the advan
tages of a close monopoly, while those that have a right, and
ought to share in the advantages, arc almost starving in other
parts of the country. This argument will apply to many
other monopolies of the same kind that exist in the United
States today.
We arc informed that the term for which Dr. F. S. Billings
was engaged by the University authorities expires in April .
It is said that other parties have made him offers that are in
themselves no small temptation to a man in the doctors posi
tion. The HEsrERiAN desires to take this opportunity to
express a hope that the regents will not fail to secure Dr.
Billings' services for the coming year. The work upon
which he has been engaged since the beginning of his con
nection with the Unvcrsity has not only been one of almost
unspeakable value to the farmers of this state, whose wealth
consists almost entirely of live stock, but has turned upon
this institution the eyes of the entire scientific world. The
experiments of his laboratory, however, have not yet been
carried to their conclusion. It has been unmistikably dem
onstrated that there are preventives for the mo- Jotructive
of animal diseases, but wc believe that the d has not yet
completed his important task. The cstablis... .ntoflMab
ratory in connection with this University, in which the work
of original investigation could be carried on would be an
incalculable advantage to the institution. There is nothing
of the kind in America under state support, and wc believe
no reason can be given why it might not educate those stud
ents who arc now compelled to go to German laboratories.
Such men become the brain mid intellect of modern science,
and they desire to secure not a classical but a medical educa
tion. With this labratory established, say at the college
farm, it would not only become a center of original research,
but the weakling which once existed here under the name of
medical college could be resuscitated and made the pride of
this state. Dr. Billings has undoubtedly shown that no man
in America today is so well fitted as he to found this much
needed adjunct to our already-magnificent educational facili
ties. We know thut the students arc unanimous in their appre
ciation of the work that has placed our university far in the
lead in at least one line of scientific investigation, and just