The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-26

From the Galveston Daily News.
Fresh evidences OF the predestinate
greatness of the present governor of
Texas are coming to light every day:
Of course, it is well understood that
craftsmanship in mature years is the
| necessary product of extreme poverty
in youth. Gladstone, Lord Derby. the
Duke Of Argyll, Bismarck, Gortscha-
| koff, the Marquis of Salisbury, Cavour,
Harcourt, the Adamses, Charles Car
roll, Washington, Jefferson, Van Blu
rem, Buchanan, Tilden, Bayard and
others are evidences of this. John
Ireland, too, so his organs say, did not
start out rich. Colonel j. w. Booth
he of the talented lungs-in his paper,
the Decatur Tribune, observes:
When John Ireland first landed in
Texas his only earthly possession was
silver watch, which he paWned for
his board while he studied law by the
light of tallow dip.
Could there be higher tribute paid
to law? When a man gives up his
silver ticker to pay his board while
studying law, it is safe to say that he
Is badly mashed on Blackstone. A
silver watch is worth all the way
from $40 to $40. With strict economy,
stern hatred of govt, and supreme
Indifference to the menu man could
probably subsist on $40 in Texas for
three months, If Governor Ireland
conquered the intricacie5 of law in
that period of time he certainly de-
serves a lofty niche in the balcony of
greatness. With such slender backing
as silver watch to brace his appetite
while pursuing his studies, it is no
wonder that he occasionally makes a
missleap, and considering the circum-
stances it was cruel in Judge Terrell
to refer to the fact by implication
when examining the law students at
the State university. But while Col
onel Booth evidently made big hit
in telling the watch story, he is far sur
passed by the editor of the Denton
M nitor who, after quoting Booths
tribute, gives currency to the follow
| ing:
The above does not tell half the real
truth. Ireland never knew the taste of
a biscuit until he was twenty years
| old. His costume consisted af shirt
| only until he was fourteen years Old.
This ought to be regarded as an addi-
tional argument in his favor.
Of course, and a strong argument,
too, provided that the shirt was of a
good, respectable length. If the shirt
was of short pattern, however, it
| must be reluctantly admitted that it
was very questionable attire, even in
the glorious climate of Ken
lucky, the state which had
the honor of the govern
or's nativity. If one of the prophetic
| garments of those juvenile days has
been preserved it should be carried
through the state during the ensuing
| campaign as an evidence of the gov
ernor's thourough Democracy in his
early years. The sight of it would
paralize Wash Jones, and forever kill
| ndependentiSm, open or alleged, in
Texas politics. 1t would be worth
more to the democratic party of Tex
as than the bloody short has been to
the republican party of the North
always providing that it is of good
length. If, however, the yet une-
| volVed governor wore shirts of def
Gent length in those days, when he
dispensed with all other attire. it is to
be feared that the church folks would
rebel against him, and that all the
magnetism, dash and eloquence of
Senator and Prospective Lieutenant
governor Gibbs could not pull him
through. Imagine Wash Jones eXpa-
tiating on the young heather whose
sense of the prophecies was no greater
than to run around in the civilized
state of Kentucky, in an abbreviated
shirt or chemisette, until he was four
teen years old. However, the tale
of the shirt is good one and will
make an excellent campaign docu-
ment; and it is to be hoped that if
there is one of the garments in exis-
tence, it will be turned over to Com
missioner Elliot as part of the Tex
as exhibit at the Worlds fair. But,
perhaps, Kentucky might get jealous
and lay claim to it. Notwithstanding
these natural qualifications for high
craftsmanship. some people are apt to
be sarcastic. Here, for instance. is the
dyspeptic of the North Texas Murcu-
~, after quoting the tale of the shirt,
giving utterance to the following:
Is man qualified for high execu-
tive position simply because he went
in his shirt-tail when boy2 Or does
it add anything to mans ability to
state that he was raised on coarse and
scanty fare?
Such questions are simply devoid Of
reason and unworthy of reply, yet the
brilliant and intellectual editor of the
Marshall Messenger answers them
thus:
No, but the impression abroad is
that man with SO few advantages,
who has risen to such prominence,
must be made out of the right kind of
material.
This is the case in a nutshell, OF
course it requires great man to grow
out of shirt to the governorship of
Texas, and the fact that Governor Ire
land achieved such signal victory is
an unanswerable argument in favor
of his reelection. If the Denton Mon
tor man only went further into de-
ais it would perhaps strengthen his |
case. A thorough investigation |
might reveal the fact that young Ire
land had only one shirt at time, and |
that he had to remain in bed. or dress |
in the garment provided Ivy nature,
when it was necessary to put the
other through course of ablution.
Governor Ireland's reelection, in
view of these new points in his favor,
is now practically assured-always
provided that the shirt was of regula-
ton length.