San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-05
A DIVIDED DISCOURSE.
A oRUMMER's REMARKS ON THE PLUG
HATS MARCH INTERRUPTED.
The High Hat Marks the Progress Of
Civilization-The Cowboys No Longer
Shoot at It-But the Old Water Tank
Recalled Cruder Methods.


mo, sir" said the drummer, there is
not a place in the country o. where a
man who behaves himself can't wear a
plug hat. don't mean to say that there
are no lively towns, but there is practically
nc frontier such as there used to be.
"The cowboy still occasionally drops into
the saloon and shoots the lights out; he
likes now and then to shoot the in5ulators
off the telegraph poles, and there are other
eccentric and sometimes boisterous forms of
amusement that still find favor with him,
but it is no longer considered good form any
where to evince disapprobation of the wear
ing of a plug hat by shooting it off the
head of the wearer.
ACCEPTING THE WHITE SHIRT.
I'm some places this pleasing condition
Of affairs has been brought about by the
active work of a single man, aided in a
measure, doubtless, by the natural fair
ness of men when their feelings are prop
erly appealed to. For example, in one
camp after it had been discovered by the
man who conveyed the remonstrance of
the older inhabitants that the quiet, unas-
Stunning stranger who had persisted in wear
ing a white shirt had an arm as big around
as an oyster keg, muscles of steel, the
heart of a lion and the tigers s~uddenness
of movement, there arose a feeling that
possibly the shirt question was debatable,
and some men went so far as to say openly
that a man ought to be permitted to wear
a white shirt if he wanted to; and when
the quiet man had in quick succession
knocked out seven supporters of the mega
tive side the change of sentiment was so
great that it amounted practically to q re-
versal of public opinion, and by common
consent he was permitted to wear his shirt.
THE fact is that although men are as
infeXible as ever on vital QuCstionss2nd as
ready as ever TO fight when the cause is
really worth fighting for, the great major
ity are becoming moro and more disposed
to Concede to each citizen the free enjoy
mcnt Of his personal rights, In these re-
mOter parts the principal causes contrib
uting to this broader enlightenment have
been the gradual settlement Of the cOun-
try, the more extended and frequent
means of communication and tho COnse-
quent general spread of civilization. You
SEE
The speaker was a New yor!; drummer
who had Travelled tie country over and
again from one corner to the other. Ills
discourse was delivered in the smoking
room of a sleeping cur on a far. western
railroad. III, sJle auditor was the report
eT. The drummeT'S discourse was tenn
p~orari!y interrupted by the gripping of the
air brakes and by the passing OF the con
ductOr through the car at the same mo
ment. We both asked what station we
were coming to, and when the conductor
named it we recoTnizc@Pit as q place where
some time before Il train had been held up
by robbers. 1t was a little place where
engines stopped for water. The robbers
had boarded the engine as it stood ut the
tank and ovevpowered the engineer and
fireman, and after another fight they had
robbed the express and mail cars, but they
had not mOlested the passengers.
1t was not long after nightfall when we
approached the station, but the night was
very dark. AS the train passed slowly
through the pine woods it seemed as
though the great gaunt trees were moving
together for a companiOnship that might
prove less gloomy than standing alone.
Naturally our talk was of train robbing.
' "SANNA NAtAb AS AASAA q u LOp-I
bling the express and mail cars only was
more in keeping with the general growth
of progressive methods, and that it was
undoubtedly pleasanter for the passengers.
The train halted with the engine along
side the tank. 1t did seem as though it
the engine Il long time to drink, but
it was a big engine. Now the train starts,
and we begin to settle down to continue
Tho inl1pDaN- yvhnp thn hralaS Ori,A auaip
the train stops suddenly. Now our
BAR is just abreast of the tank from behind
the robbers had emerged. We sur
Tey it from the dripping spout in front as
Tar around as the eye will reach, but in the
most casual manner, just as we might have
ooked at a shed or a fence anywhere else.
FELT a LITTLE CURIOUS"
1t was little curious, of course, that the
rain should pull up suddenly at that par
ocular spot after having once started, but
beyond the commonplace "Wonder what's
Up nOw?" neither of the passengers in the
moking room betrayed any particular in
crest in the situation. The brakeman
vent out. Everything around seemed very
till, but the drummer and reporter con-
inued in easy conversation. What under
current of thought there might be in the
mind tue newspaper man didn't I
NOW, but he found time himself to think
if the stop did mean robbers it might (
e that they were men who still pursued
he Cruder methods of personal robbery.
When the train had started again, as it
id very soon, and, quickly gathering head
yay, had left the water tank and its dismal ,
urroundings far behind, the two men still =
alked on in the same quiet manner, thou=b