Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-09-29
GARES LETTER
He Defines the Real Issue
of the Campaign.
NOT JOE BAILEY'S CLOTHES.
But the Maltreatment of Our
Brave Soldier Boys.

But the Maltreatment Of Our
Brave Soldier Boys.
THE ATTITUDE OF DEMOCRACY.
The Democrats of Both Houses Voted Al
most U~nanimously For Liberal War APP
propriations Mr.. Bland's Remarks on
the Bond Issue and Their Application to
the Present State OF AfAirs.
Especial Washington letter.
Judging from an editorial in the
Washington Post, the really burning,
blistering issue Of this campaign is not
the tariff or finance or territorial ex-
papsion or the misconduct of Russell A.
Alger g. Co., but the manner In which
Hon. Joseph ". Bailey Of Texas clothes
himself.
Bailey's sombrero, his Prince Albert
coat, his "baggy pantaloons, his white
shirt front, his lawn necktie, even his
splendid head Of wavy chestnut hair
all these things seem to greatly perturb
the fastidious soul Of The Posts editor.
IT'S true, and pity tits, tits true"
Evidently Bailey is persona non grata
b some Of our eastern brethren, a thing
which probably causes the lion hearted
young Texan no loss Of sleep whatever.
He goes his " way, absolutely faith
full to his conceptions Of right, master
full in his advocacy Of right and truth
and justice, destined to live in the
hearts of the people and in the history
Of his country long ages after his de-
tractors are forgotten.
But the public mind will hardly be
distracted from considering the fragrant
sins Of the Republican party by a dis
cussion Of Bailey's wearing apparel, for
many reasona.
A witty Irishman once declared that
there were IS reasons why his brother
was not in court IN a certain occasion,
the first Of which was that lis brother
was dead, whereupon the judge remark
ed: ''That is sufficient. You need not
give the other 10"
About Bsiley's Raiment.
Now, there are, as I conceive, many
reasons why Bailey raiment cannot be
made anstional issue, first among which
is the fact that the American people
are not all fools, and sensible folks will
believe that Bailey has a perfect right
to dress as he pleases SO long as he con-
forms 20 rules Of decency and pays his
tailor.
The public cares much less, I take it,
about the width of brim of his hat than
about the quantity and quality of
brains under that hat. Truth to tell,
the sombrero is the oommon sort of
headgear worn by the Texans and
southwesters generally, worn because
IL Is comfortable, handsome and useful.
As for my single self, I would as lief
wear . skillet ON my head or a Nam.
hriuo's helmet or a Turkish fez as a
derby or o stovepipe.
hrero, liked it and refuses to discard it
to please eastern dudes is no reason why
he should be constantly picked at by
certain newspapers for his manner Of
dressing. No; there r many questions
Of more Importance in this sultry
weather than the cut of any mans
clothes. Among other things, one of the
pressing questions for the average
American citizen is how to get any sort
Of clothes for himself and family under
the Dingley tariff bill and the blessed
gold standard. Another question upon
which people are determined to have
light is this: Who is responsible for the
maltreatment of our soldiers during
this Spanish war? Congress without one
dissenting voice voted all the appropria-
tions asked for by any department, by
all departments. Congress without any
hairsplitting would have voted ten
times as much il anybody in authority
had asked for it. Enough and more than
enough was appropriated. Nevertheless,
II human testimony is worthy of belief
Of all, our heroes in the field suffered for
want Of food, our hospitals were con-
verted into pest holes, and the sick and
wounded in the hospitals died for lack
Of the right sort of food and medicine.
The fathers and mothers of the land
who sent their SON forth to battle will
be more deeply interested in finding out
what jobbers and incompetents commit
ted these crimes against our soldiers
than they are as to whether Mr.. Bailey
or any other man wears q sack coat or a
Prince Albert, a white lawn string
necktie or q silk four-in-hand.
The Real Issue.
They will be much more concerned
about ~ferreting out and furnishing the
sinners who caused this suffering and
death than they are in learning whether
Mr.. Bailey's pantaloons are creased
8very morning, according to the rules Of
dudedom, or whether they are baggy at
all times. No; the inkfish game Of
darkening the waters will not suffice
this time. II nobody was demanding an
investigation but Democrats, it might
be waved aside as "a partisan howl"
but there are others besides Democrats
who object to starving our soldiers
John Sherman, for instance. John sayA
that the nan or men responsible for
this outrage ought to be ~impeached.
and, whatever else John is, he is most
emphatically not a Democrat. General
Nelson A. Miles has also spoken his
mind rather freely about the miscon.
duct Of the war, intimating in broadcast
terms that favoritim and incompetency
In the war department lie at the root Of
all the trouble. Miles ought to know.
BE IL . distinguished soldier. He is a