The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-29
SATURDAY. OCTOBER %, 1925.
TuF nEAI POINT OF ATTACK.

The Honorable Joseph w. Bailey. OF
Texas. made a speech at Bristol Va on
"Wednesday last, in which he went at
large over all the delinquencies Of the
Republican party, in the course of which
ne IL reported, in special dispatch 10
the washington Post. TO have said that
the chairman Of the commission now Ia
vestigatlnR the Spanish war was a self
confessed scoundrel We don't Know
what Mr.. Galley bases this charge upon
but II is truly very serious one, and
he ought to have had something better
than a desire to advance his partys
interests as a basis for it, We fear That
Mr.. Bailey was a little reckless In his
statements, and we draw that inference
from the follow passage in the Posts
dispatch. 1t went on thus:
Mr.. Bailey emphasized The fact that
The or!yate soldiers were not PROVIDED
with cots, but were compelled 10 steep
UPON the ground, with only a blanket
under them. This condition Of affalrs ex-
isted when less than the money author
lied TO send Peace Commissioners 10
Paris 70 settle what could and should
aaye provided every private soldier III
the volunteer army with cot
A man who can work himself up into
such a state Of excitement because SOL
diers in time OF war don't get cots 10
sleep on, Is, we fear. o. a temperament
that is liable 20 carry him of into all
sorts Of vsgaries.
Mr.. Bailey is too young 70 know what
his people had TO endure as soldiers
in our great civil war. II he had ten
or twelve more years upon his head, he
would have learned something of what
men have to put up with in real war
and ne would then know that soldiers
IN war are not much concerned abous
cots, and IL is a very rare thing when
one Of them gets cot to sleep on. Mr.
Bailey was addressing people who knew
something Of what Confederate soldiers
had to put up with, and we doubt wheth-
CT his laments over the present soldiers
because they had 10 cots, met with
much sympathy.
when Mr.. Royal was addressing the
sons Of Veterans last Monday night.
after describing the rations that Con-
federate soldiers got in 1858, he said how
contemplate IN the soldiers of the pres
ent day to be complaining OF their "a
tons when the Confederate soldlers
could dght such battle as Chanceliors-
villa on such ra.ions as we're served out
10 them. and the whole audience broke
our with the most vociferous applause.
That incident told, in the plainest terms,
that the people OF the South, certainly.
take very little stock in the clamor
about the poor soldier having been neg
lsotsd. When soldiers so to war they
axpeet 10 have hard time. and when
they are as well provided for as the
sslGlsrs OF the United states are 1t is
rot an easy matter 10 get up very much
sympathy over them. on that account.
Mr.. Bailey ana all Of his fellow states
rnsa are barking up the wrong tree when
they assail the administration for neglect
of the soidiers. Tho soldiers. in the
main. have bean fairly wen attended 10.
That IL not the place TO attack. The
place ct which they should aim their
guns IL the way IN which. what, for a
better name. we call the patronage Of the
War Department mas been dispensed
Let them insist upon finding out who
got the contracts to furnish clothing.
ana tents and wagons ard mules and
horses, and all the other supplies for
ne army. Let them also probe all the
appointments made by the War Depart
ment and trace out the political pull
which the appointees had. II there has
beer anything wrong in tho conduct of
The war II II ~ these points We do
not charge that there 10 anything wrong,
but there is a deep suspicion in the
public mind OF Secretary Alger that will
never be satisfied until these matters ara
investigated and the actual facts are
made known.
80 drop your cot complaints. Mr..
Bailey and go after these other matters
that are so much more promising.