Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-27
Statesman Bailey Strikes I Keynote.


Young Mr.. Bailey Of Texas seems TO
be making speciality this year OF
striking campaign keynotes. When
by reason Of his personal popularity
with the voters Of his district, he OBJ
tanned denomination to Congress ne
struck the keynote OF anti-expansion,
although the Texas Democracy in con-
vention assembled had rejected the
doctrine Of national isolation and
specifically declared in favor OF the ac-
QUESTION of new territory.
In speech delivered at Chatham.
Va. last week, Mr.. Bailey struck a
new keynote. War revenue and War
mismanagement were its burden. The
administration party was TO be at
tackled for having passed a war reve-
nue. bill which provided for the issu-
ance of interest bonds. He
said: I'VE opposed the passage OF
that bill because we believe 1t author
lied an unnecessary sale of interest
bearing bonds, and the condition of the
treasury proves conclusively that we
were right When Congress .convenes
in December next it will find the sur
plus in the treasury, above the 500. 00O,-
900 gold reserve, will exceed the
amount received from the sale OF
bonds, thus demonstrating that there
was no necessity for the government
to sell its bonds
1t is a simple and easy matter for
young Mr.. Bailey to predict the
amount OF surplus which will be in the
treasury next December. because he Is
an oracle. Gifted also with marvellous
hindsight, he can see plainly that All
Of the money derived from the war
revenue bill would not be needed to
prosecute the war. Mr. Bailey can now
look back and see just when the war
was going to end and how much it
was going to cost. and he is surprised
that the men who voted for the war
revenue bill did not know all about 1t.
But suppose events had been diff
ferent. Suppose, for instance, that a
violent storm had arisen and driven
SIMPSONS ships from their station at
the entrance to Santiago harbor. thus
permitting Cervera's escape to the
open sea. Let us suppose that Cen
eral Toral had held out but a little
longer against General Skaters army.
which the best military authorities
admit he might have done. and the
site of American occupation had been
converted into a great hospital camp.
which would have been an inevitable
result. would the war have been ended
yet? Would not the surplus, OF which
Mr.. Bailey complains, be much less?
The supporters of the, administra-
ton gould not foresee all tSs events 50
plain to the retrospective view of
young Mr.. Bailey. hence they provided
the government with sufficient means
to prosecute the war to, a !. successful
whether it s9fsaAdsia two
months or two years. And young Mr..
Bailey, who boasts that his party
brought on the war, stood with his
party in opposition to the legislation
necessary to secure revenue to carry
on that war. And now Mr.. Bailey has
that particular sort of temerity which
in Texas is known as Immaculate
gall" to designate the war revenue
bill as an issue in the congressional
campaigns.
Having attempted to make an issue
of the administrator expansion poll
cy and failed, ne has CROPPED blindly
and frantically for something to SUBJ
stitute for it, and has finally hit upon
the war revenue bill. It is doubtful
if young Mr.. Bailey's party will accep,
this as an issue. While it's leaders
may have as much courage as the
young Texas statesman, they are NOT
all equally foolish. Mr.. Bailey had
better begin practicing on a new key
note.