Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-11-02

Naii and the Philippines; that 1t per-
mits by treaty polygamy in sulu and
that it pays tribute-tribute. think Of
that, my countrymen-tribute to the
sultan. who has only 500 wives and
concubinesl Abusing the defunct Buch-
anan will be no explanation Of Or de-
Tense for this un-American, indecent,
disgraceful and inhuman policy of this
administration. The Globe Democrat
can trounce me seven days in the week,
but / a come back at It once a week,
and these letters have a greater eircu-
lation than The CD. has and are more
widely read.
Concerning Flapdoodle.
We have it at last. The mystery Is
cleared up. We may all now know
what Thomas jefferson meant when he
wrote and what the fathers meant when
they published the Declaration Of indie
pendence. That state paper. which for
1873 years has been considered the Magma
Oharta of human liberty, is mere flap
doodle, whatever that may be. This
must be true, for the sapient editor of
the Washington Post says 30. ! do not
know precisely what "hapdoodle''
means, but from the connection in
which The Post uses IL It must be some
thing awful. In applying that crushing
term to the Declaration Hon. Beriah
Wilkins has not only made a discovery
in craftsmanship, but also in lexi-
geography, for no such word az clap
doodle is found in Webster's Interna-
tional Dictionary, which Is the highest
authority l happen to have at hand.
Perhaps the Hon. Beriah is writing him
a dictionary of his own, Of which the
classical and e~uphonious word FLAP
doodle is the first fruit. II 80, Hon.
Beriah can put me down as his first
subscriber. "Flapdoodle, IL must DO
confessed, sounds rather crude toa wild
and woolly westerner, but as 1t comes
from the effete east it must be en- regle.
We will no doubt grow accustomed TO
IL after awhile-a long while--but I'M
til we are informed as to Its precise
pedigree or etymology, II you please.
and as TO its exact meaning we must
accept II on faith and faith alone-the
faith we entertain that 30 erudite and
fastidious a scholar, publicist and phi
losopher as Hon. Beriah Wilkins would
not spring upon an unsuspecting public
a word which cannot be included in
the next edition Of the best ~lexicons. II
the departed spirits of the mighty dead
take any cognizance of the happenings
on this mundane sphere, then gruff old
DR.. Samuel johnson and good old DR..
Noah Webster must be in a delightful
frame of mind as they form the ac-
quaintance of Hon. Beriah's latest con-
tribution to the vocabulary of us bloom
ink Hanglo-Hamericans Ad interim
and until l secure my copy Of Hon.
Beriah's lexicon / must ex necessitate
assume that he means "fapdoodle" as
a term Of reproach, contempt, despica-
bleness- The particular portion Of the
Declaration, onee fondly called and for
nearly a century and a quarter ''the
great Declaration, " against which this
newly coined word is sent HURTING
through the malaria1 atmosphere of the
Potomac flats is that which informed a
startled world that governments de-
rive their just powers from the consent
Of the governed, a proposition which
with its twin, "aIl men are created
equal" forms the cornerstone Of this
republic-indeed, Of all republics-and
constitutes our raison d'etre.
ARevssed Declaration.
Pondering Hon. Beriah's editorial,
one must perfcrce wonder what sort Of
an old fool George Washington was to
have had this ''fapdoodle" solemnly
read at the head Of every regiment in
the Revolutionary army as an inspira-
ton to his ragged eontinentals and
barefooted militia TO fight and conquer
the mercenary troops Of his gracious
majesty King George III. "Flapdoo-
die" indeed Perhaps II the yes Of
that bull headed monarch had been
gladdened by a sight of the word clap
doodle as applied to the central idea
Of the Declaration issued by the Inn
mortal rebels 1t would have tickled him
% that he would not have gone blind, |
deaf and crazy.
Hon. Beriah should get him out a
new and revised edition Of the Decla-
ration, What a tremendous sensation
that paper would create II the last
glowing sentence in It, one that sounds
almost like an excerpt from holy writ,
should be revised" 30 as to read, |
"And for the support of this 'hapdoodle'
We mutually pledge TO each other our
lives. u fortunes and pun sacred hon
or"
What a fetching contribution 10 the
gayety Of nations 1t would be to have
a revision Of that famous epitaph which
Jefferson wrote for himself 30 as 10 run
in this wise; Here was buried Thomas
Jefferson, author Of sFlapdoodle,' Of
Virginia's statute for religious freedom
and father Of the University Of Vir-
ginia." Such a revision would make
Hon. Beriah Wilkins immortal