The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-03
ONLY THE COWBOYS WEAR
THEM

Boots Once Worn by Congressman ant
All Have Passed Out Of Fashion.
Boots are still worn and always will
be worn, dealers in footwear declare
but the fashioned kip boot has hat
it's day 1t is no longer seen in the
common walks of life. It's place on the
shelves Of the shoe stores is taken by
'bootees," "hlgh cuts" and anarticle OF
fancy design that is a combination
boot and shot. Even the soldier, who
used to be spoken of as booted and
spurred," has abandoned the pictur-
esoue high tops, and the dashing caval-
ryman is now pictured with his khaki
trousers wrapped in russell leggins
The cowboy whose haunts are far
away from the influence of metropoll-
tan fashions, still clings to his high
heeled boots, ornamented with blue kid
at the tops, and few are still main
ufactured to crafty his tastes. The
farmer still asks for the old-style boots,
but, unable to get them, he Is satisfied
to take the best substitute that Is Of
fered. In years past nearly every
school boy, especially in the rural dis
tricts, wore boots. They had steel or
brass tips on the toes, the youngsters
having a propensity for kicking holes
in them before they were otherwise
worn. Men who are to-day grandfath-
eds and have been accustomed to boots
since their childhood are loath to give
them up. They want fine calfskins with
the legs not too high, and they wear
them with the trousers outside. In this
respect the plain, oldfashioned, but
substantially dressed man, who used
to put his feet upon the desk and dis
play a f1nely-grained bootleg under his
trousers, has been loath to yield to the
new style, and is still catered to on
small scale by some shoe dealers
The booot was formerly a very popu-
lar article Of footwear in Congress and
enjoyed the special favor of statesmen.
Now 1t is confined to ranchmen, hunt
ers and few men in agricultural pur-
suits, and has almost entirely lost it's
original identity The old. coarse
rusty "clodhopper" boot, with finger
straps hung outward like the dropping
ears Of donkey, and the legs sagged
down in heavy folds around the ankels
is no longer seen shutting in and out
among the truck wagons packed
around the market square. If the gar
dener can afford to rise above the heavy
low-cut shoes he will be found wearing
boots of a fine grade of leather, laced
at the insteps and up the sides Of the
leg. But the price Of these Is usually
too high to attract the man with the
hoe.
The fact is, boots as they are manu-
featured now have become luxury.
The cheap styles that sold for the same
prices as shoes are no longer in the
market. They are made on such an
elaborate scale that they seldom cost
less than IS, and range from that price
to $12 The shoe made for rough work
IAN be bought for from $3.50 to 81, and
boots for the same uses came within
hose prices, but they cannot be found
now, except on rare occasions. There
are no more than three or four stores
n Kansas City that make any special
fort to cater to rhc boot trade, when
no shoe stock In the city was
considered complete without full line |
If boots of every variety There Is no |
boot trade to speak of uptown. One or
wo stores keep q special line for what |
hey call their stock-yards trade 1t is
rade in the neighborhoood of the cat
le-pens and the stock exchange where
he boot trade flourish at all. There is
where the boot retains its firrnest hold.
There 1t is made to order to suit the
vhims and fancies of the breezy and
talwart westerners whose tastes in the
natter of dress are as free and easy as
heir own manners. There the boot has
close friend and companion in the
ght-colored broad-brimmed sombrero,
which refuses to be crowded out or in
ny way restrained by the dictates Of
ckle fashion. There one will find high
rt boots and some very elaborate crea-
ions are sometimes seen moving
through the corridors of the live stock
building.
Most fashions in dress are supposed
} originate in Paris, but Paris ha no
1fluence whatever on the styles of the
cots worn by the men from the great
outhwestern cattle ranges of the Uni
I'd States. The only styles they adopt
|
orkers in leather in big cattle mar
ct like Kansas City to please the fam
y of their fastidious patrons, These
len make a speciality of boots and
adde's" and both articles are display
in the same windows. The plains
IAN has a weakness for the ornamen-
Il in saddlery and his boots must be
harmony. He aims for a dashing eff ,
ct. His sombrero, saddle and boots
re the most important parts If his
ake-up when he is mounted His
ride in them is exceeded only by his
terest in his horse. Hence it Is that
lie usual authorities on fashion, how
yer arbitrary they may be in other re-
,ects, have no influence on the stock !
an and cowboy, whose friendship for
e boot will prevent il from being en- :
rely forced aside by the DEGREES of
shion.
The business man and ptharc ubo