Show I A SOLDIERS REASON t W S Bales served with the Twentieth Kansas and then reenlistedIn one of the volunteer regiments In the Philippines Philip-pines Recently he returned to his home on a furlough and last Wednesday he addressed the following letter to the Fort Scott Monitor II As I have said that I intended to vote the Republican ticket the ques Ion has been asked a great many times by my friends who know I am a Populist Pop-ulist why T have changed I think no wrong can be done by stating through the Monitor what Is the cause of my action When company F went to Manila Ma-nila I was a Populist as all the neighbors neigh-bors know The soldiers were all well treated and well cared for by the Government Gov-ernment Reading matter among other oth-er things was abundant We had papers pa-pers of all parties and read them all Every paper in favor of the Administration Adminis-tration did us good and encouraged us Every time one of those bitter antiAd ministration speeches was made Agui naldo and his officers would print It in a dozen different languages and circulate cir-culate It by the hundred thousands It Is a fact that all our soldiers know that these speeches and the opposition papers cost the lives of hundreds of men and prolonged the war There Is no chance to Question it We had Hoars and Atkinsons and Lentzs speeches auoted to us all the time and the Tagals thought that the Government Govern-ment was In bad condition at home This gave them courage and kept them fighting The war would have ended months before it did If It had not been for the vicious and lying things said In Congress and by these party paper These Islands arc property of the United Unit-ed States and are so rich that their value cannot be told They ought to bo kept I kcntNow I am still a Populist and know 1 no reason whv I should change but I cannot and will not vote with a party that helps to kill United States soldiers or which helps the enemies of this country When my party gets back where it once was then I am with It So long as It sides with copperheads and rebels It can count me olitran 1 I sas City Journal I |