The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-11-17
THE SOLDIER AND THE MULE
InskAsnn.l

lr<eks San.l
 The county has ben srsased, the pass week. 10 psece q sentimant a the part cf army officers. that was not expected. Ia selling of old and condemned army property al frontier post. u ~as foand that enc mule. called Mexleaa." had been tn the service ior forty ycarA aud tcr many year past had been kept at the post. unahle to dc any work, bat given all tha, be needed. When the sale was about to take place the officers cf the post, whc had beea brought up. as tt weres with the mule. decided to pesttaan the gcssxument so counsesuAnd the order for the sale of the mule. and keep the animal as lcag as a should live. The petition vas sent through the dsfferen, headquarters. and at each place it re- cessed the endorsement of the officer in charge. Don't sell the mule" Finally the petition arrived at General Sherman headeuArsets. and the old man remem. bercd the mule. and endorsed the pesi ton, '' Don't sell the mule." and ssnt II to secretary of var. Robert Lincoln. Robert sas do~a and had good cry over the recssAl of the service of she mule during forty years of hghung and hauling bacon, and he wrote an order to his subcrdinstcs as fello~s iet ths mule be kept and cared for as long as he lis~s" And % the order has gone forth. the aged and ,nhrm mule ,s dts. tinsuishcd gaes, ot the greatest goseta- lnent the world ever knew, and the latel years of its life w,ll be full of peace and army oats. and it's dying bed will he Q; l. la. make a holida, for the boys "a blue When ~e sec an old soldier. with one lex, turning she crank on hand organ. who cannot gcs a pcns.on because there IS nu one leh ai hls regiment ta testify aa ,a whether the leg was shot ois by cannon. Of Cut of hy A surgeon. ,t ~,!i be natural so th,nk ot the fortunate mule. tha, IA ,a be cared Tor all the days of lts lite When one looks oves the pension lis, and sees the name ot soldier who returned from the wai half dead, and hAs iemainesl so ever slaee. and sce thls muni,icen, government allows the soldier two doliafs 4 month. thus pa,ing tot the lost health ln lns,aliment~. one will feel tha, the innle ls A tas otrd animal in comparison ~ith the ack soldiei l, III skcs one siek ;a see all thls gushing over mule which has no soul tha, AnSane kneatot, by men hlgh in authority. when there arc soldicfs all over the land with souls that every one knows ot. ~ho cannot ptacute pen s,ons a~ing to the loss ot >oiue important papefs. or the death ot dtsappearAnee oi seme off eci. and who atc earning hall a living doing some dirty work. Wha, ~elcoine order u would be lo such sol. dicr te have Mir. Iiaooln ~r,,e. ." t-es this saidieI he kept and cAtcd iot aa long d. he lxes to the ,o.llng wife oi manned sss.dsst. %.;o helps ct; she .cs: iella.= month feseivcd from tho government aa a pep.ion. by do,ng ~a,hlng or taking ln staits to scfab. "A she foots ai the wteck ., the man ot het ehoiee. uho stepped so proudly into thc ranks m isb; and came home on eruts hes. the fesdsng 0. the oi det to !" Let tbe mule br rafed iut aa long h he lives must seem farce The mother ot the brave boy who was killed at t.e,,s sbutg, who ferriVes about enough from the government to furnish her wi,h aliGo dTess ana an O. asioaAI pinth h oi snutt as she locks ai lhr tin type of the boy whe never amr back, and turns her si,e,;ssis= ss :a= =.hi.a.e ~asd. af n. deseendant oi Abt .ham ,ncoln. to care tot the mule. mus, feel ,hull of horror. ard feel that | she had her boy bacS again she would send a maie io u nr,' tune There are soldiers all over ,hls land who are dehafred from re, ,eising any a,d from the government. ~ho would feel aimos, tseh II they could have the oats that mule gets assy ~ith. If uis ngh, to suppor the white mule in iile ness, II 's right so support all mules ,ha, have sefved theu county. and the pre- e. dent established ~.li cause any mule t0 kick against being sold al auction here atef, and claim the figh, to be car sd fof a long as il lives. l, is fas from the wish ot the .Sss to question the motives of the SC retaiy of ~A in this matter. as the mule cannot vote, but when Mir Lincoln unseres the mule ,n a general order, by saying as long as AS lives." he sho~s that he ts not the man iof seefesary ot war. The mule n no, h< never sas and never will be. The mule has always been a she animal. and however po~esfuI the sesretafy of war, no general order eman. aiing from his office can change mules from the feminine to the mAstuIiae. lie may cause them ,o draw pens.ons of osis and ba!ed hay but they mus, remain the same kind of mules. Mf Lincoln ough, 70 be ashamed of hims@lf