The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-09-06
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 The onerasm candidate vhose indus- lrious feet have made pains in the forsst is not sach . prominent festure in the exrcise of suffsge as he vas several yeas ago. Men with the conventional number of arms and practical number of legs nov have the courage to crave the vote of the Arkznsaw elector. Several years ago t vas useless for a man of complete "runnin' gear" to announce himself candidate. The people wanted officers. admit that paralyzed man would make an admirable trea- suEer, but l never could undesstAnd why we should have . ooe-armed sheriff og . justice oi the peace with bullet in his brain. The cripple system, of course, was an outgrowth of the var, but afler awhile, men who had lost arms in feed- ing threshing machine, or who, work- ing at saw mill, lost eight Of leg or O during an intense moment of the per- formance, came forward and declared that under the cripple system thsy were entitled to office, in that the law had failed to name the manner in which . limb should be lost. The question was presented to the legislatuye, entitled, "A bill for an act to be entitled an act to place all one-legged men on an equal footing also, to extsnd equal privileges to maimed men in general"
 The discussion incident upon the pas sage of this bill is remembered as one of the most exciting mental contests known to the intellectual tSibulation of Arkansaw. Col. Bottleton, then in the full bloom of passionate utterance, arose in that perceptible tremor induced by deep seated conviction, and said:
 "l blush for my country, like the white oak leaf reddened by an unexpected wind from the north Sir" shaking his fist at the speaker, !" l oppose this meas ure. l do not think that tn man who lost his leg in heated debate with an alligator should be the equal of the man whose leg was shot of during the war In the language of the old Roman stump speaker, such course would bring about a race of base. ignoble slaves. The bright sun rises in the east and-and sets In the west.n
 Loud applause rang and echoed through the dark railways, and spiders no longer able to engage in the work of sought their :hickly draped corners and awaited the result.
 Captain Higginson, advocate of the bill, who speculated in mules during the war, arose and snorted like an excited horse. cannot understand" said he, why leg isn't leg, and not understanding this, do not see why the absence of leg isn't the absence of leg in all languages, under all forms of government and pre- vious conditions of servitude. The best officer the state has ever known was one whose leg was amputated by mistake. Several surgeons had been sent out to whittle man who h Id suffered in rail- way accident. Our friend happened to be passing that way, and while under the
 influence of potent beverage, lay down near the railroad track and sank into a deep sleep. The surgeons found him in this condition and cut of his right leg. Now, Mir. Speaker, can you tell me that this man would have made a better of- hcer had he lost his leg in battle2 Non- sense, sir"
 This powerful speech, indisputable in argument, bristling in point and firm in patriotism, had the effect of passing the bill. Crippled men came forward and were elected to office. Finally they be- came scarce, for many of them, having been elected to hold positions of financial trust, left the state-about all they did sought the retirement of quiet and unobserved life. Crippled and one arm men are still in demand. but as there arc not enough of them to fill all the of- hoes, whole and sometimes sane men are This is we'll. It is a painful sieht to see a crippled state treasurer, heavy bundle, struggling 10 catch a train. A man with two good legs could go through with the performance in manner involving less exertion. It is not humane to subject physical incom- pleteness to such trying task.