The National tribune., 1884-06-05
THAT ARMY MULE.
Was He Sound When He Entered the Service
Forty Years Agof
TEligabethtono1, ON. " Post and Gagstse.I

[ElisabetEtow,s az. ~ Post and GazstseI
Comrades what shall we say about an oldwhite
army mule that has seen forty years service2
And what mule is it2 Is it the Zollicoffer
mule2 If he was in the Confederate service our
Government has no oats for him. Or was he one
of General Burnside's white mules that helped
the army over the Cumberland mountains and
lived through the winter of SO and "a without
shoes, blankets or tents, and with but one ear
of corn a day for sixty days2 If this mule is
one of them, let him have the oats by all means.
Perhaps he is the mule that went through
the siege of Knoxville on less than eight
rations. If so, pass the oats. Did he carry heavy
| back-loads of ammunition in addition to his own
bed and board 2-then pass the oats. Did he
carry musket with frozen fingers till the
! nails came off Did he belong to our brigade,
which had one lank steer for three days beef
ratons and not grease enough about the whole
animal to grease a good sized army shoe-the
/ brigade that had to borrow an old bacon rind
with string tied around it to grease hundreds
/ of throats SO the beef would not stick in its
passage downward and choke fellow to death2
| Ii so, pass the oats Did he help draw the
/ artillery up steep hills and mountains, where
the horses could not climb2 Did he go for
three months without hearing from home, be-
cause communications had been cut off? Did
| he go six months at a time without pay, be-
cause the climate was too warm for the pay
masters ?--then bring cut the oats. But where
| is the proof that he is entitled to be placed
upon the retired list? If he is entitled to oats
| from the Government crib, has his claim been
proven up in the Pension Officer Did he pro-
| cure the iron bound oath of his family ply
| stefan that he was sound and healthy mule
| when he entered the service, forty years ago
If not, did he procure the evidence oftwo neigh
Dor mules that he was free from the heayes
when he entered upon his forty years ofseryice
| Did he procure the evidence of his commanding
| officer that he never kicked over the traces,
| and of the army surgeon that he pranced up
regularly to sick call and took his portion of
auinine and blue mass? Was his military
| record examined to find out if he had not been
| treated for ring bone which existed prior to
his enIistnent2 If he has complied with all of
| the technical rules and red-tape of the Pension
| Office and a special agent has been sent out to
| examine man who got within range Of his
| heels once upon Q time, and nothing can be
found against him, then place him upon the
pension rolls at two dollars per month, and
soften his declining years by setting certain
| newspaper hounds after him and let them keep
| ringing in his ears such loving names as old
fraud, government pauper, pension swindler,
leeches upon the Treasury, the victim of ras-
cally claiIa agents, etc. But, now, if the Secre-
tary of War has ordered the oats for life for that
mule without requiring him to pass through
the Pension Office and furnish all this testi-
mony, then we must come to the conclusion
that the diseased, pain-racked veterans who
| fought for their country, and who also ask foI
a few oats are not equal to this old white mule
/ VETERAN.