The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-02-04
MAJOR STANTON WANTS 4 PASS.
A Queer Ahynsd Letter IRON me Al
thor Of The Meneyles &a4

poems, not long ago wrote ~ extremely
hrieht end funny letter to Gepesal Joh1
Eehols, President Of the Newport New
and Mississippi Valley Railway Company
in making application for pass. The
novel communication i in rhyme. Gen.
eral Echols, whose name by the-wsy,
adorns the resolptiops Of secession adopt
ed by the s+ete of ViFgiaia. and Via
va prominent figure in the Copfedersta
military forces throughout tho VA, told
Recorder reportar of the incident while
the two we're thrown together in travelling
last week.
"Major Stanton" said he, twas on my
staff at the close of the war, and have
always been very fond of him. Last
spring he came to my Office and asked
me Cor an ANIMAL pass oyer my road
said, in fun, to him: when yop 60 back
to Frankfort write me note, setting forth
your wishes.' Very soon received a
written application for the annual pass.
in reply to which wrote him note, tell
ing him that would refer his spplica.
tion to the lawyers of the company. to ad-
wise me whether it would be violation
of the Interstate Commerce law for me to
issue the pass as requested. 1t was in re-
ply to that letter that he wrote me this
letter." and the General produced the fol-
lowing, which be allowed the Recorder
reporter to copy:
"MY DEAR GENERAL. Your letter Is
here, and very much fear that Its the
very last word that l ever will hear of
that annual pass. Alack and alas! that
the souls of the great and the rich
should be SIGH. Now, if we're mognl,
and if you were the tramp, and the wealth
er was damp, don't you know I should
say in Christian like way, Poor fellow,
Jump on, for there's nothing to pay Do
you think l would pause to examine .
CLAUSE of the corporate laws and call in
my shysters to make 'talkee- talk in search
of statute to prove you should walki
Nay, naY, my dear friend, for you know
very we'll that I'd grab at the string and
tinkls the bell, and I'd scream and I'd
yell to "Put on the break" for humanity's
sake, and when had brought the old
thing to stand, I'd stretch out my hand
and I'd help you aboard, and I'd see you
from walking completely restored. I'D
seat you on elegant cushions inside; I'D
give you drink. and I'd say you shall
ride on plain and through valley, by field
and by river, now on and henceforth and
forever and ever.
"They say that q charter on iron to roll
is a thing without sentiment, sorrow or
soul; that it goes right ahead, by the liv-
ing and the dead, ~ q merciless way for
spay,' only pay 1t has corporate life
and can move, but it never can love.
SITS pulses are quick, or are slow, but
passions thing that 1t never can know.
Now you are the head and front of a
chartcr-a human turned into "stop her
and start her'-a railroad machine and q
possible martyr; but you were once en-
dowed with heart and soul, above
that poor Office of gathering toll. You
could feel for tramp when he travelled
alone and when he said "bread" you
could never say "stone." But now you
are changedi you are cinder aud coal,
with nothing but iron gone into your
soul.
alike old Polyphemus, who wanted to
eat the whole crew of Ulysses feet, you |
pre- "fond of the brave" and when you
are hungry It's easy to bee you'd willingly
make a small luncheon of me-that is, |
you would take the last Hredn in my wal
Jet for one happy moment to tickle your
gullet.
"Now let me observe that / still have
the nerve, and the muscle to walk and
the brain and tongue and power to talk,
and while have these shall not he a |
clam, but I'll walk on your ties and |
won't care d-n.
"Your legal advisers, those grabbers
and misers, those fellows you hire to do
your desire and all the rough work to be
done for your line, no doubt will decline |
to let you be decent and issue the pass,
and then in q glass of old "Monarch or
Crow" they'll drink to the health of the
plan that cant 60 unless he goes slow.
swell let them decide that the walker
sha'n't ride, for it's nothing to me in the
end, since I know 1t is best to 20 slow.
''some day, on my way, I may halt at
theGalt and pay my respects to my friend,
Mistress E., for know it's not she who
gives nothing but sass when ask for q
pass. Pray tell her that bottle of rMon-
arch" is here and I'll drink it to her.
llfgo for some sugar and mint and some
ice. and I'll 6x up toddy exceedingly
nice, and I'll drink every drop to her
health and wish her the widow Of beauty
and wealth, that soon she should be, for,
you see, it's natural law that the man
who don't give was never intended to live.
~ shall try to go over the ties and the
grass without any pass, but one Of these
days, when together We wait for SOULFUL