The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-27
COLONEL BUNKER.
He Explains About the Mule and
Barbed-Wire Fences.

when elected to. the legislature of
my native state, sub, said Colonel
Bunker after pulling down his vest
when elected senator to succeed my
self by the largest majority ever given
candidate, I had my attention at
tracted to that weapon against senti-
ment and civilization known as the
barbed wire fence.
1T had lately been invented and was
finding it's way south. l travelled about
my country and made an exhaustive
and patient inquiry. While it made
handy and durable fencing, / realized
from the outset that it was against the
mewl. 1t was nothing less than an in
suit to him to put it up. He had been
used to going over or through fences
all his life, and to leaning on them to
mediate or rest, and the change
brought sadness to his heart.
''On my own plantation, sub, where
1 had upwards of fo'ty nevis, the five
hundred feet of wire fencing l put up
as an experiment brought nothing but
trouble. The mewl resented 1t as an
abrogation of his inherent rights. He
felt it's presence an insult, and his nat
ural sentiment was soon absorbed in
his feeling of indignation. The fence
was too high to jump, too strong to
be broken down, and the mewl who
backed up to it and let fly his heels
soon had the worst of it. The result
was easily to be foretold. The natural
suIkiness and obstinacy if the animal
was increased so per cent, and the
kindest measures no longer brought a
feeling of gratitude in return.
Il was armed with plenty of evil
dence when 1 introduced my bill, and
l could figure pretty well the reception
it would meet. There was grand
guffaw from all over the state, anu
some of the newspapers went so far
as to cartoon me wiping tears Of grief
from a nevis eyes.
when the bill came to be consider
ed in committee of the whole my
speech and my statistics were spoken of
as equal to anything Henry Clay ever
brought forward, but they did nat 81
lence my enemies. Not one man out
of one thousand in the south. where the
mewl had always lived and was best
known was prepared to admit that he
had feelings to be insulted or injured
Various amendments were oneTed 70
the bil1-such as covering the barbs
with velvet, making new race OF
nevis with sheet-iron hides, and so
forth and so forth-but refused to be
cried down. 1 saw that heroic meas
l1res must be resorted to to save the
bill. however, and L had it sent back to
the committee on internal improve
ments, and then waited on Senator
Brody. He had written some comic
verses entitled: Bunker and the Mewl,'
and 1 proposed to nip him in the bud.
Senator began, as 1 drew him
aside one day, I want you to add one
more verse to that poem.
Anything to oblige,' he replied.
MAKE a verse to read that you sent
a friend to my friends, and that they
arranged a meeting for sunrise
lead, colonel, but is this a chal-
lenge?' he asked as the smile left his
face.
at is meant for one, suh?'
ION account of the nevis of the
south?'
'' For that reason alone. I am their
friend and champion as against the
barbed-wire fence. suh.'
It's a devilish queer thing to fight
over, colonel, but I'll have to go out if
you demand it,
I'VE were on the ground at sunrise
uext morning, and while the senator's
bullet cut a button from my coat, I
shot off his thumb and lodged my lead
In his shoulder besides. During the day