The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-08-06
"T. J. ]. B. BURLESON" IS
A NEVADA MAIL MULE
Brilliant Methods of Handling United
States Mail.


States Mail.
We understand that local authorities
in and on the mail service hold to the
principle that employees be kept in
that portion of the service where they
are most adept. In other words, pro-
motion is not to be thought of. He
who is most useful will of necessity
hold down the least desirable position
because in the postal service as else
where the desirable jobs are at the
top. The person who learns the work
day by day is adept in all branches,
but the sensible clerk is he who picks
out the easiest work and refuses to
learn any other work
The postoffice department has in
its employ a mule, according to the
R. F. d. News The following inter
esting story illustrative of postohice
methods is taken from that publica-
ton:
The following article appeared in
the July i issue of the Oakland (Cal.)
Tribune:
Just over the California line in the
State Of Nevada there is a mule. His
owner has rechristened him Thomas
Jefferson Jackson Bryan Burleson. He
is mule worth writing about.
ct. J. ]. B. Burleson engaged in a
fight with predatory railway corpor-
alton, the Governor of Nevada, the
Senate and Assembly of Nevada, Unit
ed States Senator Key Pittman and
that mighty, though invisible power
of the Supreme Court known as pre-
cedent,' all ranged against him, and
he won. The victory of 7. ]. J. B. B.
is no winged and transient one.
Six times a week he ambles in his
careless, independent way along the
highway between Palisades and Eure-
ka, "a miles, heehawing at the natives
And the natives, impatient, injured,
venomous, bitter, unimportant human
creatures that they are, scowl back at
the mule and sometimes fling a stone.
The fiinging of the stone is more
or less an act of efhgiation howbeit it
may scalp a piece of hide from the
coat of T. J. ]. B. B. and cause him in
time to assume the appearance of
speckled guinea pig. Every time
native filings a stone at the mule he
mutters to himself in an absured silly
way:
| wish you were that Burleson in
the White House that insists on your
lordlng over us in this way Or words
to that effect. Men in Western min
ing states often adopt unique forms
of expression.
But the mule hee-haws on his way.
Tor which he draws from the United
States Treasury the sum Of $500 per
year for his grateful owner. T. LIB.
b. draws the United States mail wa
gon between Palisade and Eureka
making the 84-mile journey three
times a week. 1t is the or!y mail
service the unfortunate citizens who
have their homes along this route are
permitted by the Postotfice Depart
ment to have
Postmaster General Burleson has
come to the aid of his stubborn name
sake and that is why the people, the
Governor, the Legislature and the u.
5. Senators of Nevada lost. But the
spirit of human beings will not submit
to the indignity of literally being ig-
nored for the benefit of mule without
protest. Moreover, everyone in New
ada is not a Democrat. So there is
W DC dHolHeT Hgnt III Nevada and |
this winter. The people |
Of Nevada are going to express their
cause to President Wilson as being
similar to the rights of humanity |
against the rights of mule and they |
ire going to ask the President to or
Ter that relief be given them.
Some years ago the Eureka and
palisade railway maintained a credit
lble service between the two terminal
POINTS and made the 84-mile trip in a
ew hours, The railway was almost
Wholly destroyed by the big freshet of
9l0 and the railway, of course, could
10 longer carry mail AS the railway
.emained out of operation, Postmaster
General Hitchcock installed a star
quite, that is, an animal-drawn vehicle
Q carry the mail between Palisade and
Eureka.
1T was then that T. J. ]. B. B. got
MS first government job 1t took him
hirty-three hours to make the trip,
which was a great hardship on the
people who had been accustomed to
he rapid train service. But they were