Evening star., 1946-11-24
Capital Sidelights
By VIII r. Kennedy

When a group of veteran Congressman
get to gossiping some interesting mug
gets of information are likely to be dug
UP. Recently several Missourians were
being kidded about the State nickname'
Show Me-" and the late Speaker Champ
Clark was quoted, crediting Representa-
tive Willard D. Vandiver with originate
ing 1t when in an address before the
Five O'Clock Club in Philadelphia in
1899 he said: II come from q country
that raises corn, cotton, cockleburs and
Democrats. I'm from Missouri and
you've got to show me-" The talk shifted
to q discussion Of the Missouri mule,
and then to the historic service of the
"Jackass Express" and "Jackass Mail"
both of the same origin. Alexander II.
Todd organized and operated and was
estimated to have made $1,000 . day
out Of his mule express, transferring
mail from San Francisco and Sacra-
mento post offices to the men In the
gold mining camps from 1849 to 1855.
The riders were mounted on mules. vul-
carly called jackasses. Thus Todd re-
lieyed the postal service Of the problem
Of dead letters In California, which
Postmaster General Nathan K. Hall re-
ported to be 2,400 pounds In 1851.
It also was recalled that during the
Civil War regiment of about 500 Con-
federate cayalrymen under command Of
Maj. Gen. James z. B. Stuart were
nicknamed the Mule Brigade" because,
having lost their horses, they mounted
mules and fought stubbornly and VAL
orously thus mounted. That reminded
another "Reminiscences Quoting the
historian McMaster) that when, during
the war with England. In 1914, COM
merce between United States ports in
ships was interrupted, wagon trains
were substituted to maintain ship
schedules and were listed among the
shipping arrivals and departures as
"Horse-and-Ox Marine Then it was
recalled that when Cleveland was Presi-
dent group of Democratic House
members who opposed some of his poll
icies and Legislative measures were
dubbed "the Wild Horses" and among
the more prominent were Joseph G.
Sibley OF Pennsylvania and i7ichard p.
Bland of Missouri. It was suggested
that this probably inspired the reaction
ary Senate President, George II. Moses
Of New Hampshire, In the Calvin Cool
idge administration to assail George w.
Norris. Smith Brookhart and other Pro-
gressives, who had been causing the Re-
publicans pain, using the biblical allu-
sion, "Sons OF the Wild Asses" but
rewspapermen strengthened It Just a
little by quoting 1t SONS Of the Wild
Jackasses," and so it is best remembered.
To complete the tale Of the donkeys,
the late r. Walton Moore Of Fairfax,
Va, was quoted regarding how George
Washington raised asses at Mount ver-
non. Early in 17e6 there arrived at
Mount Vernon gift Of jack and two
1ennies, from the royal stud at Madrid,
sent by the King Of Spain. who had
been informed that washington was
endeayoring to procure such animals
from the best breed in Europe, to raise
mules on his estate. They were accom-
panied by stud-master, who brought
them by land from Portsmouth, N. H.
The jack was named Royal Gift. gray,
16 hands high and heavily built. About
the same time. the Marquis de Lafayette
sent to Mount Vernon q jack and two
jennies from the Island Of Malta. The
jack was called knight of Malta, q
superb animal, black with the form Of
q stag and the ferocity Of tiger.