Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1902-08-16
". ]. bailey At HIS HOME.

the contrary it is safe to Judge man
by his neighbors. This is exempIified
in the case of Mr.. Bailey of Bailey
vile, Republican candidate for COVER
nor of Kansas.
There is not a more hopeless spot
upon the fair earth than a little coun-
try railway station. The city depot
at its worst has the advantage of COM
parison with hideous, smoke be-
grined environment and in few not
able instances it has been made an
architectural delight But the coun-
try station is rarely anything but an
offense to the lonely dignity of the
landscape which surround it. There
it stands, in its encircling guard of
cinders which keep back the rank,
encroaching weeds. its ugly squalor
IMPLYING the Sordid commercialism
barbarous philistinism that conceived
it.
Perhaps it was the contrast with
the dismal station where tiresome
wait was made for the train that COW
cred the last stage of the little jour
ney that made the country beyond it
seem uncommonly lovely. But for
whatever reason the panorama that
unrolled itself as the train swept on
was of varied and exquisite beauty.
''The country around Baileyville, the
the master of Baileyvllle was to say
later with that pardonable pride in
his home which is so characteriStical-
ly American, .scan't be beat any place.
There's no better county than Nema-
ha." And even making any allowances
for his natural prejudices in its favor
you were bound to admit that the
prospect was exceeding fair. The
cornfields stretch as far as the eye can
reach, the glossy green blades of the
lusty young stalks cleaning in the
brilliant Kansas sunshine, and you
don't need to be much of farmer to
tell that it is phenomenal corn. AL
most no small grain is raised in Ne
maha county. Its big crop is corn.
For an area 25 miles square around
Baileyville is just a huge cornfield ex-
cept for little meadowland and the
broad pastures where the cattle Craze.
The field daisies, the black-eyed Su-
sans, the yellow fronds of the first
golden rod and the purple blossoms of
the iron weed splash with color the
tall prairie grass that borders the rail-
road track. Country roads. every one
an inviting promise of fresh charms
over the crest of this hill or in the
shadows of that rayine, wind grace
fully away, StreakS of tawny dust in
the distance. Here and there they
crossed brides over brown streams
fringed with timber where the utili-
tartan yeoman has converted ideal
picnic grounds into feed lots for cattle
ana hogs.
The train stops out In the midst of
the corntields and you get off much
against your Will because, although
the brakeman insists that 1T is Bailey
vile, the home of Willis j. Bailey. the
next governor of Kansas, you are on
the wrong side of the train and it
looks TO you that a mistake has been
made.
of the busiest little spots on the map.
''Mr. Bailey" repeats the station
agent. HE just got off of this train
/ think you'll find him at the post
Office" He politely leaves his work
and accompanies you to the postofflce
something less than a stones throw
away and there he indicates tall,
broad shouldered, heavy young man.
The man wears blue serge clothes and
a new straw hat. He is thoroughly
Drowned by the Kansas wind and the
Kansas sun, but he is not the typical
Kansas farmer in appearance; more
like country town lawyer. He looks
about 30 although everyone knows he
is AZ because his position is such that
lie can't keep those little details Sc
cret. 1t is said that he sometimes
shows his years, but that must be in
the hurry and stress in public life,
because at home, in Baileyville, he's
as young as any boy He greets you
with the hearty manner so Tree from
insincerity or pretense that has made
and kept him friends that count.
If you think that BaiIeyyilIe is
nothing but railway station and the
Bailey farm you are wofully ignorant
of the geography of your state. Bailey
vile has 225 people, a bank, an eleva-
tor, which in the busy season handles
from eight to nine thousand bushels
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