Free press., 1903-01-24
KANSAS COMMENT.

of FL Dorado, who has attended every
Inauguration in Kansas for 80 years,
says, ''the old soldiers are out of it.
He sat in the Copeland for two hours
the other day and in all that time saw
only two G.. A. r. buttons.
New SANTA FE SURvEY.-It is re-
ported from Dodge City that Santa
Fe surveying gang is working south
west from that place. 1t was talked
that it was for a cutoff from Dodge
City to Trinidad, before it was reported
that the surveyors were at work in
Beaver county, Oklahoma.
WAR ON INSURANCE TRUsr-J. w.
Orr, mayor of Atchison, will conduct
such war locally. The state rate
agent of insurance companies rounded
up the local agencies and fixed sched-
ules greatly increasing rates on many
Atchison risks, in violation of the laws
of the state of Kansas. Mr.. Orr asks
the county attorney to take action to
dissolve the trust and punish the vio-
lators
UNION MAN.-The new superin-
tendent of insurance, Mr. Luling, sent
for box of cigars for his friends at
the reception given by the the new
state officers in their official apart
ments. Luling looked at the box and
sent the messenger back with the order
TO bring cigars which carried the union
label. lie is member of the typo
graphical union at his home town of
Wichita
GAS FREE TO SELL. LoTs. The Win
field Gas and Mineral company, the j.
L. Baden Produce Company and Stat
ford e Albright have contracted with
Brandt & Williams, of Fort Scott, TO
sink three wells for natural gas. Stat
ford &c Albright will sink their we'll
on the Platter farm east of town for
the purpose of furnishing free gas as
an inducement to those who will buy
lots and build.
CoBURN OFFERS REsIGNATIoN.-F. D.
Coburn has ten Tered to Governor Bailey
his resignation as regent of the Kansas
Agricultural college. His letter of
resignation states his conviction that
the executive should be free to choose
persons for appointment who are his
personal choice without being hamp-
cred with the fact that some parties to
be displaced are his personal friends
also, and are qualified to fill the posi-
tions.
For SCHOOL CoNsoLIDATIoN -Senti-
ment in favor of the wholesale consoli-
dation of rural schools is spreading
rapidly. 1t was the chief topic dis
cussed by the Kansas teachers. 1t was
shown that in Ellsworth county, where
the system has qeen adopted, the effiic-
iency of the schools has been improved
greatly. One of the strongest points
in favor of it is that the per cent of at
tendants is larger than in the district
school.
CONTRACT For GAS WELI.-The Ar
kansas City council has let a contract
20 ). j. Gilbert to furnish that city
with gas well or series of wells which
will produce 800, 900 cubic feet of gas
per day. The work will be done by a
company composed of local capitalists
and will be commenced within twenty
days. This is only the preliminary to
a systematic hunt for gas and when it
is found it will require several times
this amount to supply the city.
SALE OF FEEDERS Holton,
of Haven, sold to l.. w. Robinson, of
Towanda, 500 feeders coming four
years old. Mr.. Robinson had been
buying feeders at the Union stocllyards
in Wichita and when the cattle came
too slow to suit Mr.. Robinson some of
the commission men put him on the
track of Mr.. Holton's herd. The feed
ers were sold for 81 per hundred and
the parties to the trade think that
when the cattle are delivered Mr. Rob
inson will have TO write his check for
something like SEA 900.
COUNTY NORMAL INSTITUTES Sta te
Superintendent Dayhoff has arranged
for four series Of county normal insti,
tutes during the coming year in order
to accommodate the teachers. The
first series will commence May 25 and
and end June 10. 1t is expected that
the teachers who usually work in the
harvest fields during the summer will
take this course. The second serie:
will begin June l and end June %
the third will begin June % and enc
July "a, while the fourth will begir
July ~ and close August 2l.
DRUG STORES WIN DECISION the
district court Judge James Lawrence
has decided that the city of yelling
ton had no cause of action in n sui
brought against druggists for the oc
cupation tax for selling whisky anc
beer. The suit was brought on an or
dinance framed by the council fixing {
tax of 500 a year for selling whisky
and $500 year for selling beer.
RELIEF DOES Nor CoME.-Topel1;
and many other places are still out O.
coal. The railroads have sent larg,
numbers of ears to the coal districts.
WINFIELD Y. NJ. c. A.-Their new
building is finished at a cost o