The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-18
Sedan Solves Problem of the
 Sidewalk Pest
WEIGHTY DEBATES HELL
In the Summer the Rendezvous Serves as an Infallble Sun Dial-New Use for a Band
 Stand.

Sedan, Kan.-This probably is the only town in Kansas, and perhaps in the west, where official provision has been made for the town loafer The public treasury here has been drawn upon to provide this familiar town character with a comfort able and pleasant place to spin his yarns, indulge in town gossip and occasionally dabble in the heavier questions of state. Sedan is typical of the smaller county seat towns of Kansas With popula- tion of 2000, like all other county capitals, it numbers among it's citizens many re- tired farmers, old soldiers and quite a sprinkling of former county officials. The farmers do not retire and move to town until they have an income sufficient to keep them without working. The old soldiers in these later days are fast be- many of them, by close economy, are able to live without the meagre pensions that each quarter brings. The former county officials generally remain the county seat and take up some business like that of real estate and insurance. where the main work Is nothing more arduous than giving glowing descriptions of the eoun- tryside to prospective investors
 Until the oil boom came and added much to the business of the community these men, who by the very nature of circumstances have little to do and there- fore lots of time, found warm welcome about the friendly stoves of the grocery stores They disturbed not the current of commerce, but were always on hand to greet the farmer customer on Satur- days, and withal were not undesirable guests.
 Loafers Lose Popularity.
 When the oil business quickened the pace of the community things became different, and the village loafters re- ceived less attention from the buster store keepers. The oil men were strangers to them and they could no longer entertain the customers while the grocer was get ting the order tied up In fact it went from bad to worse for the group about the stove, and it finally became evident to them that they were becoming less and less welcome In fact the stores became too busy for them and the space that the motley circle has been filling was needed for stocks.
 About this time the town decided that it needed a band stand, for, with its other progress, the musical side had pro-
 
 community for talent had revealed no less than fifteen boys and men who had courage enough to give weekly band con certs. So when the city council finally decided to devote at least $10O to the cause of music by building a band stand the town loafers promptly asked that it be made a two story affair and that the lower room be used for a police sta- tion."
  however, until the towns peace officers added the strength of their official en- dorsement to the project. The night of- f1cer is an old soldier and wanted ''com- pany" He knew that if a sort of police station were built he could get plenty of it. So the council granted the request and gave the first floor to the town loaf CTS under the gulse of building a police station"
 Windows Cut.
 Recently, to make it more comfortable, windows have been cut in all six sides of the structure and the loafers can now see what is going on all over the business part of the town without leaving their quarters for the building stands at the intersection of the two most importan. streets
 A stove had been put up, chairs pro- vided, and lately an enterprsing mer- chant has accommodated the increasing membership by donating several adver- tising covered benches. The room will hold upward of thirty and it Is full ev- cry evening. There are no loafers at all in the stores. They sought the more hos pitable hand stand police station"
 In summer the crowd takes it's chairs and benches outside, and the exact time of day can be told as the loafers mitch" their chairs around the building to dodge the sun. A better sun dial was never in- vented. No one regrets the money the city has spent in building this loafers' paradise or the amount that has been spent in improving it. It has removed the habit of loafing from the stores and sidewalks and concentrated it out in the center of a street corner.
 The loafers have named their head quarters the Honk-a-Tonk'' and cigar Is named in honor of them. Given box of these cigars, the sessions open with first the village gossip; then follows q discussion of municipal affairs, which are made interesting now by public im- provements that are making. Then comes the handing down of final decisions upon lawsuits that may have been tried that day in the local courts, for to the "Honk- a-Tonk," sooner or later, all appeals must come.
 THE CONDUCTORS TREAT.