The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-06
G0V.MEAD IS here
State Executive Of Washington
Visits Topeka.
4 Native Kansan Who Was Born
at Manhattan.
MAKES BRIEF ADDRESS
Glad to Hiss the Blarney Stone
in Kansas.
Says That He Finds the Jay
haWker Everywhere.

AiDeft Il. Mead native Of Riley
county, Kansas. and now governor of
the state of Washington, is in Topeka
today, the guest of Governor E. w.
Hoeh. He made a speech at the meet
ing of the State Society of Labor this
morning, visited all the state offices.
ard dined at the executive mansion.
/ Governor Mead was born in Manhat-
tan December Il. 1861 He spent some
years there but received most of his ed
ucation in the public schools of Iowa
and Illinois. He took a four year course
in the Southern Illinois Normal, and
studied law at the Union College of Law
! in Chicago. In 1885 he was admitted to
the practice of law in Illinois and came
to Wichita county. Kansas, where he
opened an office. He was out in Wich-
| ita county until he moved to Washing
ton. His first political office was mayor
/ Of the town of Blaine, Washington. He
was a member of the Washington legis-
lature in 1893 county attorney of What
com county IN 1899 to 1901, and elected
4 governor January L. 1905. His resi-
dence is in Bellingham, Washington,
/ but he registers from the capital, Olym-
pia.
II believe in the new idea of seeing
America, . said Governor Mead, and
l attended the recent convention at Salt
/ Lake City. I also visited some Of the
/ points of interest in Colorado, and
thought [ would come back here to my
old stamping ground in Kansas.
II want to visit some of the state
4 charitable institutions before leaving.
Chiefly I am interested just now in the
boys reform school, and I shall try to
go out there before start for home.
We are just about to build such an in
4 stitution in Washington, and 1 want to
+ get some pointers
II went out to Washington in 1885,
and hadn't much more than had time 10
! write my name on the hotel reglster
4 before [ was mixed up in politics. /
have been in it ever since-and have
/ been moderately successful About the
! first man I met after locating in WASH
iugton was an old Kansas friend Oh
mine who was running for the Repub-
lican nomination for the supreme court.
4 I was elected as delegate to the state
convention, and helpeu secure his noTnl-
nation. The man was so unfortunate
as to die two days afterwards But that
started me off in politics in Washing
ton.
.Kansans are everywhere out there in
Washington. The Kansas emlgrants
are almost as numerous as they are
down in Oklahoma. Several of the state
officers are former Kansans.
"Washington is suffering considerably
on account of the Chinese boycott of
/ American products The only way the
/ American producer can sell his flour in
i China is to pack 1t IN British nouT
sacks. The result of this IS that some
of the mills have been obliged to smut
down. The Chinese question is great
problem in our part of the country.
Mrs. Mead. wife of the governor, IS
| also a former Kansas girl, and is at
nresent visiting friends in Clay Center.
i She will visit some of her Kansas
friends while her distinguished hus-
band is taking in the state institutions
and politicians.
Governor Neadss Speech.
Governor Mead is big, fine look
ing man. and while not a great speak
/ address. When it was announced that
he would address the State Society Of
I Labor, the State Society of Miners,
| which was in session in the senate
| chamber, was notified. The miners
consented to stop their proceedings for
| a few minutes to give Governor Mead
| time to be heard, and they adjourned
to Representative hall.
Governor Mead and Governor
Hoch entered the hall together, escort
ed by w. L. A. johnson, secretary of
the Society of Labor and Industry.
Mr.. Johnson introduced Governor
4 Hoch who in turn introduced Gov
ernOr Mead. Governor Mead speaks
rapidly and earnestly, and his speech
was interrupted by frequent applause.
He said in part. =
you understand when an Irishman
visits the old country he likes to go
around and kiss the blarney stone. It
it a pleasure to me now that am here
in Kansas, my old stamping ground.
that I can come before this convention
and kiss the blarney stone
zone of my. first lessons in reading
and learning something about Kan
sas was in the columns of the Man
haitian Nationalist and it certainly
| makes it seem hOmelike to see here
on the platform beside me today the
venerable editor who was in charge of
that paper at that time-Albert
Griffin. one of the grand old men of
Kansas.
I want to congratulate your associa-
ton that you are here TODAY to discuss
the welfare of the laboring man. I con-
slider it an honor to stand before such
an assembly and add my tribute to the
laboring classes. Speaking of my own
experience as governor. ST can say that
some Of my most serviceable employees
have come from the factory and the
mine. I appointed a locomotive engi-
reer as labor commissioner, and / want
to say that no state officer of Washing
ton has given greater satisfaction than
Commissioner Hubbard. I have anoth-
Ell locomotive engineer am someWhat
partial to them, you see-on the state
| board Of control. which has charge of
all cur charitable Institutions. We have
found that it was very useful to have a
man or that board who could put On
blue Jumpers and go down into the cleo
tric light plants and the heating plants,
and see what was actually going on.
This man has. since his appointment,
saved the state in fuel for the various
Institutions many times the value OF
his salary. It has always been my ex-
perience that when you want an eff
cient man for a position, you must take
a practical laboring man.
without disparaging your own mag
nificent state, I can say that I feel that
Washington is entitled to high place
| in the standing of states. And Yet
/ 7.y4,eraxrar T ero in washington in every