The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-05-14
xAnsAs GOVERNORS Ho1n.


Preferred ~ HIS Fani1y to the
Executive Mansion 1t Topeka.
Ten years have wrought many
changes in Kansas. Until 1900 the
crying shame" Of the State was that
Its governors were compelled to live
at hotels or boarding houses and scrimp
on their salary Of $1,000 to keep both
ends on speaking terms.
For twenty years preceding that time
there was talk Of appropriating sufn-
Gent money to buy or to build a Gov
errors mansion, but when the Legis-
lature would assemble and some patri-
otto member or Senator would intro
duce the bill carrying such an appropri-
alton oratorical fireworks from the ru-
raj lawmakers, who were trying to
save enough from their per diem Of
s. a day to pay interest on the mort
gage on their farm at home, always
sent the measure to the scrap heap.
About ten years ago the farmers Of
Kansas had paid OF the mortgages and
were ready to help put the State in the
list OF commonwealth that believe In
treating their Governors decently."
The Legislature not only provided for
the purchase Of an $4,000 mansion for
the Governor, with a sufficient mainte-
nance fund, but the people, by vote,
amended the constitution, raising his
salary to $1,000 a year. This seems
like a dream to former Governors st.
John, Click, Humphrey, Crawford and
Leedy, who are still living and pros
porous and who will remember always
the scanty food and the inadequate ia
~cilities Of Topeka hotels and boarding
houses in the early days, save a To-
peka correspondent of the New York
Herald.
And now, with a mansion richly ap-
pointed and with every modern on
venience, where a Governor and his
family may enjoy life to its full ex-
tent, Kansas has elected a chief execu-
tive who hesitates about using it. Gov
ernor and Mrs. Stubs and the chill
dren balk at the idea Of having tO3
live there for two or four years. as
the case may be. They are occupyingj
the mansion now, at the threshold OF
the new administration and during the
session Of the Legislature, but they
are going back to Lawrence al soon
as the first robin appears.
There are several reasons why the
Stubs family prefers the home on
| Windmill Hill In Lawrence to the ex1
ecutive mansion in Topeka. The primo
cipal one Is that the Lawrence home;
recently built, is, in many respects, q
finer residence than the Governors
mansion. 1t stands out In the open I'D
a forest Of old oak and elm trees, WITH
plenty of ground around it, and will
plenty Of pure, fresh air, too.
That appeals to the Stubs family
1t especially appeals to the boys, who
like to have plenty of room to roml
and hunt rabbits. There are plenty ol
rabbits in and around the Stubs home
stead at Lawrence, which, with gu]
and dog, the boys have great fun Il
chasing.
Mrs. Stubs has Joined the boys In
protest against the Topeka idea tina
they must live in the mansion. She I
willing to stay there during the ~sessiol
Of the Legislature, but she intends q
go back to Lawrence In time to pJf
out some flowers and superintend thl
planting Of garden seeds.
From time to time Mrs. Stubs an
the boys will run down to Lawrence
which Is only t~wenty-six miles awa3
and look after the stock and home pet&
which were left in the care Of the serN|
ants when the family came to Topeka