The Washington herald., 1909-04-04
GOV. STUBS OF KANSAS
Quaker Executive Who Is Stirring the GrasshOppers of
the Farfamed SunAowcr State

noi then indicted into Office. He came
into Clifford Pinchots Office in search OF
a forester 10 carry home with him, says
john L. Mathew. in the Kansas City
star.
Want a Kansas MANI" asked Mr.. Pin
chot
Wei" said the governor. in a big.
heavy voice I've nothing against my
owl State. II the best man you've got
IS from Kansas. I want him. But I
want the best man. no matter where he
comes from. I'm hiring a forester. not
giving out a political job"
was reminded Of the scene a month
later when sat "a the inner office OF the
governors rooms in the capitol at To-
Feka. waiting for him 20 dispose OF some
politicians who had come to seek a place
IT friend The spoke In quick. unin-
tehgible. nervous whispers. 10 which the
governor responded in bass tones audi
ple 70 ali in the room. The conversation
was something like this:
PoltJelans-W -Whish-shwhish- -sh-
Governor-Well. does he know the
business clear to the ground?
politicians (deprecatingly)-Whis
ishshish-
Governor (emphatically)-I tell you thar
don't make a cents worth OF difference
Is be the right nan for the place? Does
he knows the business?
Politicians Cemphatically but depreca,-
-Whishishish-ish.
"He VIII Have TO Get Busy,
Governor lending the conversation and
rising)-Well-you bring him down and
III look him over. But II he don't know
now 10 run that job right I'D n the
handle he don't get it, I don't care wbat
ne has done for the party. You tell him
tnat for me. He VIII have 10 get busy
when he comes here to work.
The two instances are but tvpicsl NJ
the way The new governor has set out 10
make business organize ton Of the
SIatehouse employees Of Kansas. II has
OFTEN been said that II some man used
10 handling large affairs would train his
lhteIlgence. not upon the political bur
upon the business side of public affairs
We would have a wonderfully efficient
development in the conduct OF the public
business That IS exactly what Stubs
mas done. Accustomed 10 commanding
iour OF nye thousand employees. 70 hand
ing contracts involving millions Of dol
lars. 10 extending his operations over the
L.
not only natural. but weIl-trained exec
utiVe ability 10 Topeka. and as a result
Kansas is awakening to a new kind OF
life
This Stubs, OF Kansas-Walter Pos
coe. commonly called Ross Stubbs-
cAanced into politics through an error Of
the railroads. which thought they saw In
him salvation against reform. He was
railway right-Of-way contractor. Years
ago he was a farm boy in Kansas. living
not far from Lawrence. His parents
and himself-weTe Quakers. The farm was
falrly prosperous, and the boy grew up
20 hard work and a temperate living
Hnen he was fairly well grown he start
ed out with three teams Of horses. two
wagons, and a scraper TO make his way
IN the world. and took subcontract for
q small piece Of railway right-of-wav
grading Having accomplished this sue
cesstully. he tried another. and then took
contract direct FOR a long stretch That
was an epoch Of tremendous railway ac-
uviiy in Kansas. and there were abun-
cant contracts for those who could de
liver the goods
4 RecOiI from COarseness.
Ross Stubs soon proved that he could
He was powerful man physically. able
to demand obedience by force from those
who did not yield It to persuasion. He
Fought his way ahead. abandoned the
Quaker tenets, took 20 whisky and chew
ing plug. and developed into a typical
roistering loud-voiced gang-commander.
This, however, did not suit him. and de-
ciuing that he cOnd not continue in that
path and succeed N his affairs. he vent
back TO the Friends. gave I'D the louder |
elements, but continued his business !
He married. acquired a small family. and
with increasing prosperity built him a |
big house in Lawrence, where he lives TO- |
uay-When not in Topeka. His two bovs
are entering their teens. and. being
brought up as he was. are out at dav-
break. or before. doing chores about the |
Ia-n The family is wealthy, plain. and
popular. When he went into nolitics /
Few years ago. Ross" Stubbs abandoned ]
his contracting business. The last wear
he conducted il his firm did work in ff- /
teen States. employed 500 men. had con-
tracts aggregating 100000 and made
on them nearly 20 per cent profit. 4 Kan
sas man, asked to describe him at that
time, said:
Well' II Ross was a boss. he would be /
a Hight sorrel, sixteen and a half hands
high at the shoulder
The description still apsfies. Most OF /
the light sorrel hair is gone. and his
shoulders are somewhat drooped: but the
powerful jaw. the great frame, the patient
air Of one accustomed TO bearing bur
dens still marks him.
As 10 the reasons which Ied hin, fnto
politics opinions differ VIII Allen White
who has been his political manager-or
assistant-insists that the RAILWAYS pur
him into It as an Independent reformer
10 split the reform party. Stubbs him
self tells another tale:
How He "Scrutinized" the Paw Roll
Things was going pretty bad up TO
Topeka he drawled out in Mr.. Pinchot's
Office The boys said something had 10
be done. They said I ought TO go look
things over. So they sent me 10 the
legislature. looked around a little and
next term they made me speaker Of the
house. Brought me a list Of legislative
employees There was $50 employees of
the legislature was to sign the pay
roll
Why. boys said 7 been signin' a
pay roll all my life. out Of my own bank
account. You got to show me them men.
and count EN-.
They was some worried, but we went
over the list There was 10 superintend-
ents and assistant superintendent OF
ventilation 10 the capitol
Cut them on I says. Wen open
and shet the windows ourselves this year
SO or went the hundred'n'ten
Wen. there was widows an orphans.
children who had never been TO Topeka.
wives Of employees and wives of IesisIa-
tors all on that list I cut it down TO
sixty-seven and signed it But I saws to
the boys: Now, boys, you know this busi-
ness better than I do make you a COM
nittee. Bring me an honest list next
time. or III fire the whole lot Of Won