The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-30
burst. The town was bankrupt.
In the Extreme Southwest.
Johnson, April


In the Extreme Southwest.
Johnson, April 2S
The Stubs party arrived here at
noon today. after a fine ride of 80
miles from Richfield. The weather is
perfect. Bright sunshine and scarce
ly any wind at all. People drove in
from all over the county to hear the
governor talk. The court house was
crowded and many persons stood out
side near the open windows and
listened as best they could. The gov
ernor duplicated his Hugoton and
Richfield addresses and made a great
impression here. The farmers and
ranchmen are for Stubs. Make no
have never heard of Wagstaff. The
people down in this section of the
state, that is, a majority of them, seem
to think that Stubs is the best gov
unvarnished statements, his breezy
style and his free and easy and hearty
bearing have won these westerners
and once won they are strong par
tisans.
Governor Makes a Mistake.
But the governor made the political
mistake of his life this morning when
he drove by Roanoke in his car and
did not stop. A half dozen old timers
had gathered there expecting to meet
the governor. They were surely dead
sore over his rapid flight past their
metropolis. The war correspondents
car broke down at Roanoke and the
newspaper boys spent an hour at that
place listening to the loud complaints
of these old residents. Roanoke is not
even wide place in the road. There
is store. house and a blacksmith
shop on one side of the road. so the
track does not widen at all at this
point. But to hear these fellows ta1I<
one would be led to believe that Roa-
noke is populous city. Some of these
men have lived there 80 years and
their world turned on the Roanoke
axis.
Tom smoot, the postmaster. store
keeper and blacksmith, and lone resi-
dent of Roanoke proper, was the sorest
man in the lot. "Stubbs is a goner.
that's all" declared old man Smoot,
shaklng MS mead sadly, and his black
wh1skers waved gently under the mo-
ton of their parent body "He rode
right by here awhile ago and didn't
pretend to stop. Just waved his hand.''
the old man got SO mad he snorted.
why, do you know rushed around
right lively and swept out NV store
when the automobile was first sighted.
and tid1ed things up and told the bows
70 get ready, and then I stepped out
on the platform of my store to wei
come the governor, and he drove right
by and waved his hand. HUH Whaf'd
he take us for? Digger Indians? But
Wen get him. Just wait. Roanoke
swings this county. It's what Roanoke
wants that goes out here Thew ali
walt till we speak. And we're going to
speak against this man. Governor
why they was eight of rs bere
and an old soldier that fought with
sherman to the sea. Came here to
my store to see the governor, and I'd
promised them they should see him. .
here the old mans indignation gave
way to sorrow.
II would have been right proud
ana glad to welcome the governor in
my store and shook his hand. He'd
ought to stopped here He made a big
mistake, and hem find it out later
Here he had this county of Stanton
right in his pocket. and he passed it
by and waved his hand"
Smoot the Postmaster.
This man Smoot is great charac-
ter. He has lived in this county for
many years and bred fine stock. He
has an auto and owns a lot of land
He told the State Journal reporter
the story of his life and all his trou-
bles- He is a spare built man with
hooked nose, black moustache and |
chin beard, stopped shoulders and
hands gnarled by hard work and face |
tanned to leather by exposure to wind /
and sun. He said that while he rails
ed stock and farmed and kept store !
and run a blacksmith shop and fed !
pilgrims, that his postoffice gave him |
the most trouble. Fellows come in |
here he said, land when they call |
they get sore at me and sit around |
and sit around and abuse me for it. |
They seem to think it's all my fault |
that they don't get mail when they |
amt nobody wrote It,
But I want to tell you. I been |
looking for a letter myself for over |
q week, and I believe the U. S. post |
office people are doing wrong about ,
that letter in not sending 1t to me-"
The old man did not seem to real
lie that he had abused his patrons a |
moment ago for the same fault he I
was then committing against Uncle
Sam when he roared about the letter |
that he longed for and never came.
Put Out the Flags.
They hung out the flags here at
Johnson TO-DAY in honor of Governor
Stubs and so per cent of the voters
Of stanton county crowded the court
house to hear him speak.
1t is a fact that on this tour of these
sparsely settled counties the governor
has talked to SO per cent of the voters
at each county seat. The governor is
having the time of his life He is en-
Toying ever minute of each day. He
likes to hammer out his facts to these
pioneer people and strike from the
shoulder
At Richfeid last night the governor
met an old resident by the name of
1-rnk - = Il I