The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-09
Earl Akers, Governors Execu-
tive Clerk, and His Story.
Entered Politics Through the
Printing Office.
LOYAL TO FRIENDS
One of Those Who Keeps the
Old Ones.
Known as a Fighter and Man to
Be Depended Upon.

1t is generally conceded that Gov
ernor Stubs has had more newspaper
space devoted to him in the past four
or five years by the press of his state
than any other Kansan. He has been
hammered and boosted in columns of
matter that. if placed end to end.
would reach from Tampa to Cape
Nome. Then there is David Leahy,
the governors secretary, who has con-
sumed several hundred miles of news
paper space himself. Kansas people
know all about the governor, how he
built railroads and has red hair and
likes saltrising bread and hates the
trusts They know that Dave Leahy
edited a paper in Wichita and wrote
legends of the southwest without num-
Der and painted the cheek of truth
when her natural complexion was in
clined to be cadaverous. But the gov
ernOr has another m EN- Der of his Off
cial family about whom little is known
or has been written outside of his
home district and who is we'll worth
telling about. He is Earl Akers, of
Stafford county, and he has been the
governors executive clerk for nearly
a year.
Akers comes from the Seventh dis
trict, himself, and is pretty well known
down there He owns and edits the
Stafford Republican. and like most of
the Seventh district fellows, is a ma
tural born, corn fed, committee broke
politician, batting 400 from either
side of the plate and hitting all pitch
ers alike. He was not always editor
of the Stafford Republican. At one
time he washed the press rollers in
that office with I've and distributed
''pi' and looked for the type lice" all
for $1.50 per week. Then he rose to
the heights of foreman of the office
and $12 per- Later he absorbed the
office he had swept out when kid.
This word "absorb" has only six let
tiers and it doesn't take a second to say
it, but it represents toll and time and
tears when a printers devil fabsorbs'
a printshOp. AkerS, like Macaulay said
of the court of chancery, lis an I'M
rivalled absorbent" He absorbed ideas
along with his paper and he gathered
in friends along with the IDEAS He
made a good paper a better paper and
today the Republican is a gold mine
country weeklies. And the
friends Akers made in his printer days
are his friends still now that he is an
editor-plutocrat and a member of the
governors state house family.
Kept His Friends.
Lots of men can make money and |
some men can keep it, but few, very
few, can keep friends. Akers kept his |
and he values them more than he does I
his printshop or his place or his pelf.
The governor has red hair, a sandy !
and a fighting face So
good natured man to be found in a /
days journey through a pOpulous por-
ton of the country. And the Lord
loves that kind of a man. It is a happy
combination. Akers built up that
Stafford paper because he was pug
nacious and not afraid to print any
thing that was legitimate news.
His editorial page was pugnacious
through a campaign and men read it
and talked about it. He was a pug
n2cious printers devil or he would
never have been able to grab the paper
on which he learned his trade. Yet
the Seventh district fellows who visit
Topeka declare that Akers is IAN easy
mark for his friends The state house
people find him pleasant as pie" and
as courteous and accommodating as a
cranberry merchant. But his intimate
friends know that there is frost be-
lind his smile and sawteeth hidden in
is interior If this article was in
ended as an eulogy the writer would
lse the words force of character in
tead of sawteeth. No one ever
mounted to much who was all smile
md had no nitroglycerine in his sys- !
EN-.
Chosen Clerk of the House. {
Akers first showed up on the Topeka
lorizon about year ago when he
vent after the job of clerk of the
asst house of representatives. He
and the place. all right, with a thou
and votes to spare. It looked easy. the {
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