The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-27
Politics as Played in Short.
grass Country.
Harry J. Bone, Now q. S. At.
tOrney, Was Hard to Beat.
ABOUT THAT COLDWATER TRAIN
Bone Brought 1t in on Time and
Broke Record.
How He Held the Baby and
Piled Churn Dasher.

This talk about the ease with which
a political campaign in the small Kan
sas counties can be made as compared
with the work in the congested dis
tricts is all a joke. If you don't be-
| lieve it, consult Harry j. Bone, United
States district attorney, who has made
numerous campaigns in the short
grass district and knows from personal
experience.
The other day a little group of po-
litical war horses were sitting in the
lobby of a local hotel. Naturally they
were talking politics. The Taft-Roose-
velt. Stubbs-Curtis and progressive
regular material was exhausted and
the conversation turned to personal
experiences in the Kansas campaigns
of years ago.
is1ature in Clark county, were you,
Harry?" asked friend of the district
attorney.
"wasn't I?'' asked Bone in a tone of
bitterness and sarcasm. 'Well, reck-
on / was-twice. How did 1t happen?
Well, now, that's pretty easy to eX-
plain"
And Bone explained. He told of the
political storm clouds that hover over
the short grass district every time there
is a close fight and of the uncertainty
of the westerner's vote.
"Out in Clark county in the late sos
and early Sos" said Bone, politics was
game that every man played. You
may think it's easy to run for office and
be elected out there, but it isn't. It's
harder, in fact, than in the big counties
where there is a congested population
and where the leaders bring the vo -ers
to the polls and where you don't need
to see everyone.
Everyone Statesman.
But out in the short grass district,
every man is statesman and his own
political advisor and the man who tries
to tell him what to do and how to DO
it, isn't very wise. Every man is a lead
/ or lrTr rr6fr \
| least-and you have to advise and con-
suit with him personally to get his
| vote. And sometimes you have to con-
| suit with him five or six times about
| 1T In those days there were only
about 400 votes in the county and you
| had to see everyone of the 400 and
everyone's idea of statesmanship was
just as important as your own.
Well things went along pretty well
until that Pop wave hit us. Then we
| were swamped and I was beaten twice
right in a row. Not so bad as some,
of course. but it was enough"
The war days in politics on the Kan
sas plains reminded the lawyer of an
| incident of one of his hot campaigns for
the legislature
1T was an awful close fight that
year" said Bone in telling of one Iegfs-
Ia tive scrap, 'and knew had to get
every vote that was loose. Well. the
Santa Fe had little line from Ashland
TO Coldwater and the train left Cold
water early in the morning, but it was
never known to be on time and usually
dragged into Ashland long after the
polls were closed and after humping all
day over the high and low joints of the
snaky looking track. But there were a
half dozen votes in that crew and the
boys wanted to vote that year.
For a wonder that train-it was.
mixed affair, with a string of bob
talIed freight cars and a combination
passenger and baggage coach and car
rled local mail-it left Coldwater on
time. At noon the train was losing
time The boys wanted to vote. So,
while the crew was waiting for orders
they held consultation. They agreed
to take the initiative and explain later.
The next station was just mere
whistlfng post and the startled depot
agent stood on the platform wild
eyed and with open mouth as he saw
the daily train tear by at an unheard
of rate. At the next station there was
more CONSERVATION and prospective
passengers went home puzzled and dis
appointed and the little bundle of let
ters which the train was to carry were
returned to the postoffice by the office
boy. If there was any local freight
or a car of cattle to be picked up by
that train, none of the crew ever
knew. They never stopped to inquire
At Protection, the train was running
20 miles an hour and half dozen peo-
pie who had bought tickets for passage
on the train, made no effort to with
hold their opinians of that train crew.
II was just ten minutes until time for
the polls to close when the train pulled
into Ashland. The crew Nmped from
the train. ran to the polling place and
voted"
Bone leaned 49, in his chair and
that strange mysterious smile that IS
chara cteristic of the prosecutor spread
over the lawyers face.
''But. how did the election go7"
asked a man who heard the narrative.
"Oh of course we beat 'em that
year. said Bone. And that reminded
H A. Hodgins of his own experience m
the western campaigns years ago.
"It was down in Comanche county"
said Hodgins, "and the fight for coun-
ty offices was pretty fierce. One day I
went with a candidate to call on some
of his constituents. Everywhere we
went we were confronted with the tell
ing work of the opposition. We were
only about an hour behind the running
mate and every house we visited. we
found the women folk strong for the
opposition.
aiAbout noon. we stopped in front
of a little sod house and decided to
STAY for dinner-if we could. But VIC
didn't stay AS my candidate friend
entered the little hut. he almost faint
ed There was his opponent sitting on
a soap box. In one arm he was hold
ing the baby and with his other hand.
he was running the churn and with
his mouth and eyes he was giving that
talk that was as smooth and oily and
convincing as that of chautauqua
speIlbinder. We didn't stop to parleS
and went on down the road a mile tc
the next house. where we ate dinner.
who was this man. you aSk2 WIZ