Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-05-17

the straight Republican ticket last
fell. Frizician, square thyself!
1t takes a woman to invent pictur-
que swear words and one of the latest
examples of that style of coinage is
''by gonedest-" But then, we shall
let bygones be bygones. We are no
doggone crank.
just twenty years ago this summer,
during one of those extra long dry
spells which bring ordinary, farm
operations to full stop, certain
| Trego county farmer used his other
wise idle time in hauling stone in
1 preparation for building. The stone
was gathered from different sources,
part of them from the original quarry
and part of them from three or four
old buildings and foundations and
foundations which he had bought.
| Ten years later, the stone being still
unused, he sold them to a neighbor
who also expected to use them in
building but didn't. Another ten
years have slipped by and just lately
this neighbor, having occasion to use
stone for temporary purpose, discov-
cred that one of the stones he bought
bears good evidence of having been
once upon time government corner
stone, probably to mark section
corner, but the marks are SO Clipped
and indefinite as to make it impoSsi-
! BILE to determine where it was set by
the government surveyor about As
! years ago. These marks were only
quite recently discovered and neither
of the neighbOrs can tell any more of
history of the stone than is given
here. 1t is a splendid chance for
! speculative queries. Did some early
! settler, thirty or thirty five years ago,
swipe this stone maliciously or merely
through ignorance, or did it blow
away in dust storm? If so, what
| became of the land? Will a corner
stone hold a quarter section in the
| absence of a warranty deed? If
possession is nine points in law, is
| the present holder of the stone enti-
tied to recover a quarter of land, or
would the seller of the stone come in
ahead of him? What is the law of
treasure-trove, anyway? If that law
applies only to something found IN
the ground perhaps the hole is the
only thing recoverable and that, too;
may have blown away. Again, if the
stone were stolen, contrary to FEEDER
al statutes made and provided, posses
sion of it might be discriminating. 1t
is very interesting and alluring
subject of thought but is becoming
uncomfortable. Let's quit.
One of the objections urged against
extension of suffrage is the fact that
many citizens will not take to vote
after having been given the right to
do so. Utah meets this condition by
| imposing a>tax of S3 on all those who
| fail to exercise the right of suffrage.
The mandate (also womandate) is
Hands up! Your ballot or your
three bonesl" 1t ought to work well
among polygamists, as no thrifty
! Mormon would want to pay taxes on
a whole bunch of Indifferent, nom
/ voting wives. However, an unmarried
man or maid might object to such
law on the ground that the price is
too low, or that on account of their
lonely and unprotected status they
should be exempt from such taxation.
This objection might be met by
| doubling the tax on unmarried voters,
| which, also might be considered in
cidential insurance against race sui
eide. Perhaps better scheme would
be to withdraw indefinitely the
| privilege of voting from all citizens
who fail at three successive elections
| to perform their full duty as electors,
except good cause can be shown for
such failure. Joking aside, the writer
of this has always thought that some
plan should be adopted and enforced
TO cause voters to perform their
| duties as voters. Suffrage is not
merely a right or privelege; it in
wolves duty or obligation, and the in
centiye should be something more en-
during. and more substantial than
mere campaign excitement or person
| al feeling for or against candidates or
localities Local hate is bad, local
pride is better, but private recogni-
tion of our public duties is best of ALL
How can the voter be impressed with
sense of public duty and be taught
to esteem the performance. of his