Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-10-04

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fixing the wages paid TO prisoners
in the penitentiary at three and a
half cents per day, the new law by
which this compensation was to be
raised to ten cents, is Ineffective
This fact was not discovered until
the state board of corrections started
20 put the new schedule into opera
ton when Attorney General John
Dawson callen attention to the de-
feet. The prisoners will have to wait
a couple of years before the change
can be made.
Talk around the state capital is
that J. H. Mercer of Cottonwood
Falls, former member of the legisla-
ture and state livestock sanitary
commissioner, win be a candidate
| for the stand-pat Republican nomina-
ton for governor in the next election.
Among the Republicans who have
held out against the Progressive
movement in an effort to maintain
the party intact, Mercer has been hit
upon as the right man to keep the
organization together.
l
cation and travelled all over the state
during the Stubs days, attending
caucuses and conferences, so that his
personal acquaintance is large. 1t is
believed that the personal element
will have larger influence than ever
in the next election and this is a part
of the calculation upon which Mer-
GERS qualifications as candidate are
being rated.
| William Allen White of Emporia
has sounded the toosin of Progressive
ism for the next campaign. On Earl
Akers' recent announcement that he
proposed to stay with the old Repub-
lican organization, which he made in
his paper at Stafford week or so ago,
White took occasion to serve notice
that the state treasurer's place was
with the Bull Moosers.
The White editorial has attracted
attention over the state as significant
that the most prominent Progressives
propose to keep their party organiza-
ton very much alive and to try to
force the Republican organization
off the political map. White points
out present victories are less than
ultimate survival and that those who
cling to the old ship may go down
with it. AkerS' contention is that
the Republican party in Kansas is a
progressive party, and that it is up
to all patriots to cling to the old
name and make it represent the
things progressive people stand for.
viii H. Davis, state auditor, has
been absent during the past week on
trip to Hutchinson and western
Kansas for the presumptive object
of riding his political fences. Davis
has always been an important factor
in Seventh district politics and now
} that speculation upon the outline OF
, the coming campaign is arousing
itself after the summers lethargy,
Davis has been visiting around to
: learn what is going on. Some of his
friends are said to have tried to start
a boom for him as candidate fol
] congress in the Seventh. Davis how.
, ever, is not responsive for the rumol
t and says there is nothing in it.
2 Pond building has already started
4 in various parts of the state where
e other farm work has permitted, the
progressive farmers taking the sug
t gestion offered by Governor Hodge:
: without waiting for the proclama
: ton which viii be issued within Z
: few more weeks The state Agricul
a tural college engineers under the di
c rection of Prof. w. S. Gearhart ar,
working on plans for number O
ponds which win be built by farmer
d at various places. One of these OIL
o Walnut creek near Great Bend will
: be built az joint expense by fv
+ neighbors and will be used TO irri
e gate about $50 acres Most of tn
i pond building will be on smalle
y scale and the greater number viii
n not acquire the close supervision o
: an engineer The Governor will cal
a a state wide pond week in late Octc
e Der or November.
d A party of engineers of the SAINT
r, Fe railway company recently made a
e inspection of the ten-story concret
], Office building at Topeka which wa
y erected three years ago. for the pul
u 80