Barton County democrat., 1914-01-23
SECRETARY cosuRN QUITS.
Veteran Asrleulturallst Resigns Aftsr
Twenty Years OF Service.

Ine resignation came as thunder
bolt right on the eve Of his expect.
ed reelection unanimously and BY &C.
clamation last Thursday, for The
twentieth time. to the office he has
held for twenty years.
For twenty years the state board .
Of agriculture has meant F. d. Co
burn until the personality has been
SO linked to the office that II is hand
70 think of enc without the other.
For twenty years Coburn has sat N
ms office In the southeast corner of
the state house and has done Just as
ne pleased. He has always been On
The job, has been glad to meet ey:
erybody from out in the state or any
other state, and has gathered infor.
nation and put out advice by the
wholesale.
For score of years, although he.
has never asked fer it, he has been
reelected to the place he has filled
SO well without a dissenting voice.
from anybody. He says he has a
horror OF outhving his time Of useful.
ness to the state. and would rather.
step down and out before that time
came, rather than to have anybody
say that he was holding onto his Job
as long as he could.
Why do l resign?' be said when
asked his reason for rendering his
resignation. Because l am satisfied
that the office and it's work have
reached a period when a new, more
progressive and perhaps more ambi.
tious official should be in charge. Be.
sides, am tired through and through
and need rest. When relieved Of .
my place the most l shall care to
think about for some time will. be /.
recreation When / work II Is at a
h'gh pressure, with all my energy EN-
ployed, and | often find myself used
up before having realized that was
really tired. a.
Leaving the secretapship Desd
not imply that shall by any means
be idle. | am temperamentally too
active for that, and besides, | have
always had interests quite apart from
office holding. But | will have been
secretary and executive Of the board
OF agriculture about twenty-one years.
In all, and that's long enough fg
any public office to be dominated By
one individual. When that has been
the case, the office will be bettered
BY change, whether the Incumbent
realizes the fact or not.
There never was a public servant
better treated than | have been and
OF course do not sever my official
relations with the splendid gentle
men and the interests with which
have been so long and intimately az.
sociated without serious regrets; but
1t is the part Of wisdom, and my duty
to them is far above any considers.
tions that are personal
Regarding the progress Kansas has
made during his administration, and
the many things that have been &C.
compNshed, COburn said: While L
probably have had but little TO do
with 1t, II Is pleasing to recall that
within the period Of my service al
head of her agricultural department,
the value Of Kansas field crops has
increased 116 per cent; Of her sur.
plus animal products 1OS per cent;
other farm products 100 per cent;
horticultural and garden products l91
, per cent; while our livestock is now
worth more by 237 per cent, and Of.
all products Of agriculture aggregae
an bncreaSee Of 164 per cent. The a.
falfa acreage has widened from s1,-
900 to 1,O26,3OO acres, an increase ct
= 1,O2S per cent, and Of the sorghum
from 519, to 2,376,4O4 acres, an
Increase Of 93S per cent-all sugges-
tive Of a growth quite marvelous.
The population has also increased
S47 ,29O, or nearly 26 per cert.
/. J. c. Mohler who has been asso--
+ ciated with Mr.. Coburn in the work
/. Of the state board Of agriculture Tor
8 many years, was unanimously chosen
v as Mr.. Coburn's successor and win
4 assume charge Of his new duties on
d July 1st., the time when Mr.. Coburns
resignation becomes effective. He
rs amply qualified to fill the place IN
J, a most able manner, and viii prove
worthy successor Of the veteran
v secretary.
n r. P. Roehr, formerly resident Of