The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-09-16
HAYS POTENTIALLY.
All Eyes Are Turned This Way to Note
What This ToEa Does for Itself at
It's Eigecsr Transition Period
New Enthusiasm in Evidence.
(BY P. cAsPAR HARvEY.)

HAYS IS today the potential rival OF /
Wichita, Hutchinson and Salina. Sa- ;
lima is the only one of the trio that real
ICES it, however. That is because it Is |
the nearest. But more of this later.
The other day four men of Hays
walked up and down its streets in the |
interest of one of the enterprises that !
means much to the town. They carried
some flaming red cards and slip OF pa
per. Afterward, another man who was
not along and felt slightly piqued be
cause he was not asked, told me that 1t
was not case of soliciting, but a ''hold
up" When told of the conversation,
the four men felt complimented and the
peeved Individual had meant it as such
You understand, he was peeved because
he wanted hand in the "hold up.
Six months ago practically every man
in town would have offered forty eX-
cuses to have kept from being on that
committee. Today they all wanted on
it. The spirit OF new Hays is on the
way, if not already here
It's the day of big things, This town
and unless the spirit of 'bigness wins
out, it's goodbye for thirty years. The
question is simply one of whether or
not Hays wants to lead this section of
Kansas or not It is admittedly hard
on the people here now to bear the
burden, financial and otherwise, which
the securing of this leadership must en-
tail. Many are advising less speed in
the rush for leadership. 1t costs mon
/ ey. Yes, it does cost money, but do
they really want outsiders to come in
and reap the benefits which have been
built up here by the people who are now
asking that loop-hole be left for out
siders to come? This new Hays for
which we have all waited so long is up
on US. 1t behoOves all of US to not let
it slip between our fingers.
Personally, I feel like do before a
big football game. 1 want to get up
and make a pep speech. If could get
up on the top of that big new elevator
at the mill and make speech about
Hays, 1 might get it out of nay system.
And if 1 had that opportunity and had
a megaphone big enough so that every
one in the vicinity could hear me,
would make a speech much after this
n fashion, although I would want Dory
Gosser and Alex-Philip along to put
in the emphasis:
''Men of Hays, come, lend me your
ears" Hays must be able to get to-
gether without any lost motion. As il
is now;~ the men who cannot restrain
their enthusiasm, get together and do
the things that they and everybody else
feel must be done. That sort of an
organization always gets under steam
bit too late to make it as big as II
should be. Everything takes prepar-
alton and some slow preparation. Hays
needs and must have a Commercial
Club. do not mean one of these lady
like affairs that are used as football
but real one It would be the balance
: wheel of progress in Hays. It would
be tangible. 1t would have machinery
! / already oiled up. 1t should have sec
i retary, who received a salary for his
work. The man who would serve as
secretary for nothing, would not do
I That Commercial Club should have
rooms worthy of the name. It shoall
! have at least monthly get-tOgethel
1 feeds of some kind, where the bus
] ness. men and professional men cou.C
"mill'' it over. But. you say it cannot
be lonesome on, Gosser and Philip
and let 'em have little.
For some months I have been reit
Grating in the newspapers outside OF
Hays, that this was the Convention city
of Western Kansas. Papers outside OF
Hays realize it, too. Not only that
but we shall be able to pull many state
conventions after the new building al
the Normal school is finished. There
are several of the big statewide meet.
ings that swing round the circuit from
time to time and all would be glad tC
come to Hays. I wish might le+ the
cat out of the bag in regard to several
that will come In the near future. Hays
has more counties tributary to it thar
Wichita, Hutchinson or Salina-et
course: this will be, when the two rail
roads are built. Hays is indeed com
I petitor of these ethree-potentially.
I'VE shall have the finest building
possible to seat any Kansas convention.
The question is raised at once, Where
would the people stay? Most Of them
in your homes, of course. But, listen,
ibid you know that one of the hotel peo-
pie in Hays confded in me that they
had in contemplation TIE modernizing
/ | of their hotel and possibly adding an
addition. ALI of you have heard rumors
about a new hotel, anyway. Well, but
I promised not to tell, yet awhile.
Many of you are impatient about q
new railroad station. Corporations
have way Of doing things in that best
way, which you and call slow. DID
Kansas City get that new one of hers.
the first time a committee passed reso-
Iutions? But Kansas City is now glad
she waited. The Station at Hays vii
bel the bigger for having waited