The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1916-06-02
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP

81. FRANCIS is the county seat OF
the extreme Northwestern county in
Kansas, but it has other distinctions
1t declares it has more miles of con-
crete walks than any other town of
its size in Kansas, and think is able
to make good on the claim. Second:
The town owns and operates it's
waterworks and electric lighting
system and is making money. What
is more 1t is supplying water and
light to the people cheaper than wat
er and lights are provided to the
people of Topeka. The main street
of the little town is lighted at night
by beautiful white way fully equal
in proportion to its extent to the
magnificent white way on Kansas
streets of st. Francis were very
sandy. The enterprising inhabitants
have graded these streets and over
laid the sand with coat of clay
which makes street almost equal to
an asphalt pavement.
They are preparing to erect a new
school building which will cost S5,
900, and if there are kickersyI didn't
happen to meet them The town also
has one of the best hotels for town
of its size l have ever seen.
OF course town is the result of
conditions in the country which sup
ports it. The reason st. Francis and
other towns out here are prosperous
is because the country which sup
ports them is prosperous.
This is the third time l have Wis
tied this little town. of st. Francis.
The first time was good many years
ago. Then things were decidedly diff
ferent from what they are at pres
emit. That time | rode from Good
land to st. Francis in an ancient
hack which had seen better and per-
haps happier days. The wind was
blowing from the south just hard
enough so that we travelled the whole
80 miles in cloud of dust. II the
Israelites escaping from the bondage
of Egypt travelled with pillar Of
cloud by day and pillar of fire by
night, they had nothing on me. |
travelled in a pillar of dust. 1t was
also dry and hot and by the time we
reached St. Francis l was so covered
with layer of dirt that it was diff
ficult to tell what manner of man I
was. A real estate agent looked me
over and said he thought il l was
properly drilled in wheat I ought to
produce a fairly good crop il the
chinch bugs would let me alone. 1t
was mighty uncomfortable'ride. .
1t was several years later when 1
visited the town again. That time l
wanted to go from st. Francis to
Goodland. secured the services of
a chauffeur with one-lunged chain
uTtVe, Slue 70 CTdHhlHB duIOiuODllc,
which in addition to its other in
firmities was afflicted with the
asthma tv'f c
The man who steered 1t told me
that he wasn't certain he could get
through to Goodland and 1 afterward
discovered that his doubts were well
founded. Out on the high prairie,
about half way across, the engine
gave an agonized wheeze, a couple of
hard dry coughs, and feeble bark
and died. The man who was running
1t got out and cranked. Then he
paused and wiped his face with his
sleeve, and then cranked some more.
Then he looked over the engine and
then resumed the cranking. Then
he laid down on his back under the
machine and gazed pensively and
sadly at its interior. Then he came
out and cranked some more.
had heard that the ordinary citi-
zen used vocabulary of about 1900
words to express his wants and feel
ings. This plain, untitled citizen