Baxter Springs news., 1919-01-31
CHEROKEE MAN
COT GOOD. JOB
Bill Smith Succeeds George
Crawford as Manager of the
Capper Publications, It
Has Been Announced

By n strange coincidence another
Cherokee county man has been ap-
pointed to fill the vacancy Of the
management Of the Capper publica-
tions created by the death Of George
Crawford from pneumonia a short
time ago.
Bill Smith, formerly owner and
publisher Of the Columbus Advocate,
has resigned his place as state print
er, to which he was recently reflect
ed and will manage the largest print
ing establishment in the west.
Mr.. Smith is well and favorably
known in Baxter Springs as he is all
over Cherokee county.
The following is from yesterdays
issue Of the Topeka Capital:
w. R sRpith, state printer, has re-
signed. His resignation will take ef-
feet February /, Governor Allen an
nounced last night. The governor has
decided upon Smiths successor, but
refused to announce his name last
night.
Mr.. Smith resigned for the same
reason that Secretary McAdOo gave
when he resigned. Smith felt that he
could not afford to continue in office
at the salary that is paid the state
printer, $500 per annum.
On February 1, Mr.. Smith will be-
come business manager for the Cap
per Publications. He will take the
place vacated by the death of George
M. Crawford, and formerly occupied
by ]. E. Griest, now secretary-treas-
urer of the Farm Mortgage Co.
Mr.. Smith began his third term as
state printer on January 1S. His pop
ularity in the state is indicated by
the vote he received each time he has
been elected.
Mr.. Smiths management of the
state printing plant has caused Kan
sas to become the center Of attention
from states that are contemplating
establishing such plants as Kansas.
California, the only other state that
owns its printing plant, was out-done
by the Kansas state printing plant
last year when the Kansas state plant
printed 100000 books. California's
record year was in 1912, when 1,5OO,-
900 books were printed.
When Mr.. Smith first came to the
state printing plant as its head, the
state was printing nine different text
books. Last year the plant printed
thirty different text books, the total
number printed aggregating the fig
ures as stated above. The record Of
efficiency of the state plant since Mr..
Smith became its chief, has become
known over the entire country. He
saved the state thousands of dollars
in the purchase Of paper when the
paper market was fright" and by the
labor-saving and efficiency methods
installed in the plant.
II regret the loss to the state, but
congratulate Senator Capper on Sc
curing for his institution a man who
possesses such capabilities as Mr..
Smith," said Governor Allen last
night. 81 have known Will Smith for
q long time. He was once business
manager for me, and we were asso-
ciated in business together. The peo-
pie Of the state will be sorry to lose
a state officer who has made such a
valuable record"
w. R. Smith is a native Kansan.
Ever since he has been old enough to
earn money for himself he has been
engaged either in the newspaper or
printing business. And he began
young. He was born in LecOmpton,
March 21, 1872. When he was 18
years old he made his first newspaper
venture by establishing the Lecomp-
ton Sun, now owned and edited by
George w. Connell. Mr.. Smith
achieved his first prominence by being
the youngest mayor in the United
States. A few weeks before he was
21 years old he was elected mayor Of
Lecompton, and served two terms.
One of the stories about Mr.. Smith is
that, altho he made a record as an
efficient mayor, he scarcely ever
could be prevailed upon to make "a
speech. At the same time that he