The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-15
BY HARRY ROOT.

J The Sixth district has got to be we'll
! taken care of. 1t didn't use to be. 1t
is now the home of half dozen state
institutions. The Girls Industrial
Sanatorium for tuberculosis is at Nor
ton, the Mother Bickerdike Home is
located in Ellsworth, the Fort Hays
Normal school is at Hays, two expert
mental stations of the Agricultural
college are at Colby and Fort Hays,
and a state irrigation plant is located
at Weskan, Wallace county. Nor is
this all. The new state treasurer, E.
T. (Tom) Thompson, comes from Smith
, county, while the new state auditor,
Norton A. Turner, is from Russell. The
secretary of the state board of agricul-
! ture, J. c. Mohler, is a former ~Os-
borne county boy, and the secretary of
the state board of medical registra-
ton and examination is DR.. Henry A.
Dykes, of Lebanon, Smith county.
Judge John S, Dawson, of Graham
county, is a justice of the supreme
court, and Charles W, Smith, of Rocks
county, is executive clerk and pardon
attorney in the governors office, State
Senator Henry M. Laing, of Russell,
and o. A. Edwards, member of the
legislature from Sherman county, are
members of the state board of agri-
culture. In the state fire marshars
office Frank McIvor, of Sheridan
county, state senator-elect from the
l.
publicity. In the office of secretary
| of state is E. A. Cornell, of Smith
county; chief clerk of automobile reg
| istratfon, c. D. Yetter, of Trego coun-
ty, special clerk, and Miss Esther Tur-
ner, of Russell, clerk in the auto de-
partment H. J. Penney. of Hays, is
member of the state board of admins
itration, and Ed Brookens, of Smith
county, is claim adjuster in the same
department. In the state auditors of
] r--t toll
sistant, and H. L. Peterson is school
! land clerk, both of Mitchell county. IN
the office of state treasurer, Myron H.
Cushman, of Phillips county, is bond
clerk fiscal agency. and Mrs. Hollis
Peterson, of Mitchell county, assista mt
bond and coupon agent fiscal agency.
r. B. Graves, of Norton, is a deputy
bank commissioner. This completes the
list SO far as your itemizer remem-
bers. Tt shows that the Sixth district
| has a big political pull.
| w. G. Whitney, of Phillips county
| former state senator from the Fortieth
| district, has been a Topeka visitor this
! week, shaking hands with legislative
and state officials. Your correspond
| ent has known him many years, his
| home being on the farm adjoining
Agra, Phillips county. He came to the
| state in 1868, and moved to his present
home in 1879. He likes to talk of
\
| is best known. One incident he wildly
remembers 1t was during a March
| blizzard. The Whitneys were living
| in a dugout, about IA by Is feet in
[, size, with only one room and used
| for parlor, sitting room, kitchen and
bed room for the family of seven.
They had a cow and to protect her
from freezing in that blizzard lasting
three days they brought her in the
house, giving her room in one corner
of the dugout- He says that many
times it looked to the father and
mother that the Whitneys would be
| entirely out of food, yet in some way
| they were never known to go hungry.
His father, Oliver Whitney. took up a
homestead in the county in 1879 Other
settlers among them being e. A. Nit
chell, f. r. Cannon, w. L. Morgan,
I. G. Iarkin and VIM. King, who set
northeast of Phil1ipsburg. The old
school house which was known as the
Hillside district, was also a dugout,
| built on the side of a hill on the F. R.
Cannon homestead. the room being
mostly underground. Many of the
pupils who attended school in the old
dugout became teachers in the Phillips
p. Cannon, Thomas, Charley and Ella
Mitchell, Jennie Larkin, Herbert and
Clarence Morgan, and w C. and Maud
| Whitney. Two of the Morgans
Arthur and Herbert, have served the
county in the office of treasurer NJ.
p Cannon has served eight years on
the commissioners board. and W. G.
| Whitney has served as state senator
It was a common occurrence for the
several miles to other districts at