South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-03

In Texas you may travel 3 thou
sand miles in a straight line. II
your course Is a crooked one. u Is
likely that both the distance and
your rate Of speed may be vastly in
creased. Clouds sail screnely against
the wind. The whip-poor- will de-
hvers its disoonsolate cry with the
.eIotes exactly reversed from those u
his northern brother. Given a
drought aid a subsequently, lively
rain, anG To- from a glazed and
stony coil Will spring in a single
night blossomed lilies. mlraculous.y
fair. Tom Green county was once
the standard Of measurements.
have forgotten how many New Jer-
seys and Rhode Islands 60 was that
could have been slowed away and
lost In its chaparral- But the legis-
lative axe has siashed Tom Green
into a handful OF counties hardly
larger than European kingdoms.
The legislature convenes al Austin.
near the center OF the state. and.
while the representative from the
Rio Grande country Is gathering his
palm-leaf fan and his linen buster 20
set out for the capital. the Pan
handle solon winds hts muf1er above
his well-buttoned overcoat and
/kicks the snow from mis- well-greas-
ed boots ready for the same jorney.
All this merely 70 hint that the big
ex-republic Of the southwest forms
a stable star on the hag. and to
prepare for the collary that things
sometimes happen there uncut 20
pattern and unfettered by metes and
bounds.
The commissioner Of Insurance.
statistics. and history Of the state Of
Texas was an official Of no very
great or very small importance. The
past tense is used for now ne IS
commissioner Of insurance alone.
Statistics and history are no longer
proper nouns IN the government
records.
IN the year 1s8-, the governor
appointed Luke CoonrOd Standifer
20 be the head OF this department.
Standifer was then So years Of age.
and a Texan 10 the core. His faith
er had been one OF the states earl
test settlers and pioneers. Stanifer
himself had served the common
wealth as Indian fighter. soldier,
ranger. and legislator. Much learn
ing he did not claim. but he had
drank pretty deep Of the spring Of
experience.
II other grounds were less abuud-
ant. Texas should be Wen up in the
lists Of glory as the grateful repu6-
lie. For both as republic and state
IL has busily heaped honors and
solid rewards upon its sons who
rescued il from the wilderness.
- wherefore and therefore. Luke
Coonrod Standifer. son OF Ezra
Stanlfer. ex-Terry ranger. simon
pure democrat. and lucky dweller
in an unrepresented portion OF the
poIitico- geographical map, was ap-
pointed comm issioner Of insurance,
statistics ana history
Standifer accepted the honor with
some doubt as 20 the nature of the
Office he was 20 hIl and his capacity
fo9 fHing it-but he accepted and
by wire. Hc Immediately set out
from the little country town where
nc maintained band was scarcely
maintained by1 q somnolent and UNI
fruitful office cf surveying and map
drawing Before departing. he had
locked up under the is. IS and lis
I'm the Encyclopedia Britannica
what information and preparation
toward his official duties that those
wciehty volumes afforded.
few weeks OF iucumbency di-
miniehcd the new comm issioner's
awe oC tho -reat and important Of
fee hc had been called upon 20
conduct An increasing familiarity
with IRIS workings soon restored him
to,his accustomed placid course If
1T In his office was am old. spec
tacled cIerk-a conscCrated, inform
cd. able machine. who held his desk
regardIesS Of changes OF administra-
tive heads. old Kaufman instruct
ed his new chief gradually I'm the
knowledge Of the department with
out seeming 20 do 80. and kept the
wheels revolving without the slip OF
a cog.
Indeed. the department OF insur-
ance. statistics and history. carried
no great heft Of the burden Of state
It's main work was the regulating OF
the business done in the state by
foreign insurance companies. and
the letter OF the law was its guide.
AS FOR Eatistics-well. YOU wrote
letters 20 county officers. and scis-
sored other peoples reports. and
each year you got out report OF
your own about the corn crop and
the cotton crop and pecans and pigs
and black and white population. ard