The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-10-12
A FOUNDER OF THE SHORT
GRASS COUNTRY

The following appeared on the edi-
torial page in last weeks Kansas City
Times, supposed to have been written
by President Waters of the Kansas
State Agricultural College, about one
of the Republican candidates in the
district, which is very interesting:
Not many of that old crowd Of
Kansas pioneers who gave Western
Kansas the name of the "short grass
country" and drew the metes and
bounds thereof, are left. But when
they were living there was no mixing
up of the geography of the state. The
line between the "short grass coun-
try and ''the rest of the state" was
as sharply drawn as the boundary line
between Kansas and Nebraska.
Old politicians still remember the
state convention in which the late
Mike Sutton of Dodge City denounced
a candidate from Hutchinson who
claimed the support of ''the short
grass" country because he lived in the
seventh congressional district.
Hutchinson exclaimed Mr.. Sut-
ton in burst of indignation. Hutch
inson claiming to be a part of the
short grass country? There is more
at stake here, gentlemen, than a ques-
ton of candidates. The very bound
ary line between the 'effete East and
Gods own short grass country has
been lugged into this convention"
Which historical incident has been
recalled by a recent news item to the
effect that Ike Purcell of WaKeeney
is again the nominee of the Repub-
lican party for district judge. Ike
Purcell is one of the old guard of the
''short grass country who is still in
active service. In the good old days
practically every member of that old
guard was in active service. They
made history while they fought In
dians, the Russian thistle and hot
winds. They belonged" in the
fshort grass country" Nothing could
have induced them to move back
across the line where cities were
growing and business was increasing
They were fighting men. Some Of
them were among the ablest of Kan
sas lawyers, though they lived on
short rations and legal cases were few
and far between.
Among this old guard was Ike Pur-
cell. There is no record, perhaps, as
to when Judge Purcell went to Cove
County, put he was there in the biz
zard of SO, from which history out
there dates. He was there when Mike
Sutton went to Dodge" down on the.
Santa Fe line. What Sutton was to
what was known as the "Santa Fe ter
ritory," Purcell was to what was
known as the "Union Pacific terri
tory" And both of them were guar
dians, legal and political, of the
southwest and northwest corners Of
the state. When they went to Topeka
to look after poHtics-it was not so
easy to get to Topeka in that day as
in this present day-they argued
cases before the supreme court, called
at the state house to look after ap-
pointments for "the boys" in what
was called their meek of the woods -
bought dry goods for the women of
two or three counties, by sample, call
ed upon the children of their old
neighbors who were in school at To-
peka, ran errands for the farmers,
purchased parts for farm machinery
and went back again TO their be-
loved "short grass country" to tell
the folks at home: 81 wouldn't live
down there for money"
Many years ago Judge Purcell was
elected district judge and moved to
WaKeeney to get near the center of
his judicial district. But only the
new sellers call him Judge" To
Western Kansas he still is Ike Pur-
cell. And he is running again. Nom
mated, they say, with just enough
opposition to make an interesting
race.
Well, it's no affair of this ireside
companion as to the name of the
judge of the WaKeeney district court.
but, for old times sake, here's hoping
that it will be Judge Isaac Purcell
Ike Purcell forever.