The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-11

that it would favorably compare with
any he had ever seen at a state fair.
Other counties hold successful fairs
and why not Cheyenne? Your coun-
ty has the push and raises the crops.
Clarence Herrick settled in Beloit in
1871, at which time there was small
frame building on the now corner of
Hersey and Main streets. At that
time Beloit was out of town. year
later, in 1872, J. J. johnson erected
the present building which stands on
the same corner, and edited and
printed the Gazette. The same build
ing was the home of the paper until
1910, when E. W. Swan moved the
the paper has been printed ever since.
Since this time the building has been
used several years as restaurant,
then battery station, and now again
as restaurant As the building now
stands it is so feet long, Is feet wide,
one story high and has a small L ad-
dition on the west and front about
Ia by 20. This addition was all there
was to the building in 1871, it being
the original one when Herrick went
to Beioit among the first. Rumors
have been thick in past years that the
little wooden shack was to be torn
out to make room for modern brick
and stone business block, and again
that fine opera house was to be
built on the corner, another was that
the government was going to buy it
and erect the postoffice on it. and
again some one was going to build an
apartment house on the site. And
tn little old shack still stands on one
OF the first class business corners of
Beloit. and seems liable to stand there
so long as props will hold it up. 1t
races the famous Avenue hotel just
across the street, the one Frank Nc
Grath operated for years. For years
the old Gazette shack was headquar-
tiers for all the Republican politicians
who visited Beloit. United States SEN
ators and congressman and many poll
ticiar1s made headquarters there, and
II is said mary gallons of oil have
been burned under its roof in putting
up political Jobs. not to say anything
OF what they drank to quench thirst
Good old Chan. Perdue, now dead,
who served Beloit so many years as
dent: Every Republican politician
who visits the town registered in the
Avenue hotel, and then made a bee
line for the Gazette office instead of
visiting the United States postoffice."
The United Stat postoff---. city hall,
the New York store and Avenue hotel,
all fine brick and stone buildings, sur
round the little one story frame shack,
which in its early pioneer days was
good enough for a starter. even if it
was out OF town, as most of the town
in those early days was built down
close to the solomon river. E W.
Swan, who published the Gazette a
few years, is now manager of the Kan
sas bureau of Associated Press with
headquarters in the State Journal Of
flee, Topeka. He has filled this posi- |
ton to the satisfaction of that press
agency, and the several papers which |
comes under his Jurisdiction for the |
last four years.
1t was said an oil well had been
struck on Poverty Row, in Newton at |
Z no hon rNf
some excitement at first, but it was |
learned that the family had been
rendering out lard that day, and were
winners by 81 gallons. Many were |
heard to say they were going into the |
same business and beat the high cost
of living.
Many friends of ex-Congressrnan |
Connolly. of Colby, were pleased to !
meet him at the late Democrat meet /
ing and banquet. in Topeka. He had /
served three terms in congress, since |
then he has been resting, so to speak, |
an his Colby home, where he and his |
sons are engaged in the general mer-
chahdise trade. His friends fiocked |
around him at the Hotel Throop, and |
urged him to again enter the race in /
the Big Sixth, but his answer was:
what l long for more than political |
life is to get back into the newspaper
game For many years he owned |
and edited the Colby Free Press when
the margin between what a paper
brings in and what it costs is 50 scant
that there is not much financial gain
in 1t. He likes the newspaper work
and his desire is to reach out in a
broader field. The ex-congressnaf1 |
has written to friend in Topeka,
and says: II do not think that have II
ever lived two years SO completely
as the two since 1 left Il
/ have done as nearly what II
| wanted to do. and refrained from
lolng what was not pleasant about
IS wen as any fellow you ever saw. 4
and L know the bitterness and the /
grief OF politics. No man knows what
ne viii do or what the future holds n
for him. but I know of no reason at
This time why 1 should ever again
AXE any great interest in politics Not
mat they are not interesting. and ati
lines almost fascinating, but it seems
% me that the time has come when /
men of character and ability refuse
20 get into the game and on every
hand the E1innowS are swimming on
he surface of the political stream. In
he old days in the early history of
ms country it seems to me that men
sought political preferment because
hey had made some study of political
questions, and to some little extent
we're qualified for legislators, now the
fellow who wants preferTnent organ I
yes chicken club and the people go
Wild over him even tho he may be alb
solutely void of any qualifications. |
Then again in the old days before a !
nan who owns little sheet out in
he country town attack the character
If a political opponent he counted on
he possibility of having to back up
his attack with a brace of pistols and
usually the man who made the at
ack was a man of CO 1rage and hon.
)r. Now if fellow can get together
| few cases of BREWER he can lie on
my man in public life and besmirch
lis character with little chance of be-
ng brought to an accounting"
Norton is no longer Saturday
own. her business men claim Every
lay shows plenty of business, they
ay. And the great factor in bringing
his increased trade about has been .