Evening star., 1936-06-15
The Story of Aft M. Landon
Chapter digging for Facts.
BY .RICHARD B. FoWLER.

WOI0t uuSt SIuLu Ill bklC liiS
tory of Western Kansas, April,
u 1895. o little group OF Dodge
City's business men and ranchers
breathed dust ON an ofactal mission.
In the Santa Fe Railroad station,
red-eyed and holding down their
coughs, they waited for Gov. Landon
and two soil experts who were re-
ported to be returning from Garden
City, deep in the dust bowl. They
were to stop at Dodge City on their
way home.
The waiting delegation laughed as
much as one can in dust storm. 1t
was one of the funniest situations
that had hit that part Of the country
since the last bad man found his
resting place on Boot Hill-wow, what
a ring-tailed snorting duster those
gentlemen from Eastern Kansas ran
into this time! If they wanted to
see dust, they had their wish, with
interest. No wonder they were head
ing back to safe Topeka in Eastern
Kansas, where dust storms were only
clouds and a few siftings.
Dust rs Bad as Blizzard.
And this was comparatively mild.
The men in the station knew what
the soil men had seen in Garden
City the day before-dust as bad as
any blizzard on record: dust that
blotted out everything so that motor
car driver couldn't see his own radia-
tor cap: the kind of dust that blows
into a fence row and fills over it in
long ridge, completely buries trac-
tor standing idle In the field.
1t was to combat the waste to soil
of such storms and, in a measure, the
dust itself that Gov. Landon had
outlined a plan, had succeeded in get
ting a comparatively small Federal
appropriation. 1t was used to buy
oil and gasoline for tractors that the
farmers might list their soil, a process
of burrows and ridges which caught
the dust instead of spreading 1t. To
study the results he had Travelled
West and had found himself on the
spot when the storm was at its worst
The shadow Of the train appeared
in the storm. The men pulled up
their coat collars and filed out to
do the job of welcoming.
A wilted-looking gentleman ducked
out into the storm, one of the soil
experts. Greetings and handshakings.
Another appeared Shouts and more
handshaking. But where was the
Governor? He hadn't seen enough at
Garden City, had insisted on going
on South to look at some of the expert
ments in the heart of the dust bowl.
Storm or no storm he wasn't coming
back until he had made a complete
investigation.
Hero in Dodge City.
1t happened that. by accident, Will
lard Mayberry. the Governors secre-
tary, was in Dodge City that day.
He discovered that his boss was some
thing of a hero around the town.
especially when people remembered
that the soil experts, who had soon
seen enough, were in the pay Of the
Federal Government.
The scene shifts to Topeka, as COM
Portable a town of IS, 900 as you would
be likely to find anywhere-comfort-
able in the easy ways OF life when
people live within possible walking
distances of their work; town with
social standards which make 1t much
better to be under dressed than over
dressed at the average function. 1t
brags about its schools, college and
general educational standards, In
modified rural vernacular that can be
dropped at will. 1t is a town where
homecoming Senators and the local
grocers call each other hy thei- first
names, and people drop in" on their
friends when out for an evening stroll.
One cold day in February. 1886.
there came to Topeka world famous
economist, a quick-spoken man with
long, sensitive hands and a reputa-
ton in international banking circles.
He was one of the hundreds Of men
that for six months had been going
to Topeka from all parts of the coun-
try; newspaper men and magazine
writer's assigned to write the story
OF the kind Of government that
brought Kansas on even keel through
the hysterical days Of 1888 and 1884:
business men and politicians OF
prominence; leaders Of many causes,
experts on many subjects.
Visited Governor In Office
The economist first went to the old
Kansas state house, a doomed struc-
ture of yellow stone. He found the
governor in large office where the
door usually stands open, revealing a
man with a likeable smile behind .
big desk.
With an invitation to lunch, the
economist visited Gov. Landon at the
executive residence, which is just an
other house in its section OF the city,
one of those horrible, turreted, brick
structures that delighted the prosper
GUS townspeople of the 9os. The
bricks have been painted yellow.
The economist had some vague
memory of a particularly fine soup
and hot ginger bread; but by that
time he was beginning to see Gov.
Landon. The Governor, his vest un-
buttoned, screwed himself around in
his chair until he was perfectly COM
Portable and they were deep in q sub
ject. The economist had come as ask
questions; but Landon was doing the
questioning. They were headed for
ideas in the deeper seas Of interna-
tional finance.
The economist saw Landon as q
well-to-do man who had spent lot Of
time outdoors; everything about him
fitted into the feeling Of easy natural
ness. His hair was little rumpled,
his tie slightly out OF place. His
slouchiness, or rather carelessness,
WAS vaguely attractive. although not