Oklahoma State Register. (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 8, 1906 Page: 1 of 8
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ISTER.
FIFTEENTH YEAR NO. 41
GUTHRIE, OKLA., THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 8, 1906.
#1.00 PER YEAR
To the Members of the Constitutional Convention! For many are Called and Few are Found Worthy
Legislative Reform—ASuggestion of an Amend-
ment Upon Which the Legislative Depart-
ment Has Heretofore Been Constructed
BY VIRGIL M. HOBBS.
There are now forty five independent state legislatures, in the
United States, holding annual or biennial sessions, and enacting
from six thousand to ten thousand statutes every two years, at a
cost of from one thousand to four thousand dollars a day for
every legislative session. The aggrigate amount ot talent, know-
ledge, energy and patriotism, seemingly represented by this prodi-
gious fecundity of legislation, is calculated to inspire the admira-
tion and compel! the respect of every thoughtful person. 15ut if
we look beneath the surface and examine more critically the char-
acter of the work accomplished, we are compelled to admit that far
the greater partof this labor is crude, incongruous,and even useless
and a hindrance in the harmonious administration of govern-
ment. And this over-production of law gor-s on year after year,
untill the mazy labyrinths of legal lore become so confused with
contradictions that a revision or codification is periodically
necessary. The old laws are thereupon cast aside, carrying with
them many volumes of statutes, reports and commentaries, and re-
placed with a body ot Revised Statutets, affording a temporary re-
lief to the Bench, the Bar and the general public.
Constitutions, statutes and codes succeed each other with such
rapidity, the air is so fu'l of discusions of economic and political
questions calling far legal sol ution, that the masses have come to
regard the science of legislation as intuitional and a mere matter of
domestic art, which any one of ordinary intelligence can practice.
The result of this erroneous idea in the public mind is, the electicn
of inferior men as members of the legiglature, and ignorance and
incompetency, in a majority of instances, prevail over wisdom and
experience.
The haste and carelessness with which much of the labor of
legislation is performed, the prodigious fecundity of statutes an-
nually passed accounts, in great measure, for the lamentable f.ict
that every influence that can conduce to error, crudity, and even
dishonesty, is permitted to be present in the enactment of laws.
The fact that this is the popular way of making laws, and must
therefore be considered agaeable to the people at large does not
purge the system of its offensiveness, either to reason or sound
morals; nor does it relieve those who participate in it of the respon-
sibility of foisting bad laws upon the community, wheather from
gross ignorance, gross negligence, or both,
A thorough knowledge of basic principles, as a guide, is essen.
tially necessary to a proper construction of a rule ot procedure to
be built upon them. The work of the legislator is a species ot
composite labor, necessitating a knowledge of local history, of so-
ciological conditions, and of substantive law; and, to secure a high
degree of excellency, the highest moral and intellectual attain-
ments are required. Mr, Staurt Mill, than whom, as a student of
mental philosphy, none takes a higher rank, says: "There is
hardly any kind of intellectual work so much needs to be done, not
only by experienced and exercised minds, but by minds trained
to the task through long laborious study, as the buisness of making
laws."
It is the highest duty of the statesman the patriot, and it ought
to be the highest pleasure of the editor who seeks to mold public
opinion to educate the public mind up to a higher, a purer and a
more exalted conception of the duties to be performed by thelegisla
ture. The first, the all important, the paramount duty of the dele-
gates, whose duty it will be to draft a constitution for the people of
Oklahoma, will be the proper construction ot the legislative branch
of the state government. If this department shall be properly con-
structed, all the troublesome questions,—the liquor traffic, the
school lands and funds, the much-talked-about railroads, and all
matters of like importance will be properly taken care of and
solved to the entire satisfaction and contentment of the general
public.
In a fqrmer communication I pointed out the defects that had
appeared in the administration of the state governments and show-
ed that all these defects are traceable to the legislative department;
and in the same article I brought forward a remedy for the eradi-
cation of the evils growing therefrom. This remedy is, in fact, an
amendment of the general plan upon which the legisletive depart-
ment is constructed in all the stales of the Union. It has, at least,
the merit of being original, and if it is placed in the Constitution
of Oklahoma, it will be something new in the science of making
organic law. This remedy, or amendment, as it may be called, has
not met with the encouragement from the public, nor from the
editors of the press, which I believe its merits deserve. For the pur-
pose of again calling it to the attention of the public and especial-
ly to the attention of the delegates soon to assemble, I have pre-
pared a draft of the constitutional provisions necessary to carry it
into effect. The principal objects to be attained by this amend-
ment are four fold;
First. To produce in the public mind a higher and purer con-
ception of the functions of the legislature, resulting in the select-
ion of men, as members of that body, ot higher moral and intellect-
ual attainments.
Second. By the aid of the Advisory session, to secure greater
care and deliberation in the drafting of laws.
Third. By the publication of measures proprosed and their
public discusion at political and other meetings before their enact-
ment, to awaken public interest and keep the public mind aleiv
to current legislation, thus more accurately reflecting the will of
(continued on page 8)
Territorial Items.
Fred liarde calls Ben Clark, for forty
years scout and employed in '60 by Cus-
ter, the " conquistador of the plains."
Clark r.ow lives at Fort Reno ; has
been twice married, each time to an
Indian wife, and now makes his home
in a stockade built in 1875.
Oklahoma and Indian Territory will
attend the Trans-Mississippi Commer-
cial Congress in large number?!. Anion#
the governors that will make foi ra
addresses will be Gov. Frantz.
J. P. Slaughter, weather bureau di-
rector at Oklahoma City, says Oklaho-
ma climate and rainfall are the best
November 29 has been proclaimed j
our national Thanksgiving day. Ac- j
coidingly I hereby call upon the people j
of Oklahoma to observe this annual |
festival by offiering of thanks to the |
Almighty for benefits past and prayers I
for continuance of His favor hence- j
forward. Let the celebration of this ]
occasion be truly unaffected and in a
spirit of rejoicing.
This state and this nation are in a
condition enviab'e before the eyes of
other slates and nations. Well may
our estate be the envy of the world.
No nation on earth has known during
the last half century a more favorable
and eventful year than has the United
for the diversity and growth of staple Siatea the year now closing. We aie
crops. ; at peace at home and highly respected
A movement is on foot in Muskogee to j ai,road; No state in the Union has
divert Andrew Carnegie from building I greater reason for thanksgiving than
libraries to building road3. It is esti-
mated that 35IOO 000 would buil I a
macadamized road from Muskogee to
Hyde I'ark, Fort Gibson, National cem-
etary and Indian university.
Delegate McGuire is protecting the
Osage Iudians against a claim of $180,-
000 by N. Vann and William Adair,
for services rendered in the sale of
their Kansas lands. The claim has
been before congress many years and
heen renewed lately.
The Oklahoma Volksblatt, a German
publication at Oklahoma Cit , insists
on supporting Ferguson for governor,
and the Germans cf Oklahoma are
crying with tears in their eyes like the
German girl over her lover's suieide,
"Oh, Cholly, Cholly, how you Could do
it, how you could do it ? "
It was supposed the declaration had
become permanently tiuried, along with
the political heresey that there were
no good citizens except those of a
man's own faith; but " a campaign lie
nailed" was the arcniographical sen-
tence used by a highly original western
Oklahoma editor.
Rev. Father William H. Ketcham,
director of the Catholic Indian mission
bureau, took to the White house to see
the president. Father Albert Negaha-
quet, a full blood Pottawatomie, Rev.
Father Van-der-Aa, of Kingfisher,
Father Vincent, of Sacred Heart Abby,
and three brothers just from Belgium
who will preach in Oklahoma, Revs.
Joseph, Charles and Theophile Van
Hulse. They simply went to pay their
respects to the president.
has Oklahoma. Statehood is at last a
glorious assurance and the favor of
heaven has rested upon our fertile
prairies and continually gone before
our people everywhere. The stand-
ards of civic honesty are high and the
assurance of continued good govern-
ment is ours. This assurance and the
quality and degree of our prosperity
throrghout the territory call for grat-
itude unconflned.
The people of the United States may
in part prove the reality of their thank-
fulness and their expectation of future
blessings by a full and appropriate ob-
servance of this anniversary. That we
as a nation are grateful for our well
being and reverent toward the Great
(iiver, we may best attest by a high
oegree of national honor, national
p-ide, and quality of national achieve-
ment. This as a state we are thank-
ful for the kindly disposition of our
affairs in government and in our daily
business we may best show by pledg ng
•ur heartiest endeavor to keep the
state above reproach and high in the
^quility ef Btates and by keeping this
pledge unbroken. Withal, finally,
the return of th's Thanksgiving day
reminds us that we had best convince
the Almighty of the sincerity of our
gratitude by putting into the sum of
human progress, as individuals, that
w'dch will, so far as each of us is con-
cerned, send the world farthest on its
way forward and upward.
What the Faith of
Christian Science Is
Editor Oklahoma State Register :
With your permission we will answer
an editorial in your issue of November
1, entitled, " Life and Death," also
the statement that Mrs. Mary Baker
G. Eddy is dying and her followers are
trying to conceal the f.ict from the
public. We have dispatches from Bos-
ton stating that Mrs. Eddy is in her
usual health.
Mr. Alfred Farlow, Christian Science
Publishing committee for the United
States, writes, November 1, 1906, "I
have just returned from Mrs. Eddy's
home and am pleased to inform the
world that she is well and happy, and
Frantz Appoints Sutton
Governor Frank Frantz has announ-
ced the appointment of Edwin B. Sut-
ton of Oklahoma City as assistant
bank commissioner, succeeding D. J.
Moore, who resigned recently • to take
the management of the People's Nat-
ional bank of Sedan, Kan. Mr. Sutton
has been a resident of Oklahoma since
the opening. For the pas*t year he has
been in the employ of the Pioneer Tele-
phone and Telegraph company and for
four years prior to that time he had
served as exchange teller in the State
National bauk at Oklahoma City, lie jg at desk giving instructions to her
secretary, Mr. Frve, and conducting
How i! Ill HappeiiX.4 Rear
End t%; of the Electii
If you have tears to shed prepare to shed them now!"
And the Philistines fell upon the children of Israel in the
night time, under the shadow of darkness, and cut them down with
rcat slaughter, as wolves fall upon a sheepfold, and few escaped
to tell the tale, for the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night
deserted them because of their iniquities. Turn ye, oh children of
Israel while it is yet time, for the day of judgment is at hand, when
ye shall be either saved or damned forever ! "
Thus cried the political prophet in the wilderness as he looked
upon the cities and saw them wander after strange gods. But him
whom God loveth he chastenetlj, and the afflicted shall cure him-
self of his affliction ; and the star of hope shall lead the mariner to
a safe harbor ; and he who repenteth and taketh hold of righteous-
ness shall come into his own again.
Woe be unto the Philistines whom God has used simply as an
instrument to chastise his children, for there shall be one born ot
the loins of Israel who shall slay Goliath with his sling and pebble,
and he shall be a David, and he shall raise a great nation that shall
possess the land.
The democratic landslide in the election of the constitutional
convention is so terrific it has taken the breatji out of the repub-
icans. The deleat of the republican party is due to prohibition,
lack of organization and the nomination of Henry Asp. Chief
among them was the non-organization of Oklahoma and Indian
Territory under one committee and one chairman. The party
couldn't win with no unity of purpose, neither territory knowing
the others condition or policies. The republican party being in
power, and of the North where all reforms take place, was made
responsible for prohibition. It does not make any difference what
the personal political faith is of a prohibition agitator he foists his
crusade on the republican party. It is the case of the parasite kill-
ing the thing it feeds upon. The republican party is no more res-
ponsible for prohibition than the democratic, yet the democrats
stood from under, and the prohibitionists now rejoice in the down-
fall of the republicans because they didn't carry a bigger burden
of them. Then, there is Henry Asp. He was mad<* a mountain
ot. He could not help it. Nobody could help it. Other railroad
attorney were nominated, but none were as conspicuous, none had
a reputation for ability, and none struck popular prejudice against
railroad domination as he did. He was the issue everywhere—in
Indian Territory and Oklahoma, and cost the party thousands ot
votes away from home for the loyalty for him at home.
Over and above these reasons is the reaction against the party
in power so long under the federal control of the territory. The
party that does much is bound to do some wrong. Although the
republican party hands the territory of Oklahoma into statehood
in a better condition than that of any state in the Union, the people
simply remember their personal resentment against officials that
were not of their own choosing. Then, the party was at strife, and
cut itself loose from the prestige of the great popularity of the
great man in the White house at Washington. Instead of being in
the main stream of national policies, it became a side eddy, having
neither source nor exit. Whether this was due to a lack of politi-
cal breadth and comprehension, or judgment, is yet to be seen.
There's a hen on somewhere. •
And then Hitchcock did us dirt.
will assume the duties of his new posi-
tion at once.
independent Pipe Line
Under Consideration.
Secretary Hitchcock is about to ap-
prove a five million dollar ind* pendent,
pipe line project from Indian Territory tists, concerning her normal boaily con-
oil fields at Bartlesville, to Port Arthur | dition are true
her own affairs. Christian Scientists
have no fears for thviir leader. They
are well aware that the numerous
statements which have been given out
by her friends, some of whom art,;
scientist and some who are not scien-
Pittsburg oil operators and wor, ing
out tho details, under the secretary's
sanction.
Those interested wish to run an
eight-inch line to accommodate their
Port Arthur refinery with a daily ca-
pacity of 16,000 barrels. The secre-
tary thought this lotally inadequate
and suggested two eight inch lines or
one 16-inch line. This suggestion will
probably be complied with.
The secretary has many similar pro-
jects under consideration in recent
years but this is the first to conform to
his ideas of what the pipe line should
be. Apparently there is now no ser-
ious obstacle in the way and the plans
will be submitted to the department
soon. The secretary believes the -in-
dependent line 500 miles long will have
plenty of business with Indian Terri-
tory fields and that it will be adequate
to break the Prairie Oil and Gas com-
pany's monopoly. The Bartlesville
crude oil is understood to be better
adapted for refining than the Texas
oil.
A rise in the price of crude oil from
about 35 cents to $1 a barrel is also ex-
pected with the completion of the pipe
line, if the expectation of other similar
projects is repeated.
Christian Science teaches that God is
Spirit, Life, Mind, and that man. who is
the image, likeness or reflection of G >d.
Spirit is spiritual, therefore that the
real man h indistructable, while all
that is material is changable and evan-
essent.
Christian Science teaches that God,
Mind, is the creator and sustainer of
all that really exists, and that man, by
a right understanding of God, can come
so into harmony with the source of his
being as to control himself harmonious-
ly; that man was given dominion over
all that was below him, and that by
knowing the truth he can free himself
from the bondage, ignorence and the
But the republican party has not lost out in Oklahoma in los-
ing the constitutional convention. It may be fortunate than un-
fortunate in having done so. It all depends what the democratic
constitutional convention does and don't do. II its work is not
satisfactory the people will resent it as they have the mistakes of
the republicans, and show their disaproval in the legislatvie and
state election. In the meantime the republicans should get to-
gether, drop the bars, and organize under one head from one end
of fhe state to the other, and decide upon a national and state pol-
icy. If they do this they will deserve to win, and will win.
The constitutional convention will convene in Guthrie Novem-
ber 2o. The democrats have at least 98 representatives out of the
112, 49 from each territory. This will give them 85 or 86 working
majority. The republicans will have II or 12 and one is indepen-
dent.
(continued on pageS)
Hitchcock Goes.
Secretary of the Interior Ethan Al-
len Hitchcock will retire from Presi-
Gratefu! For Statehood.
false senses have engulfed him in, and j jent Roosevelt's cabinet on the 4th of
the results of the teaching and accept- nex(. jkjarcj1) an(j james R. Garfield, of
ance of this religion, or philosophy is
sufficient evidence of the justness of Ohio, at present commissioner ot cor-
this claim. norations, will succeed him. Herbert
Christian Scientists believe that faith r . ,
is good, but that understanding it bet- Knox Smith, now assistant commis-
ter. They believe that there is a prin Bjonerof corporations, will be appointed
ciple underlying life and men, and that . Mr Garfield's place.
man can know the 1 ruth of this pnnci- nf thP re-
ple and ai ply it in the every day affairs These changes and ne
of this busy world of ours ; and that tirement of Commissioner Kicnrads, 01
Jesus Christ was the founder of a ^e general land office on March 4th
demonstratable religion,, and that announced in a statement from
ChrisMan Science is the teaching of u
the Master Metaphysician; that he the White house.
healed all manner of disease and that ( ~ ~~ ~~
is the duty as well as the privilege of National Election,
his followers to do the same, and they ^ ^ surpri8es in nationa,
are doing it in his name.
Every effort of every line, every elections.
Governor Frank Frantz has issued thought-f Chris.Ian Sci. nee is to ele Hughes, after all. defeated Hearst
the following proclamation settug v,lle Hn eauti^y 81hVnc"h8LIFF, f°r governor of New York
aside a day vf thanksgiving in (ikia Chiw i«n Science Publication Com- It looks as if Harris, democrat, is
homa: initio elected over Hoch governor of Kansas.
Governor Cummins, of Iowa, was re-
elected.
The republican majority in the lower
house of congress has been reduced
from 114 to 60.
Governor Guild was ri-elected in
Massachusetts.
The state ticket in Missouri went
democratic, except the legislature.
Colorado is all republican.
Sparks, democrat, was re-elected
governor of Nevada.
Gillett, republican, is elected gover-
nor of California.
Heldon, republican, is elected gover-
nor of Nebraska, and the legislature is
republican, elected on an anti-railroad
domination issue, which makes Norris
Brown succeed Millard in the United
States senate.
Arizona refused to be merged with
New Mexico, while New Mexico carried
for statehood by a small majority.
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Golobie, John. Oklahoma State Register. (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 8, 1906, newspaper, November 8, 1906; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc111367/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.