The Peoples' Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, July 10, 1908 Page: 1 of 8
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THE PEOPLES' VOICE
VOLUME 16.
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1908.
NUMBER 52
New Election Law
The people are just beginning to
N get acquainted with the provisions
| of the new primary and general
/ election law and it has no d|fenders
in Cleveland county, save a very
few partisan boot-blacks, who tell
you that they have never read the
law but know it is alright because it
carries the democratic party's OK.
The main features in the law are to
tax all of the people to pay the ex-
pense of its operation and at same
time deny to all the people, unwill-
ing to surrender their manhood to
the keeping of a partisan boss, a
right to participate in the primary.
The following is what an American
voter, living in Norman, is required
to fill blanks out before he will
be permitted to vote in the primary:
•• Precinct No
•• of.... Ward County
This is to certify that
• • a person knowu
to me, has this day presented
• • himself for registration as an
!! elector in this Precinct; that
II before issuing this certificate I
II require such person to answer
I! such questions as propounded
II to him. He says that his name II
II is as above written; that he re-
II sides in this Precinct, at No...
Street; he says his post
II office address is ; that
II the color of his hair is
II his eyes, his complexion
11 and politically he is a ;
II that he refers to as an
•' owner of real estate whom he
•• says knows that he is entitled
•• to vote in this Precinct.
Give under my hand on this,
• • the day... .of A. D., ig.. • •
• • Inspector of Elections,
11 Precinct No...
partisan county election board ap- >
pointed by a partisan state election
board appointed by a partisan j
Governor and the vote of election j
counted and canvassed by these
partisan appointed election boards.
You ask who created this new law?
We answer "a political party that
alleges its trust in the people and
had for a motto in the recent cam-
paign " LET THE PEOPLE
RULE." From the character of
law passed it would not seem that
the party serious trusted people or
regarded its motto.
Hon. W, T. Little Dead.
Last Monday morning the body of
Hon. W. T. Little was shipped from
Norman to Perry for burial. Mr.
Little was one of the early writers
on the Guthrie State Capital and one
of the bright newspaper men of Ok-
lahoma in the early days. When the
Strip country opened Mr. Little set-
tled in Perry representing the Perry
district in the legislative assembly
of 1895. For a short time he served
as custodian of the Historical Society
when same was located in the State
University building. Later he was
appointed Postmaster afr Perry serv-
ing for a number of years and his
wife is still assistant postmaster.
Mr. Little being forced to give up
the position of postmaster on account
of trouble which finally terminated
in his death In the Sanitarum.
In the early days of Perry Mr.
Little took up the matter of plant-
ing shade trees in the city square in
Perry and today jio city in the State
can boast of a finer tree park than
Perry and what Mr. Little done for
Perry by reason of wide publicity
given it caused other cities in the
state to beautify, with shade trees,
public squares and parks and many
of the beautiful 6haded court house
squares and public parks in Oklaho-
ma are due in a very large measure
to work of Mr. Little.
Cow Ordinance and
Occupation Tax
The passage of an ordinance com-
pelling people to lead cows to pasture
and a proposed occupation tax to be
used to pay salaries caused the peo-
ple in Norman to discuss and cuss
the City Dads quite freely. In re-
gard to the cow ordinance it would
not be bad were it not for the fact
that its enforcement would mean the
depriving of hundreds of children in
Norman of milk and seriously we re-
gard the welfare of the children of
greater moment than the expense to
a few individuals of stringing ;a tem-
porary wire around the street to pro-
tect the shade trees and lawn from
cows running into same when being
driven to the pasture. That boys
taking cows to pasture have become
exasperating careless in handling
cows may be true, but if so the City
already had an ordinance to cover
this point; but the recent ordinance
passed, if enforced means that many
of the people in Norman with famil-
ies will have to sell their cows and
let their children suffer for milk.
Because some few people abused the
right to keep a few chickens; by at-
tempting to engage in the poultry
raising business and have same fed
on their neighbors llower garden and
truck patch, warranted the passage
of no ordinance depriving everyone
within the City limits from keeping
chickens except in tight enclosures
all of the time. Punish ones offend-
ing greatly and this we would pre-
scribe as remedy for the careless
handling of milk cows.
In regard to occupation tax propo-
sition would say, put a metre on
everyones mouth an charge metre
rates for air they use; increase the
number of offices and raise all of the
salaries. The City is bonded and
property taxed to the limit now and
property owners in addition have
sidewalks to pay for and a subscrip-
tion paper to sign for some needed
improvement about twice a week.
Honestly we believe the expenses of
this city might be reduced about 2 or
$300 a month without impairing the
service.
Eegistration of Voters. CAMPAIGN IS OPENED
The several inspectors of elections j
in the precint, in Norman have | PeO^S P?rty Candidates for
opened the registration books and
the men in Norman who desire to
The Inspector appointed by a
partisan Boss, when the voter goes
up to register, hands out the above
slip of paper and asks voter to fill
out before he will be permitted to
register and unless voter fills he
will be denied the right to partici
pate in the primary. If the voter
should fill this evidence of voters
willingness to surrender his self re-
spect and independence and goes
to the primary to vote this same in-
spector will say to him "what kind
of a ballot do you want? " If voter
should say to him, "1 want a ballot
with the names of all of the candi-
dates upon it in order that I may
select such candidates to vote for as
I desire. The inspector would
quickly say to him, "we have no
such ballot in stock. If you vote
in this primary you can make your
selection of candidates to vote for
only from list of candidates appear-
ing on some one of the partisan
ballots we have on hand. You sir,
must be a partisan or you don't vote
in this primary. And again in order
to get a vote in the primary, voter
must surrender some more of his
independence and self respect. By
the two above surrenders of self re-
spect and independence the partisan
boss has secured a string attached
at the other end to a ring in the
voters' nose und the voter becomes
the chattel slave of the boss and by
him is led up to the polls in Novem-
ber and sent in to the polls presided
over by the partisan appointed
bosses, to vote. It makes but little
difference how the voter votes, for
the bosses had his politics before
he entered the booth, having secur-
ed same when he registered and
again when lie voted in the primary
election, and when the tally sheet of
the general election is made up the
partisan bosses will perhaps, see to
it that the voter does not escape
from them by voting in secrete dif-
ferent from what he voted in the
primary, or what he gave as his pol
itics in the certificate of registra-
tion. Under the old law the in-
spectors or registration officers were
elected by the people and the vote
as returned by the precinct inspect-
ors canvassed by the Board of
County Commissioners, also elected
by the people. Under the new law
the inspectors are appointed, by a
Not|in our.store
we "deal in
smiles &nd
W. -Fro-iLfe- \
MH. SWELL DHESSEH:—
THE SATISFIED GUSTOME"R
IS THE K IW D OF A CUSTOM EH
THA T LEA. VES Ol/H STOHE.
WE DOW'T A-RGUE WITH yOU
AMD T'R\> TO -DUIVE A SALE
WHEW yOU COME IJW TO LOOK
A T OUT*. GOODS.
WE MAKE OUR SALES EASy
BV GETTIJSG THE "RIGHT SOUT
OF STUFF. A WD VUTTIJVG OW
IT THE "RIGHT SO"RJ~ OF 7"RICES
wo SOU-R FACES IJW OUR
STO"RE. WE A -RE HATVy DE-
CAUSE WE A "RE DO I JSC, DUSI-
JVESS. OUR CUSTOME RS A "RE
HA pry DEC A USE THEy A HE
JVOW GETTIJVG CLOTHES "QA R-
GAIJVS.
SS.OO WILL WOW DUy A fio
SUIT.
£10.00 WILL WOW DUy A
£ 12.5O SUIT.
£12.OO WILL WOW DUy A
#15.OO SUIT.
vote in the electiou next November
must register on or before July 25th
and the following is a list of ques-
tions the inspectors must ask:
Where do you reside, give post-
office address, street address, age,
color of eyes, hair, complexion?
What party are you affiiliated
with?
Have you lived in the state one
year, county six months and pre-
cinct thirty days before the elec-
tion?
The inspectors are at liberty to
ask any other questions they may
see fit and the voter must answer or
the inspector will have the right to
refuse to register your vote.
You must give the name of some
resident of the precinct who owns
property who knows that you are
entitled to vote.
In securing a registration certific-
ate the inspector may place you un
der oath and if a false statement is
made you are held liable to a term
in the penitentiary.
Registration certificates are good
for the primary election, the elec-
tion next November and all elec
tions up to 1910. You must carry
or take care of your certificate and
in case of its loss you must make
an affidavit.
Think of it ? A free American
citizen in order to exercise his right
of franchise being put through such
a gruelling. What business is it to
anyone that name of party, voter
affiliates with be given and why
should a voter be put under oath
and any false statement he may
make subject him to a term in the
penitentiary ? Why should a voter
be forced to carry around his re-
gistration tag and present it when
he enters the polls in November and
have it marked ?
Dwelling Together.
Gov. Haskell and Attorney Gen-
eral West are not working together
as smoothly a9 a team of yoke -oxen.
In fact seem to be dwelling together
in about the same pleasant domestic
relations as would a dog and a cat if
attached to each other by their tails.
The present trouble with the governor
an the attorney general seems to be
over the question of the Prairie Oil
Company, a branch of the Standard
Oil Company, piping oil out of Okla-
homa. It seems that the Governor
and the Company had reached some
kind of an agreement, whereby, the
Company was to be permitted to pipe
oil out of the State, and when the
Governor was out of the State at-
tending the Denver Convention the
Company proceded tn lay pipe line
across the State line and Attorney
General West went into court and
enjoined the Company. The Gover-
nor seemed to be displeased with the
Attorney Generals action believing
that the Attorney General before
proceding against the Company
should have waited for directions
from the Governor. The Attorney
General, however, seems to be of the
opinion that the people elected him
as well as the Governor and that he
is responsible to the people and not
the Governor.
V-President and Governor
Speak at Carlisle.
Carlisle, Ind., July 4.—The Peoples
party opened its campaign here to-
day.
In the morning there was a street
parade and in the afternoon Hon.
Samuel W. Williams, candidate for
Vice-President and Hon. B'red J.
Robinson, nominee for Governor,
spoke in a grove to 8,000 people,
The Brazil band and Leik's band of
Sullivan furnished the mnsic. It is
said to be the largest crowd ever
assembled in Carlisle. The speakers
were taken to the grove in carriages
profuse with lioral decorations.
Arthur D. Cutler of this town in-
troduced the speakers and Mrs. W.
A. Gray recited a poem.
There were several hundred Vin-
cennes people in attendance.
THE HEN'S OUTFITTER
NORMAN
Denver Convention
The democratic national conven-
tion now in session at Denver seems
not to be taking Bryan's election
seriously and the anti Bryan forces
in the convention seem to be doing
all they can to make the convention
a frost. They say that they are for
Bryans nomination but their every
move signifies that they are not tor
his election. Bryan and Gray will
perhaps be the candidates and the
party machinery retained in the
hands of Bryan's enemies and the
old gang Bryan has sought for four
years to dislodge from positions of
trust in the party organization.
Hunter Retains
the Chairmanship.
Last Monday the republican state
committee met in Oklahoma City
and by a vote of 3D to 12 refused to
accept resignation of Chas. H. Hun-
ter. Hunter will serve to regular
meeting in August.
Populist State Conventions
Last week the West Virginia Pop-
ulists held a fine state convention
and nominated a full state and con-
gressional ticket. Hon. Jay VV.
Forrest national campaign commit-
teeman was present and made a
rousing speech and the West Virgi-
nia Populists are in the field and
working for success. On July 4th
the Alabama Populists held a state
convention at Birmingham. The
attendance was good and a full state
ticket nominated and a full congres-
sional ticket will be put in the field.
Hon. Geo. A. Honecker, who was
permanent chairman of the Peoples
Party national convention and Hon.
Jas. B. Kiem of New Jersey were
present and addressed the conven-
tion. The speakers were vigorous-
ly applauded and the Alabama
Populists seem to be much alive and
invited both Mr. Honecker and
Mr. Keim to visit them later in the
campaign and assist them in the
fight for a peoples government in-
stead of government by plutocrats.
The speakers from New Jersey re-
port the sentiment in favor of Wat-
son and Populism stronger and
growing more rapidly in the south
than they even anticipated and that
Mr, Watson was likely to get the
electoral vote of some of the south-
ern states seemed quite probable.
Southern democrats, especially in
Georgia, don't like Bryan and out-
side of the politician class Watson
is a great favorite in the south and
if on a democratic ticket would
sweep the southern states like a
western prairie fire. The southern
people have been delivered by the
democratic politicians to New York
politicians until they have become
quite sore and may refuse longer to
be delivered; but will turn out and
vote for Watson, and in so doing
demand and secure for the south
national recognition, entitled to, but
not secured since i860.
The Fourth in Norman.
The day was an ideal one anil many
of the fields too wet to cultivate and
quite a large crowd, much larger
than anticipated came to Norman to
spend the lib.
About everything 011 the program,
save the fire works display was car-
ried out and because of the inability
to secure fire works out of Kansas
City caused failure of the night dis-
play. The barbecued meats, all re-
port were the finest ever served; the
ball game good and the racing fair.
During the racing one of the horses
jumped the fence and threw the
rider into a harrow and it wa9
thought boy was killed for a time.
He was badly injured suffering a
broken arm smashed elbow and knee
caps hurt, a rib broken and several
other cuts and bruises. The boys
name was Herman Randolph, of Pur-
cell and he was riding one of the
Purcell horses in the race. Judge
Pratt one of the speakers of the day
failed to come but committee draft-
ed Kev. McCorkle who furnished the
oratorical lire works for the occasion,
Hopper-Blades.
Mr. W. L. Hopper of this city and
Miss Jessie Blades of Sulphur were
married at Sulphur last Wednesday.
Mr, Hopper Is a popular young man
and enjoys an excellent reputation.
The bride is a handsome young lady.
The happy young couple will reside
in this eli).
Oklahoma School Lands
Under the above caption, the Kan-
sas Mail and Breeze, one of the best
agricultural papers of the west, dis-
cusses the school land question as
It is presented in Oklahoma at this
time. Read what it has to say:
Oklahoma is debating the question
of selling the school lands or holding
them for lease. We presume that Ok-
lahoma will sell the lands but in
time the people will find out that
they have made a mistake.
Let us figure a little on the ex-
perience of Kansas. Originally there
were set aside two sections of land
in each township for the support of
the common schools. Kansas has an
area of 81,700 square miles. There are
in the state all told 2,2(19 townships
and 4,538 sections of school land. It
is certainly a conservative estimate
at the present time to say that the
average value of these lands is $4,000
per quarter or $16,000 per section. If
the state now owned this land it would
be worth at a conservative estimate
$72,608,000. What a magnificent en-
dowment for the common schools of
the state. At an average rental of $1
per acre the revenue from this land
would amount to $2,904,320 per an-
num. There are about 8,000 school
districts in the state of Kansas and
this revenue from school lands would
furnish an average of $364 per an-
num for each district.
According to the last biennial re-
port of the state superintendent of
public instruction, there was paid out.
for teachers' wages and supervision of
schools in the state of Kansas dur-
ing the year 1906 the sum of $4,-
117,274. If the state owned the lands
originally granted for the support of
schools the revenue would pay near-
ly two-thirds of this bill. An average
rental of $1 per acre would pay more
than half the annual expenditure in
the state for teachers' wages, build-
ings, repairs, fuel, lights and all other
items of expense in keeping up the
schools. Take a look at your school
tax receipts and you are apt to find
that your school taxes are the bigger
half of all the taxes you have to
pay. If the state of Kansas had been
wise enough to keep her lands in-
stead of fooling them away the school
taxes would be cut down more than
one-half.
It is safe to say that if the state
| of Kansas now owned its school lands
1 and rented the same at a moderate
rental the revenue derived therefrom
would be at least nine times as great
as the revenue now derived from the
permanent school fund. And what se-
curity could be safer than these lands?
Bonds of the best of corporations or
of the most solvent municipalities may
become worthless. Towns have sprung
up and flourished for a time and is-
sued bonds which seemed good enough.
Afterward adversity struck the town
and it faded from the map. Of course
the bonds became worthless. The
state school fund has generally been
honestly managed but nevertheless
there are tens of thousands of worth-
less bonds held by that fund right
now.
Oklahoma will make a mistake to
sell her school lands.
We know of no safer way to judge
the future than by the past.
If the people of Kansas are today
finding out that they made a mis-
take in selling off their school lands
in the early days, before values had
rcached their maximum amount, is
it not reasonable to suppose that the
people of Oklahoma will awaken to
find themselves in the same condi-
tion in the years to come if they sell
all the school lands at tills time?
Then again there is the question of
security of investment. The value rep-
resented In these lands in its pres-
ent form is the safest investment it
j is possible to make. The lands can
neither be stolen, destroyed or frit-
tered away. No designing politician
can possibly manipulate them for the
benefit of his own personal interests.
If the lands were sold and the mon-
ey invested in bonds, mortgages, or
the like, it would always be a con-
stant source of temptation to the
■scheming and unscrupulous. Doubtless
some part of it—for that is the his-
tory of the handling of these funds
In other states—would lie improvident-
ly or insecurely invested and lost.
The balance would not in all probabi-
lity be invested so as to yield bet-
ter returns than in the land s
The people of Oklahoma ought to
think of these things before they vote
to turn loose all of these lands at
this time, keeping in view at the
same time that these lands were given
to us for the benefit of the common
school fund. Let's handle them so that
they will conserve the interests of that
fund rather than the interests of the
lesses or unybody else.—Oklahoma)!.
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Allan, John S. The Peoples' Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, July 10, 1908, newspaper, July 10, 1908; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc118204/m1/1/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.