Cleveland County Enterprise. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 22, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 1914 Page: 1 of 8
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CLEVBlAND count\ enterprise.
VOL. XXII
How to Make Norman A
Trading Center
NORMAN. OKLAHOMA. THURSDAY, JUNE ,4 1914.
Our articles in last week's issue
entitled "Co-Operation Will Win
tor Merchants and Farmers" "Nor-
man City Taxes" and "Gen. Coxey
and Army" seems to have attract-
ed very favorable comment and we
have been requested to republish
the first above mentioned article
by several parties, and may do so.
If Norman is to grow and make
a city with the population it should
have and property values in Nor-
man what they should be, and se-
cure the trade its merchants should
enjoy from its trade territory, the
two most important features to be
observed in brining about favorable
conditions for growth and prosper-
ity are "A strong country produce
trading center," and "a low city
tax rate". A strong country pro-
duce trading center can be estab-
lished only by making the price
paid for country produce attractive
to the producers. The task of
building up such a trading center
is a most difficult one, for very na-
turally the men engaged in hand-
ling farm products, desire to secure
as much profit as it is possible for
them to secure in handling them.
Again the handling of the same
in small qualities, by many dealers,
make marketing of the same, to
the best advantage, impossible.
This condition narrows competition
in buying and tends toward a low-
ering of priees paid while at t lie
same time increasing the volume of
business of the dealers which of
itself should have an opposite ef-
fect on the purchase price It is
absolutely necessary that a similar
margin of profit basis be observed
both in the buyer of produce and
the sellerof merchandise in a coun-
try produce point, to make it a
trading center, and this of neces-
sity forces co-operation of the men
engaged in the different lines of
business enterprises in the town or
city that aspires to be known and
recognized as a wide awake business
trading center.
No city of Norman's pretentions j
and advantages can afford to suffer j
it to be truthfully said that higher
prices can and are being paid for
country products, by hamlets and
villages within its trading territory
and that merchandise can be pur-
chased at lower prices.
The tax question while perhaps
not quite so strong a feature, in
the building up and growth of a
city as the former is nevertheless
closely interweaved with it, for the
same is very largel,v|what is termed
an "overhead expense" that must
be taken out of the profits, before
a dividend is declared.
We believe Norman has suffered
from the lack of a proper regard
for the principle of co-operation in
dealing with the people within its
trade territory and from a want of
necessary vigilance in guarding pro-
perty within the city from the tax
burdens imposed. You can beauti-
fy a cemetery ad infinitnm, but it
still remains—a city of the dead.
You can park and beautify a city
ad infinitum, tint flowers and parks
alone, will not make of that city a
thriving business commercial trad-
ing center, where men may secure
the employment, and business nec-
essary for them to secure to rear
their families and enjoy the fruits
of their industry and drink in the
pleasures of cultured and pleasant
environments. In civic, pride L. -I.
Edwards has succeeded in injecting
into the citizenship of Norman a
healthy virus and it is showing
forth all over the city its beneficent
effect in making the city "more
beautiful" ami a pleasing and tit
habitation for civilized man. but
one man cannot do all that is need-
ed to be done to make Norman the
thriving, bustling, trading center
of an especially favored city it
should be sustaining a population
of fully double its present popula-
tion.
The business end of the proposi-
tion to make Norman an attractive
trading center needs the services of
some men who have not stamped
before their eyes the dollar mark
of personal profit so indeleblv as
the foolish individual who "slew
the goose that laid the golden egg
every day" in his haste to get all
the eggs at once. Without some
sacrifice on the part of Mr. Edwards
a mud hole instead of a beautiful
park would have still greeted the
eye of the stranger on the passing
train and some sacrifice is neces-
ary to be made of profits to make
Norman a country trading center
and only through the principle of
co-operation* can such sacrifice be
made without leaving iN bad effects
The Assessed Valuation
The county assessor has com-
pleted the work of assessing and |
his I show a valuation of
$8,600,(HIO. This does not include j
the assessed value of the public
corporations within the country, j
which will perhaps be about $2,000-
000. Ilis books this year show a
decreased valuation in the county
from last year of about. $1,000,000.
In Norman city property the de-
crease in value, is about $.>00,000.
In proportion to value of other
property iu the county, the Hoard
of Commissioners and assessor ad-
mitted that for the last few yearns
Norman property has been assessed
too high, but think it has been low-
ered sufficientl> this year to cor-
rect the wrong. I nder the present
assessment, Norman city pays
about one-fourth of the county and
state tax, while it has been paying
about one-third during previous
years. Even one-fourth would still
seem to be more of this tax than
Norman proportion of the county;
but it will be decidedly better than
one-third as heretofore.
The big slump in value in the
county shows on the personal pro-
perty listed for taxation. The live
stock in the county has been great-
ly decreased by the feed shortage
of the past few years and it will
take the county some time to re-
cover from its loss of personal pro-
perty value.
Judge Robertson's Wife Passes
Away
Monday morning, Mrs. Olive
Robertson, the wife of Judge «J. B.
A. Robertson, died at their home
in Oklahoma City. For four years
she had been in poor health and
her death did not come wholly un-
expectedly. It was on account of
her health that .Judge Robertson
was forced to abandon his canvass
for Congress two years ago, and ac-
company his wife to Colorado, in
an effort to restore her to health.
The Security State Bank is now
open for business and a share of
your patronage is solicited.
MORTGAGE LOANS
In The Business 19 Years.
Will make the best loans you tail get
OR
Sell you Real Estate cheaper than ever
<)usi a Quiet Poker Game
Sunday morning at about 2:30
o'clock Deputy Marshal Mays ob-
served a light burning in a promi-
nent, office room on Main street and
it occured to him that, it might la
the proper thing to investigate.
He secured a step-ladder in order
that lie might look in over the door
transoine, if necessary, and left his
shoes on the side walk in order
that he might make no noise to
cause alarm. The officer succeed-
ed in plant ing the ladder before t he
door and quietly mounting same
through the transome he beheld
live young men seated around a
table with chips and cards and
seeming to be having a great time.
Making quite sure that the boys
were not getting up copy for the
"Molly Coddle" picturing Mays as
a great "sleuth", the officer poked
bis head and arm through the tran-
some and directed his cannon on
the boy s and made them be quiet
until evidence was secured and the
result five young men, students, to
a charge of gambling in Police
court entered pleas of "guilty" and
paid lines.
Crop Conditions
The first cutting of alfalfa has I
been badly injured for commercial j
purposes, by the heavy and contin-
uous rains during the cutting sea
son. The crop is not a total loss,
most of it. having been sufficient 1\
cured so that stock will eat it, but
too badly injured for marketing
purposes. The corn crop is grow-
ing fine and, too the surprise of
many, the stand of cotton secured
is fairly good in most localities.
Work in the corn and cotton fields
is badly needed. The wheat fields
are puffing on a golden color and
will soori be ready for the binders.
The oat fields look fine. Potatoes
and garden vegetables all that could
lie desired. Two weeks of sunshine
and dry-weather, is the crop need
at present time and it, begins to
look as though rains were over for
a time.
Wednesday the Baby Show ,
for the prizes offered b\ the real
estate men, was held in this city.
The real-estate men knew that
every woman in the country with a
baby, within the ages prescribed by
the conditions for entrance into the
contest, felt quite sure, in fact
knew, that her child was the sweet-
est . prettiest and most, perfect child
in the world, but il never occured
to the re |-estale men that their
'confidence was so thoroughly es-
tablished in the fact, as would iu-
duce a great number of t hem to en-
ter their child into the. contest, and
relying on this belief only prep ired
:i.~i eugenic lists for the enrollment
of the contestants, thinking that
they would have a surplus of at
least 20 lists.
You can imagine their great sur-
prise when something like 1001
proud mothers came to headquart-
ers to enter their young hopefuls j
in the contest. Such a crowd of
babies indeed constituted a show,
and the judges were completely
overwhelmed with the task, they
imagined when accepting appoint-
ment would be a pleasantry, they
viewed when they arrived on the j
scene.
[ The real-estate men almost had
to use physical force to hold the
judges on the job. They worked
like trojons from 1:1.10 to 6:00
o'clock before completing their task
The beauty judges task was com-
paratively easy; but Drs. Darling
and Ellison who served as the eu-
genic judges had a hard afternoon's
work in taking measurements, etc.,
and a day's hard work in figuring
out the results afterward.
Next, week we will give a list of
the prize winners, if the same can
be ascertained by that time. After
viewing the babies we are not at all
surprised that the mot hers felt that
they really had babies worthy of
entering the contest and glad in-
deed that we were not called upon
to serve as a judge and be compel-
led to select the prize winners.
Ross for Congress
•lames S. Koss, of Oklahoma Cit\
and one of the leading lawyers of
the State, is a candidate for the
nomination to congress from the
fifth congressional district, subject
to the democratic primary in Aug-
ust. He is a native Tetinesseean.
Mr. Ross will make an active
campaign throughout his district,
j giving in full his opinion and
policy on public, questions which
I are most vital to the citizenship,
lie is a loyal and consistent demo-
crat, and if elected, will give to the
I people his most faithful, conscien-
tious and energetic service, and
strive to carry out the policies of
i the Wilson administration.
Fifth grade—Miss Blanch Smith
$50.
Fourth grade—Miss Tine Web-
ster, $57.50.
Fourth grade—Miss ('alia Web-
ster, 155.
Third grade—Miss Teresa ,Don-
nelly, $57.•>().
Third grade—Miss Mar\ Synott.
$50.
First and second grade—Miss
Foy Runyan, $50.
Primary—Miss .losephine Brown
$65.
A. McDANIEL
P H O NE 23
Ready-to-Wear Store
W. N. Rucker has opened a new
store in the building formerly oc-
cupied by.1. It Holland, in which
is carried a full and complete line
of new ready-to-wear for the ladies,
in exclusive ladies store.
Norman Teachers Elected
The following have been elected j
for the ensuing school year in Nor-
man :
City Superintendent—Prof. E.
E. Holmes, salary $1500.
Principal and Mathematics—R.
A. Graddy, $i>0.
Science—C. L. Todd, $7.).
Latin — Prof. Albert I. Young,
$75.
German—D !•' Meyer, $7.i.
Manual Training—W W. Scott,
$75.
History—Miss -lessie Trevarthan
i $75.
Domestic Science—Mis Mabel
i Davidson, $75.
English—Miss Eloise Eagleton
J and Miss Bertha Oliver, $75 each.
Music—Miss Emma Alexander,
$50.
1 Washington School—Wkst Sun:
Principal and teacher of 8th grade
—Prof. J. R. Hale, $80.
Seventh grade—Miss Yetta Al- j
ilen, $57.50.
Sixth grade—Miss Ruth Bureh, \
$50. I
Fifth grade—Miss Esther Patton )
$50.
Fourth grade—Miss Avis Sellers,
>m(I.
; Third grade—Miss Elizabeth Bell
$5 7. •">().
Second grade—Mrs Koatk, $5.">,
Primary—Miss Ada Blake, $(i.i,
Jefferson School—East Side
Principal—Prof. G. L. King,
$80.
Eighth grade—Miss Bernice Tay-
lor, $6;>.
Seventh grade—Miss Dora Brown
$57.50.
Sixth grade—Miss Nora Helms,
$57.50.
Fifth and sixth grades—Miss
^Susie Taylor, #57,50. ^
Mr. .1 no. Partsock, aged 76 years
and a highly respected citizen, died
at his home east of Denver, Sun-
day morning at il o'clock. The
funeral services were held at the
Denver cemetery Monday, where
interment was made at 2 o'clock.
Art txhihit
The public is cordially invited to
visit Room No. 105, Administration
Bldg. to see the Art Works of Miss
Forbes. Miss Forbes is the first
graduate from the department of
painting have completed the re-
quired work for Certificate in Art.
This exhibit isot' more than ord-
inary merit and it will be worth
your while to make a careful exam-
ination of the same.
Subscribe for the Enterprise.
NO. 48
Geo. West Opens Campaign
In Norman
Wednesday evening Attornej
General West opened bis campaign
for the democratic nomination for
Governor, in Norman in the pres-
ence of a fair sized audience.
He aroused no particular enthu-
siasm among his hearers save in
the part of his address relative to
the need of court reform in this
state, and also in the revenue laws
of the state, and laws dealing with
the corporations. On thes.« im-
portant state subjects Judge West
had some well defined and practical
ideas as to how such reforms can
be accomplished, and the same met
the popular favor of his hearers,
lie offers something tangible and
practical in the way of reforming
these laws of the state, instead ot
j simply impressing upon his hears,
| the need of reform, without sug-
gesting how
Judge West, is without question,
the only man in the state holding
office since statehood, that the peo-
ple generally feel, has attempted to
discharge the trust imposed in him
with fidelity and with a display of
considerable ability, and had he ap-
pealed to the voters for support on
his own record and made no at-
tempt to bolster up and white-wash
the administrations of Gov. Haskell
and Gov. Cruce, we feel that he
would appeared in a more favorable
light before the voters in the state.
Right or wrongfully, the voters
in this state are tooidnll of compre-
; hension to be made to realize that
the state has enjoyed the kind and
character i f administrations they
expected and believed would be
furnished b\ state officials thor-
oughly imbued with democratic
policies
Gen. West's idea of the appoint-
ment of a commission to make in-
vestigation of where and how to
cut down the number of state of-
ficers, and to investigate how to
raise revenue and how to cut down
state expenses and secure greater
efficiency in the public service,
sinaks too strongly of the republi-
can method of investigating and
revising the tariff laws. In theory
such a commission is ideal, but in
practical results a stupendous fail-
I ure and engine of delay and betray-
al.
Franlng For Representative
Feflling that the voters of Cleve
land county are entitled to know
the principles advocated by each
candidate for representative ask
iifg for their support, and not hav-
ing given all questions full consid-
eration as vet, John Franing will
j not announce his platform until
next week.
The Sun Never Sets
On I he John Deere Line
In Winter or Summer, in sunshine or rain,
whether it be noon-tide or midnight, somewhere,
the sun beats down on the new turned furrow
of a JOHN DEERE PLOW and from it's
polished moidboard reflects the glory of its maker.
We will take pleasure in showing you over
our sample floor, which includes the most com-
plete stock of implements ever shown in Cleve-
land county.
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Fox, J. O. Cleveland County Enterprise. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 22, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 1914, newspaper, June 4, 1914; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc108454/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.