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VOLUME 13.
NORMAN OKLAHOMA. FRIDAY, OCTOBER, 7 1904
NUMBER 13
WATSON AT HOUSTON
IB!
Houston, Tex.. Sep 23,-Thos. E.
Watson, nominee for President, de-
livered an address toni ght to a great
crowd of people assem bled from the
surrounding country. S ?reral excur-
sions were run. Mr. Wa ttson is still
suffering from an indisposit ion and ap-
peared weak. He was gi'en close
attention. Mr. Watson spoki" in part
as follows:
Senator James K. Jones of Arkan-
sas found bis voice a few day
and spoke liis little piece. "Tbe
People's Party," says Jones, "is work-
ing for the Republicans." He de-
clares that in my Atlanta speech a
preference was expressed for Roo-s-
velt as against Parker. Neither in
my Atlanta speech, nor in any other,
have 1 made any such declaration
Poor Parker! His burdens were al-
ready heavy. Too much Cleveland,
too much Hill, too much Bellmont,
too much McOarren, too many slights
put on Tom Taggart, too much
Gorman, too much juggling with the
good old English langu age, too much
foxiness generally—but when Jones
of Arkansas rolled up, we could al-
most see the same old pick and spade
and shovel with which he dug graves!
for tbe Democratic national candi- J
date in the memorable campaigns of
1896 and 1900.
If there is any one man whom the
public would heartily forgive for
keeping his mouth shut, at this par-
ticular time, it is Jones of Arkansas!
Among all asinine blunderers who
butchered Bryan's campaign in 1896,
the Saul of the whole lot, the gr«.at
hulking booby who towered head and
shoulders above all other boohies, was
Jones of Arkansas. In that memora-
ble year of 1896, the Democratic sen-
atorial visitor to our St. Louis con-
vention who was most ready to mort-
gage the battered Democratic ma-
chine for Populist votes, was Jones
ofArrkansas. It being a vital nec-
essity to Bryan to poll the full Popu-
list vote, only a blundering political
dromedary could have stumbled into
the meshes of 'inevitable defeat by
openly insulting the Populist voters:
and the insensate camel whodid that
particular thing "at the psycologicat
moment," was Jones of Arkansas
He saved the day for them when all
Beemed lost.'
The Republican party had its
Burchartf: but he was an accident,
he just happened along: and while
be was an ass, there was no peculiar
mark, brand, or distinguishing trait
about his asininity. He was an ass—
and that ends the story. And the
beauty about Burchard was he knew
his place on the catalogue, and hav-
ing been duly told what kind of an
animal he was, he went off into de-
cent, permanent, almost respectable
desuetude. But in Jones of Arkan-
sas the Democratic party owns a
great national donkey who does not
know that be is a donkey, who never
realizes that his bray differs in mel
ody from Schubert's Serenade;" and
who cannot be made to see that ^his
ears are more prominent than his
head!
Burchard, who killed Blaine in 1884,
was a mere cup of water: emptied at
the right time, he managed to put
out the fire—that one time. Then
the cup was empty evermore. But
Jones of Arkansas is a fountain, a
perennial stream! "Men may come
and men may go," but be "goes
on forever." He put out the fire in
1900; he is doing it again nbw. Bully
for Jones! Mark Hanna must have
loved him! If there is any one man in
the country who ought to hold a
warm place in the affections of the
Republican party, it is the man who
played Blucher to their Wellington
in 1896. Asa gravedigger and pall-
bearer for national Democratic can-
didates there never was a man who
was worthy to polish the shoes of
Jones of Arkansas.
If our campaign hurts the Demo-
crats most tnis year, that is not our
fault. It is the fault of Jones and all
the others who sold out the principles
of Democracy to Wall street at St.
Louis. Had Jones and his crowd
adopted the Omaha platform, or
something similar, and then nomi-
nated some such real Democrat as
Hearst or Bryan, the People's party
could not have done business in 1904
atall. It was the astounding betrayal
of Democratic principles by Jones,
Hill & Co. which gave the People's
party the opportunity to renew the
fight for JeiTersonian Democracy.
Inasmuch as we now advocate tbe
same principles which Bryan Demo-
ago crats advocate that we should be
abused as "assisting Republicans." If
anybody has sold out, it would be rea-
sonable to suppose that it was the
of partisan manipulation, just like |
any other apple. He may think that I
he swims; the facts prove that he
merely floats
Why delude yourselves by hoping i
to get reforms inside the Democratic [
party? The Rryans, and Tillmans,
and Baileys have less power in the
Democratic party than ever before.
Eastern Democracy controls, and the
Eastern Democrat is a Republican In
all but the name. The Democratic
party can do nothing for the people.
It is ruled by corporations. And it
has no common purpose, no unity, no
cohesion. It does not come up to the
definition of a real political party.
There are too many kinds of Demo-
crats pulling against one another in
all sorts of ways. It is like a balky
team—it raises lots of dust in the big
road, but does not go anywhere. If
you are a true Democrat and have
the courage of your convictions, you
must come with us. You have no-
where else to go.
In my opinion Parker is going to
be one of the worst beaten men in po-
litical history, for the reason that he
stands for nothing. He does not even
pretend to have any principles. That
such a man could be elected is an
utter impossibility. , The Eastern
Democrats forget that the American
people had both mind aud conscience.
Their surrender of principle at St.
Louis went beyoud the limit of en-
durance. The Democratic rank and
file did not authorize that surrender,
and will not ratify it. The masses are
rising in revolt, and the city politician
may tremble for the thunder clouds
are forming. As sure as right lives
and God rules, there's going to be a
storm.
Jeffersonians everywhere! Let us
get together Brothers in sentiment,
let us be brethren in action. Divisions
are what plutocracy wants, unity is
what democracy must have. Begin
now the great movement which will
bring you victory in 1908.
Miss Rucker was a visitor to Okla-
homa City last Saturday.
8
Remember
That we have the
biggest and best
stock of
LUMBER
in Cleveland coun-
ty and that it will
pay you to figure
with us before
buying-
HIGH WATERS.
South Canadian River Floods Do Great
Announcement
Of the arrival of my Fall Stock of
DRESS GOODS,
TRIMMINGS,
MILLINERY,
NOTIONS,
CLOTHING,ETC.
Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday
papers told of the big rains and floods
in Colorado and New Mexico on the
head waters of the South Canadian
river and the people were watching
the account of the flood as it surged
down the Canadian; but no one eeem-
1 ed to entertain how serious an affair
i it was until it reached here Sunday
| night. On Sunday evening tbe
J Canadian river was a dry sand bed
! and on Monday morning it was a rag-
ing torrent, and eight foot rise bav-
! ing come during the night and in-
formation was received that a ten
foot rise was coming and would reach
I handle no auction or second hand
goods, but everything here is up-to-
date the most advance styles and
proper weaves at competition killing
prices.
! 1UUI I ISC nao uuu .• uui>a
| Norman about Monday night. Mon-
| day morning the farmers on the Ten
J mile flat began running their stock
out of the bottom and many moved
! out their families. Their hogs they
! could not move out because they
I were cut off by water -Monday morn-
j ing almost before they were aware of
| tbe flood. Many of the families liv-
and some farms near the lower end
of tbe flat were completely ruined by
river changing its channel.
The new wngon bridge at Noble
which bad just been completed two
weeks ago went out and several inen
came near losing their lives attempt-
ing to save it.
The wagon bridge at Lexington al-
so was swept away and eight men float
ed off on one section of it riding the
raging current for a distance of
about forty miles until they reached
railroad bridge at Wanette.
The railroad bridges west of the
Santa Pe bridge at Purcell as far as
we can learn were all twept away.
The Santa Fe bridge stood but the
track on both sides washed out for
several miles and at Purcell the
water wis three feet deep in the
Santa Fe depot.
Later: A party of campers,
thought to consist of two men, is
thought to have been caught by the
flood in Canadian bottom between
where Mr Swank and Mr. Oberdick
lived and it is feared that they per-
ished. Their lantern was seen Mon-
day night and their shooting and
the higher parts of the flat re- shouts were heard by Mr. Oberdick
My Grocery
with the best.
Cream Flour.
Department
I handle
stocked
Hunter's
R. C. BERRY.
. ing on
mained at home not thinking that
waters would reach them and the
men stayed in the bottom to look
after their stock. The water con-
tinued to rise and Monday evening it
began rising rapidly and escape was
cut off and Tuesday morning the
whole Hat was a sea of
and Mr. Swank: but each thought it
was the other: but now it turns out
that it must have been some one else
and if so they were taken right into
the new channel of the river and
probably drowned. A rumor reached
Norman Thursday morning that two
bodies were found in drift at remains
water, men having spent the night in . of Lexington bridge, but same has
crowd who dropped their principles.
We have not dropped ours.
What is it that the
national party is trying to do? They
seek to change the men without
changing the measures. They want
to put Roosevelt out, but they are
willing to leave undisturbed the laws
which he believes in. They want to
get rid of the man, but not of the
measures The People's party seeks
to get rid of both the men and the
measures. The words right and
wrong seem to haye no place in the
political philosophy of Alton B. He
McOall's Store Robbed
Thursday night of last week a burg-
Democratic |,ar entered McCall's store through a
1 rear window relieving cash drawer of
about 14.25 in change. This was all
Mr. McCall could miss, but he prob-
ably helped himself to some clothing
as an old vest was left. This makes
the second time a burglar has en-
tered this store. The burglar last
fall loaded up with f"00 or £800 worth
of silk goods.
trees and families in upper stories of
their houses which they did not know
at what moment might be swept
away by the torrent. On Tuesday
morning at day light the waters be-
gan to fall and boats went in and re-
scued one man, Mr. Swank, who had
spent about eighteen hours in a tree.
L. C. Brants' house was washed away
and water entered the first floor of
many of the houses; but up to present
time no loss of human life has been
reported. Many bogs and other live
stock perishtd; but it will be some
days before the extei.t of loss from
this source will be definitely known
though it is known now that loss from
this source is not as great as at first
anticipated. The crops in the bottom
The Norris and Iiowe circus which J an(j the stacks of hay and forage are
showed in Norman Tuesday has been wejj ni„b ruine(j and tae wheat that
. .'f owi - «K •'  * r
sloshes back and forth upon the wave \\ oma City W'epnesdav night. j water was the highest ever n
not been confirmed as we go to hress.
It is now thought that the seven or
eight men who were swept away on
the wreck of the Lexington bridge
have been landed safely but this is
not a certainty yet. The cotton crop
in the Canadian bottom is a total
loss and much of the corn injured or
destroyed. The loss of stock will also
t\e great. The water was five feet
higher than ever known. The rich
and fertile valley of the South Cana-
dian is ti uly a muss, many line farms
being completely ruined. The Moore,
Richardson, Furry and Short farms
south-west of Norman being practi-
cally destroyed.
Contract Signed-
Last Tuesday afternoon the County
commissioners signed up a contract
with Strain & Kahoe for the erec-
tion of the county court house.