The Oklahoma State Capital. (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 1, Ed. 5 Friday, April 22, 1904 Page: 3 of 8
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THE OKLAHOMA STATE CAPITAL, FRIDAY MORXTXC. APT!IT. ??.
&
The Homesteader in Oklahoma
The Heritage of Hope that was His Capital
Has Developed His Competency.
(By DENNIS T. FLYNN.)
2?r. Purse. but rich In hope, was the | land orlginaty opened to homestead set-iagain begin
condition or the average Oklahoma home- tlement. with imo line of railroad the
steader In 1889. .Most of them came here Santa Fe. traversing the Territory. There
lexslons, which i
.. ir . . .. '
with ull their earthly
usually consisted of a foxing wife, prom- rle end Oklahoma City, and prior to Ap-
isln;; ..lihiren, and an uncancelled rnort- i ll -.'nd, 'v, there w as but one post of-
tfage In tiie drouth stricken districts of lice toklahoma ' It.v) in the entire area
adjoining states, to seek a new home on which now constitutes I.ogan, Oklahoma,
new land* in a new country- In s' there Cleveland. Payne, Klngttshcr and Cana-
Was no law or government outside of a . dim counties. AH the lands opened in
new life. There map a mad i t Ions were opened. a« was the Chovennn
one line of railroad the|rusi. kv «ho farmer The town lot man Arapaho" There was a mad scram-
ising the Territory. There " , , ' , , , , ! bie for the reservations on the east, but
no railroad stations except at Guth- J*'"* 'lot 1 "I ®"e. * > the Cheyenne and Arapaho... outside
'that he miKht fall If he relied upon the ,,f the lands adjacent to a county seat,
law, hence thousand:- of them became to hmd* in old Oklahoma, the farmer
sooner* in <V'dcr thereby to make sure of Wiia sjow „nd immigration was <1011 to
u new home The first trial of the Okla- take advantage of the lands that to-day
homa homesteader after he had erected nol „n|y occupied but aie well iin-
hlmself n shack, either in the shape of a ...roved and which many a happy family
dug-out, a sod house, or perhaps a frame nrt, refusing from live to eight thousand
shanty, was, in nine cases out of ten, |dollars per quarter suction for.
with a contestant "dio cither > a me into
the country prior to 12 o'clock noon April
"JJnd. '8!' or with some disreputable at-
torneys who. If they believed the home
steader had nobody to share his 160
acres of the land, which the government
Intended he should have with hint, at
once proceeded to hunt men who would
contest the homesteader on all and any
kinds of grounds, and thereby Instituted
litigation that In many cases has not
even been det i mined at this Into day.
' HON. DENNIS T. FLYNN.
Aw of the titles and In these the govern-
ment waa one created from necessity by
|the people drafting a code of laws of
their own and enforcing them. It wus
pvor a year after the first opening of the
(hree million acres of original Okahoma
fiefore any kind of government, territorial
county, or otherwise, was created by the
Congress of the United States, and then
fix email counties were carved out of the
FRKIC lit M108
In the fall of 1R!>_\ non
which had been opened
Oklahoma being opened
home clause, an agitation
publican patty and
Cotigri
of the
In Its platform
United States for free
Cheyenne and Aranahoe
and the Iowa and Pottawatomie rescrva-
slied to use it to ride Into political ofl>
on, but with the farmer and with tnc
homesteaders Wife it appeared In the
gloomy. dt<.uthy day of t*3. and '1)4,
as their only salvation.
During those trying years when crops
were an aUsolute failure with the wind
and dust blowing at all hours of the day
and night, mnnx a homesteader, who t
day has a beautiful farm well Improved
and mot:, y In the bank, was compelled to
live vers largely out of a stinted larder,
using kuftr corn instead of Hour. The
men on the ilaims ore usually credited
in public addresses and In most articles
that are written about Oklahoma, with
having endured great trials and suffering.
As or■ * wi n w is familiar will) it whose
fortune ha •' been to grow up wllii the
homesteader from the llrst settlement of
tit.- Territory, and who was the iiistru-
"i" jl1"' I "lent, in a oral! degree at lend. in ald-
n«t Fox | ,„K jh, home leader- battle for fve.-
•nutrvo. "homes, now 111ll t SOIH' VC.II have pa.-->d
and the br n<-iits which w.:e derived from
the free homes bill have been largely for-
gotten. I desire to em;d.i l ic.llv stale
that were II not for the perseierence of
the mothers x#ho lh ed on these hour
steads and the hope that tin Instilled
In their belter halves, the free homes 1 III
perhaps would never have become a law
1 probi
! of the land
lit dde of old
under a free
ras started by
demand mad>
| oklahoma w.is ihe last and fa\ofed child ; ste:
No matter what prospeiiu ... adv.islty i-•
may bring In the future. Its homesteaders <iu
will n IW a \ - owe a debt « !' gratitude to Iba
I the National Goveinmeut for lis favor j nlfl
Ilium to them. There Is not to-dav In aei
Territory, a homestead, r who are
■ horlh called upon to
statehood, the greatest
ifronts Oklahoma, and
be done with the mag-
mlllion
I the
II.
Wli
, d
el Iced fiugallty, should
.ssessor of an unencuint
that was durli
fie
the fu
thti
-quiva
i the ave
bank.
hape of stock and Im- J fense he will sooner or later hax to de-
farm. The Oklahoma I <ide In language unmistakable how this
been acknowledged to | great school land heritage shall be handl-
ge In llltelllgMtie. Few ed elthei i tallied or .1 nosed of. With
or them Init who have had sad experl- him the dual adjudication of this qu.s-
en.es before they came here, which It Is lion miisi '- it, ai d e nnaliv adjusted ho
hoped has proven a beiielil to them in will be held responsible whether lie de-
their new homes. The homesteader, sires to publicly participate in a settle-
-I Ollld he I .el desire to exercise that | II" lit of tin iplcstiiin or not. Tiler. Is ll.
right. lias absolute control of the affairs j section of tin I'nlon, and never 1ms been
of Oklahoma. At times i have thought. [any -• -tion of any new country, that had
.. • .i still think, that ne takes too lutie I the ensrgeth class ..t homesteaders that
interest in his own affairs. Tho /"eason, 1 oklahoma baa. About all of the old ques-
I be
| lior
mei
that affei
thi
A HOMESTEADER'S EARLY DAY HOME.
lions. The Cherokee Snip, now con
Ing many of the wealthiest and best <
ties 1a the Territory, w a.-. i hen a coxv
ture. The agitatiqe for free homes
nor political; it was not tlyuight of at the i what was styled tin
time as a political vote catcher, that Is. j it was honest, that there
that whs not the object that forced ll
lu to the republican platform. It was
forced, and its advocates supported It.
Hut few homesteaders were here without
a contest. Personal observation and ming-
ling with them brought forcibly to my
mind, and ll will probably remain there as
long as I live, the anxious look of the
homesteader and his wife wh<^ were
stinting themselves In many cases of the
bare necessities of life in order to raise
money enough to light, In nine casts out
of ten. an unwarranted contest upon their | been use one half of ti e payment.
• •• •• home, on the eve of the first rush, with seventy-five cents per acre was due the
"Jto the Territory ly rail, but thousands more men for lands than there were I government from the home-leader on all
of others seeking lands and not town lots, homcsteadH, nature Itself forgot about the of the lands outside of old oklahoma, anil
congregated togetler west of Kingfisher. ! requirements In an old, as well as a new they had been unable on account of
north or Hessenssey, on the borders of the Country, and for several years the home- drouth to raise aQflbitttit on their farms
Sac and Fox reset vatlon. which then hadlsteader not pnj.v fought all of the legal to supttort.themselves,,much less to make
not been treated lor. and at other con-1 battlebut also the dbln -ing one of I a payment on the lasd. The farmer al-
venlent points, und made the grand the drouth. As time went on the Siic w.ns believed In the Justice of the free
scramble to get a new home, there to Ian Fox, Iowa and Pottawatomie reservu-1 home fight. Many politician' perhaps de-
an did that bill,
lit w - hi- and if It became a law lie
'was the richer bv from two to live hun-
dred ,'..11 11-- III II e nUKJ-eg lie the llolin
si.nl. Wart to be benelil t led al out six
teen millions >f dollars.
HOMKS ! N THE STftlP
J'he I'herokee Strip opened up In the
. full of 1*9:1 and a mHd rush, likened only
I to a cyclone, was on. and the homestead
.•T analr. was confronted with the land
shark and shyster attorneys, who, like
1 uzsards we e seeking to devour everx
tbll C In sight . Some gave up dlsheari
ened :• < soon as they wen- contested, and
others fought It out, while for years i\
took virtually all their sustenance they,
flui'll/ had victory pert bed upon their
itannei . and to-dify are the possessors of
well impioved farms and a happ^' con-
tei'ted famlyl.
The last acquisition of homesteaders
was under a change of all previous laws,
made applicable in the opening of die
Kiowa Comanche and Wichita r..-crva-
tlons. Past cxnerieiice had taught thoso
who were familiar with public laud open-
ings that the farmer would probabl; hcy
belter off If a new method of opening
lands was followed out. 1 Tudor the able
and wis.- administration of Secretary
Hitchcock, assisted by thi- experienced
present Commissioner of the tjeneral
I.and Office, Governor Rlchnr^. the last
three million acres of homestead land
opened In < iklahoma Territory, under
...... . _ . .. .. . pjH^ Thjlt
no Jobbery
A HOMESTEADER'S HOME OF NOW
ground for complaint, no oppor-
tunity to milk the settler out of his hard
earned savings, is best evidenced by the
universal approval which that method
called forth. 1 don't believe 1 exaggerate
when I say that the last lands ever to
be opened to homestead settlement at
$1.25 per aire were these reservations
above referred to. IHlls are now pending
iu Cone ess providing for the opening of
new lands In other States nt not less than
from three to five'dollars per acre, to-
gether with a homestead roGftlircment.
*onlest and sooners and perju-
hceii settled, and the oklahoma
m will sit under his own vino
■ee, the envy of tlio-e who are
our trains dally from other
king to secure better lands than
that
and I talk from experience, that the ques Hons of
tion of statehood has not been further rers have
advanced In the American Congress is farmer <
du. very largely to the fact that the and tig i
homesteader has given It but slight non- 1 crowding
sideratlon During the past six years the "states m .
Almighty ha.; furnished him with all the ) they lett at one-half l he price
liftural requisites to raise a bountiful they sold for wl.-n. . tiny came. Melius
crop, and lie has done so. He hits re- | won every battle that he enlisted bis en-
. . ived fair price for Ihe product of hi • ergies in lb- will continue t. p ,.sp. i <ml
f irm and has shown an Inclination to al hi deaf ones to enjoy the fruits obtained
low well enough alone and be contented after many desolate and worrying tin. ,
with what he has. Pntll within a year and Settle to tile ilisl .etlon of the great
ninety per cent of the homesteaders In commonwealth which In ha mad. ;.ll
Oklahoma w.i either opposed to state questions that are f«>i good government,
hood or SO lilt;.' interested in ll that they and settle them In the right way.
gave li no thought. This same home I
THE FIRST"
OKLAHOMA
LEGISLATURE
Reminiscences of
Early Days in Guth-
rie, ihe Strenuous
Capital of a New
Country.
•
By. W. P. Hackney
OKLAHOMA '
Never Unknown the
Great Territory Has °
Rapidly Become Well
and Favorably Recognized
as a Good Country.
AT HOME AND ABROAD
By Ex-Gov. C. M. Barnes
t°
Si
' IWlnJleld, Kan., April 18.—Tour request
that X write an article on the "First
X^gtslatura of Oklahoma," and "Guth-
rie In Early Days" found mo in tho midst
pf the present term of our court. My
first Impulse waa to refuse. First for
(the want of time, and second because I
had not thought of those early days for
«o long that at first blush 1 failed to
fecall anything of special Interest and yet
frrour uniform courtesy always, covering
bo many long years, necessitates my do-
ing Something to go to further your laud-
Ride ambition, and here goes.
1 was on the townslte of Guthrie on
the day of the opening before twelve
o'clock, and witnessed the scramble for
Iota when tho long trains, loaded down to
the guards, at it were, pulled In, and
many laughable scenes were enacted, and
lhat afternoon I witnessed men on horse-
back riding at a gallop, laying off streots
pn the prairie, and saw the Issue of your
first paper later. Later I opened an o®
C^ce thero and witnessed tho first con-
vening of tho legislature. A combina-
tion was entered into between the demo-
crat, populist and republican representa-
tives from Oklahoma and Kingfisher
counties, whereby the democrats were to
have part of the offices, the pops another
portion and tho republicans in those two
counties still some others, the pops
to have the speaker of the bouse, tho
democrats the president of the council,
end the capital to bo moved if possible to
Oklahoma City, and if that failed then to
be moved to Kingfisher. The republicans
tried to organize in both branches aiyj
had the votes to do it. but Ihe members
from oklahoma and Kingfisher counties
refused to go into the caucus and broke
the scheme. Governor 8t«ele notified, the
republican representatives and < ouneil-
xnen from Oklahoma and Kingfisher coun-
ties that If they did that he would sew
that they were not benefitted thereby.
They Ignored his counsel, made a combi-
nation, and the tight for the removal of
the capital came oil. The capital bill
passed, removing tho canital from Guth-
rie to Oklahoma City. The governor ve-
toed the hill, and they failed 10 nass It
over his veto. Thereupon the bill was
Introduced to locate it nt Kingfisher, and
the Rock Island railway influence then
entered upon the scene from Kingfisher,
while I, its the representative of the San-
ta Fe. look a hand for Guthrie. The
hill passed, removing the capital from
Guthrie lo Kingfisher, and the governor,
true to Ills word, vetoed It. then the ques-
tion came on for passage over the gov-
ernor's veto. Thereupon Frank McMas-
ters took a baud by nn editorial in his
paper exposing tho corruption of thjt
body without naming anyone. This
frightened the bribe takers .and the bill
failed to Ret enough voles to pass over
the veto of the governor.
THE PORK MKASl'REP.S
In the meantime bills had i.een passed
locating the agricultural college at Still-
water. the normal at Edmond and ti*!
university at Norman, and the capital re-
mained at Guthrie, and the legislature
adjourned. The Santa Fe had everything
on its line and east of It, and the Rock
island had nothing.
Just after the legislature adjourned I
remember going Into the governor's office
and found him talking with a member
who was complaining that he .sold his vote
for $1,500, and the money had been ||t
Into the hands of a friend of his io
keep, to be paid over to him after the
vote, and he voted und then when he
went for the money, his friend complained
that he had lost It In a poker game.
When I came in the governor said to him
"l am no lawyer; here's Hackney, you
can see him," and then he repeated to mo
what he claimed to have told the gov- : legishitur
ernor. I told him he h<<d no remedy. Ing away, ana i snorny aner a to so. air. , , , , , .. , | ■ <m , , , , .
This is an Indication of about how thing* , As,> did noi know that I Intended to ed their belongings and summarily eject- | government and the wu ialiro.ul
were in that legislature. leave until I made bis appointment. an\ -d them. Th. . p-oce. dings having oe- , pa lib s g. v. i.e people hope an I it-
TMh were (lnyn wh.-n mimtilli.it hoiu- <h" nimpany '"'I !>••« tw* Hull I <fm. , "'"''I ■ v. r"l .l.n. * 111.- l « • , n™*'- . T n
es, prizefights, thugs a iu' dead beats were lemplated the step until 1 tendered my si 11 rounding tat- had come to know a will mi l'"'1 " " ' 1 ,
in evidence everywhere and under all I resignation. 1 think that by severing my that this was a land of promise and that! tho history of the world. . . hools wei
circumstances, and yet that legislature connection.- with the business and moving whenever it should be opened tu home-
so I know about how much of their sav-
ings were. My eKpensus were merely
nominal, and the corporation was so well
pleased over my success that they made
me a present of a large amount of money,
and thereupon 1 resigned and asked that
Mr. Asp be appointed In my stead. They
protested, but I said that that was the
last work I everfliutended to do around a
my health is bad and 1 am go-
od I shortly after did
Fifteen years ago the hum of human
activity was unknown throughout all
the region now known as Oklahoma. A
few adventurous sidrlts In the states
around the borders of this beautiful
land had been for several years vainly
attempting to obtain foothold, but as
often as they entered the forbidden prom- |
Ices the minions of Uncle Sam had s iz- |
tress. In 1891 the government
polled to appropriate $ ,< > ri m
sick and sufft ring people of the
S F. It. R. Company and the R.
Ry. Company distributed free wheat for;
seed to the farmers along their llne^.d
railroad. Without this aid the people |
i aid the in 1™
T. and ! ernor
U Island •><•<> al
would havt
(111 loll. II
as It was.
hardship a
I'n
Indeed been in a pitiful >
was very hard living
Many a deplorable c ;
id distltutlon came undei
ervatlon, but the aid
and the school enumeration
I was inaugurated as gov-
I a population of about tt.*).-
he census of ItHJO gave us about
nee which a large area of m w
lias been added and opened to
tlement, and ouiOpnpulatlon has raplcl
iy Increased throughout th
en1 tin y until a conservative
of be made of between 600,<X
ny people. Since the year 1
lie j throughout the territory ha
trices have been good
entire terrl-
1,000
the
had some exceptional!.' tine men in It.
as had Guthrie. Many if tho finest people
in the world congregaU'd at Guthrie and
cast their lot there a.al there remained.
Many of them \re there yet.
I did not buy any votes nor sell any.
I did not find it tie. < ssary, If I had bee'n
so Inclined, inasmu.h
toed the bills refi
tho Rock Island expended will
to the lakes that 1 regained my health, ste
and do not believe that if I had contin-
ued Iu the service of the company that 1
would ever have done that.
I have always felt very kindly toward
the Santa Fo Railroad company, because
...... .. ' never bad a bill questioned, or was
the governor I called upon to make an explanation In
How much my life for anything I ever did during
I . ti.-it tlnlit i.i- Alli..rtl>icn
be
kijpwn to tho oubidc world, but 1 had
HON. W. P. HACKNEY
means of knowing them pretty accurately,
and II was too much tVfr a corporation
ever to squander In ttliii kind of busi-
ness, and It did them 'no good, as such
ought never to do any body.
In Ihe midst of that fight, John I. DII^
He. who was on* of the managers for
Guthrie to retain the capital, sold out
to the Rock Island Railway company".
l-.wrole an editorial to your paper giving
him aWay to the people of that commu-
nltv, and you would not publish it <y
believe It Until I convinced you of the
truth thereof, evidenced hy nightly rn^et-
inga at his house secretly by the King-
fisher and Rock Island contingent.
SOMW PERSONAL, EXPERIENCES
The money paid to it* members of
that body thai they did not Upend wns
brought by th. in t i Kansas and pluc#d
in a bank, as they were nfraM to put
such In the banks there, as they wore
afraid It would get out on them, and I
was furnished their balances every week,
abllshed In all ihe towns within a few-
grand opportunity I months after settlement and all through
would be given to secure a comfortable I the country during the
hor^e for himself and his family for < very | The firsllegislation In
id settlement
the
that light or otherwise.
BUSINESS MEN KICKED
At a lime when I was absolutely mas-
ter of the situation and knew that Guth-
rie would remain the capital, the busi-
ness men who did not know that, got
together, (they had some kind of an or-
ganization I. and denounced me in un- i a<it.|uiniw
measure! lOte rms as being In. pable of I of the ri"li into oklahoma by multiplied
protecting them or the Interest of the thousands of people which took place oil
company, and that I hail no money and the 2*_>nd day of April ISNi The law
if I had I would not spend It, and asked | under which Oklahoma was originally
the comimnj
American citizen who wished to
the trials and hardships of a few
of pioneer life, s<• when at Iij.it the
gress passed an a.-t which was app:
March ar«I. i.xv.i and w.is quickly follow.-!
by the Presidents proclamation author- • V
izii g its settlement it noon on the " •1 T
day of April tin pe..ple as-embled V
its bontoft* ^n gi.ai numb.-s ready for T
the race for the much coveted puss. - V
slon of a him - In the country or In tlu- V
town which was to be ereateij, w:l:. ticv. i
the designated hour arrived. 'nie i*a
has been described a hundred tim - In '
no description that I have ever seen was <>
lequateA to protray the vivid
in p'rovifled for
rnlverslty, u
been fruit-
.1 now our
ent an ap-
I pea re nee of thrift ami "prosperity not
I excelled In any state of the Fnlon. and
i without example in the history of the
i world Oklahoma was duly represented
World's Fair In Chicago In iv.ct
k first premium on win at and
Again we sent an exhibit to
in 1888 and there we took prize
iy to put up the money and
Menu a new man there. As I ^-collect
it now. a committee took those resolu-
tions to Chicago to the president, but
the eompanv paid no attention to them
and 1 kept its money, and did not spend
It, got what I Wanted and all I asked for
except the penitentiary, and I would have
got that and a tlftv thousand dollar ap-
propriation to commence the building
with, but I could not get either Oklaho-
ma City or Guthrie members to take it
nt) for fear that it might thereafter en-
danger their aspirations for the capital
At the time I coil Id have commanded
any amount of money that my advice
called for. but 1 depended upon the gov-
ernor to see that hoi —ty prevailed, ajyl
kept my money, and let the Rock is-
land spend theirs with the above result
I knew a good deal more about what was
going on that I would tare to publish,
as it was my business to know, and my
employers furnished me the Information
ami how well they succeeded In getting
that Information, and how accurate my
knowledge was as to the facts. Was dem-
onstrated when I notified each man who
had taken money from the Rock Island
Railway company's representatives for
his vote, "that If they undertook to pass
that bill over the governor's veto, lhat
I would spend money enough to .e that
the men who did that went to the peni-
tentiary. They took me at my word and
failed to vote as they agreed to do. and
Guthrie kept the capital, when she has
nobody to thank for It In this world, ex-
cept Governor Steele and the Santa Fe
Railroad company, who sent me there to
see that the capital remained "n lb. it
railroad line, nnd the only reason that
Governor Steele had for standing by Ijis
vetoes was because he was a strict par-
tisan. and the representatives of Oklaho-
ma and Kingfisher counties, who were
republicans, went back nn him and the
republican organization when they made
the deal referred to.
Many other things of a laughable char-
acter happened that might he mentioned,
but the portrayal of which would h. \
Jectlonal lo those now Using, to I wilj
forego saying uuue.
opened to
uous and faulty In its construction
as a very natural consequence thou:
of conflicting elaiiHs arose, causing
tests for title which It took years to com- |
pose and whoeh cost many a claimant all
that the laud was worth to prove and
obtain Ills right to thy government title
Of course mlicit Irainl was perpetrated
both In the cities and throughout the en-
tire territory, and in many Instances
perjury was freely resorted to In the
attempt to establish fraudulent claims.
but the United States land officers and
the federal courts were equal to the em- ^
ergeney and aside from the haid-'iip of ,-k
the expense <tt in. piodtielng proof and X
of the delay In t.n il determination I am X •
per S U;i/le(l io !.. ! i. \ . lh.lt but Very few ^
of th* fraudulent claims were sue. ev.-ful. ,
And iu the course ..f a few years the ▲
honest settler received the reward for j
his presistency ami endurance In ihe ♦
shape of his patent for lfiO a< r. s of fine O
fertile land or for the town lots lie had :♦
located aii'i Improved rbr • year all I
these people In country ami town lived ♦O^O^O^C^<
without laws or courts for the keeping
of peace, Ihe enforcement of contract.*
or the punishment of criminals, but dur- Normal schou
Ing that year 1 am sure that there was | Mechanical col
less occasslon for such machinery than before the buildings could be e
is usual in any well regulated American Whese educational Institutions wei
augurated with good equipments
lendid corps of teachers. In tin
BEX3IN WORK
led lu the past twelve months; with
Her bonded debt than any other state
or territory, and the small amount the «
is having been Incurred for tho erection
of educational Institutions; with
a public school system equal to any hi
th>- land; with belter facilities for higher
educational training of her youth than
muJiy states live times as old and with
many lime tip- population, with the
lust of trai iportatlon facilities and al-
most unlimited n.-ftural resources, with a
fertile soil and delightful climate, bright
Huiishlne, ami health giving breezes,
oklahoma extends a cordial Invitation
to the farmer, the stock raiser, the fruit
urau'i", the. manufacturer, the investor,
ihe Invalid, and tho homc-necker < f
every class to come and better his con-
dition and challenges comparlcon with
any other equal area of the continent.''
The Invitation still holds good, and
Willi our largely increased population,
with the rapid accumulation of wealth
being made, with nearly a thousand
liew railroad constriK^Jon this
a hllsh-
ufm
opportunities for the
inent of large busli
uries and Industrial enterprises are bet-
ter here than In any other part of the
Union. O
O
OKUHOM^ WELD KNOWN
Oklahoma i becoming well known nil
te luk enough 'wild i
i the newspapers w
ng about, and Ihe dei
active and interesting
national and untrue i
•oiis and criminal pn
time went on, howevi
line belter Settled nil
come to pass that tb
oiia I organisation of
ch Oklahoma Is not
and always by
■ports of out-
ceedlnrfa here.
r, and society
I organized it
mi kind in
represented In
Intelligent and
goesofrom any
GOVERNOR C. M. BARNES
^ . of
| jfe,;;
♦ Cation
4'
4
£ ' tion fro
anal oi g'tjalz
. el y rellgfou
community.
As soon as 'he people began to Ret
their contests In shape where they dared
t^i do so the cultivation of the land com-
menced. For a time it was hard lo ob-
tain the teams, Implements and seed nec-
essary to commence the raising of crops.
Homae-m shelter of some sort had to be ..... . .. _
constructed and In most cases the farm- their pride that within a few weeks our
ed liarl then to go hack to his old home t,)Wns were as thriving and comfortable
to settle up his old home affairs and places to dwell as many of the towns of
bring his finally to the new home. I'll- Kansas and Texas that were lifty years
mate ami soil ..ndltlons were not under- ,,j,| ^
stood and It took several years or ex FIRST YEAR'S POPULATION
perlence to teach the lesson.
Had drowthy years followed and the | The census of lSD"! showed a population
hard times oi US U> caused much di - j of al e t p« ople. The assessor*
streets were laid out. sidewalks, and
bridges <onstructed. municipal govern-
ments formeil without charter provi-
sions or a scintilla of law to authorise
I hem-ami based upon the consent of
the people two Improvements were form-
at a rapid pace. Churches were
erected everywhere, public halls, theaters
and libraries were opened up and it was
their pride that within
and j medals an wheal
even | The Governor's
ected of tin- Interior f
• In- j Jfith. 1R0X contain
and closely printed i:
rltles lustrations and ■
Oklahoma. The grot
reat United States i
body that still dep
th a population
i . with a taxable*V
I red million dollars;
iidren than all the m
pr^g
owed t
by the
ful
homa in
annals of history,
spirit and push, th
and broad minded llhe
our pcof
I At
• people of Okla -
recorded In the
also showed the
gy ami Industry
ility which per
quote a few
of the opening observations from
said report, "With a population aggr-
gating a third of a million and gr. .iter
than that of any other territory and half
a dozen different states of the I nion.
with an area of 4O.H00 square miles or
1M.IW.i'so. acres with a prosperous, en
tented P fople largely engaged in agrleul I
ture and kindred pursuits and producing
. rope that u '"i Ish th. woiId, with a
taxable valuation exceeding. JW.aOO.ouP
w ith a commerce that lias doubled and I
capacity of su
tlve million
mile^of Hillro
nnd the
states v
and tig
is; with an uinleveloi
'* people* '"with 'in
I than a dozen old slat
cntagc "f illiteracy ti
range as It may seem
s ll Is. It Is nevert
e TOO.Onc sons and dan,
lgland, the middle w
w- lern and south
bullded here their v
■ -till deprived by ti
am pose the govcrnm
ales of their rights j
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Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Greer, Frank H. The Oklahoma State Capital. (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 1, Ed. 5 Friday, April 22, 1904, newspaper, April 22, 1904; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc125422/m1/3/: accessed April 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.