Oklahoma City Daily Pointer (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 306, Ed. 1 Friday, January 10, 1908 Page: 1 of 4
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OklahomaC
iY Pointer
VOLUME 2.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, JANUARY 10, 1908.—FRIDAY
NUMBER 806
K
The Daily Pointer is Delivered Absolutely Free to Everyone—7000 Copies Daily
BIG CROWD ATTEND CITIZENS
MASS MEETING
BOY
Prisoner
ESCAPES FROM CHIEF POST-
SPENDS TWO DAYS AROUND
TOWN AND IS STILL AT LARGE
Because Ralph Smith, a 15-year-
old boy, was tired of life in the city
jail and caught Chief Post off guard,
he made a break for liberty Wednes-
day afternoon and has so far evaded
the officers.
At the time of his escape he was
carrying in a bucket of coal, with
Chief Post directly in front of him—
when quick as lightning he dropped
the bucket and dodged behind a
building and ran down the alley.
Chief Post followed in hot pursuit,
but failed to catch him.
Such is the statement given out by
the police. The boy, however, re-
lates a different story.
For a moment—and a moment only
—the Smith boy stepped into The
Pointer office yesterday.
"What are you doing here?" was
casked.
^Oh, nothing," the lad replied. "I
wm carrying in a bucket of coal for
Chief Post, .and when his back was
turned just walked away. I'm going
out of town tonight."
Smith had served ten days of a
37-day jail sentence, charged with
stealing a bicycle. He is a fine look-
little fellow and has the appear-
ance of being a mischevious boy
rather than a law-breaker.
Whether or not Smith is still In
the city is not known. He spent
Wednesday afternoon and most of
yesterday, bidding bood-bye to his
friends, and still the police failed to
locate him.
Rock Pile
FOR PRISONERS IN MUSKOGEE.
Muskogee, Okla., Jan. 10. Prison-
ers in the Muskogee city jail will
be placed on a rock pile instead of
allowed to serve out their time sit-
ting in comfortable ceils.
A ten-foot stockade will be built
near the jail.'
The citizens' mass meeting which
was called by the Good Government
club of Oklahoma City in the Cham-
ber of Commerce rooms last night
was attended by about 500 people
Men of every walk of life were in
attendance. The business men, la-
borers, politicians, professional men,
etc., all assembled together and lis-
tened enthusiastically to the dis-
cussion of city afairs until the meet-
ing adjourned.
Asa .Tones called the meeting to
order and moved that Sydney Clark
be made chairman on account of L.
Ernest Phillips being tardy. Mr
Clark was unanimously chosen, but
after taking the platform Mr. Phil-
lips appeared.
'I have been delayed on account
of the street car system. The car
stopped and it was only by mj
sprinting that I reached here," said
Mr. Phillips.
Mr. Phillips made a short talk,
after which Sydney Clark read a
lengthy report upon city affairs of
the Good Government club.
The report showed clearly that the
city expenses will reach over three
hundred thousand dollars this year
; at the present rate, and under the
present city officials.
I After hearing the report the as-|
I semblage cheered. All through the
! meeting one man sitting upon the
front row, directly in front of the I
chairman would remark: Cut the|
salaries." This man became quite
a character before the meeting was
over.
RULED OUT OF ORDER.
A. J. Vance, one of the city's most
prominent citizens, started to address
the meeting after the chairman had
called for talks upon the form of
commission government. Mr. Vance
started to explain to the people why
the city was short of funds, etc., at
the present time, and the chairman
ruled him out of order. There were
many protests to Mr. Vance froin
persons who thought he was trying
to defend the city fathers. Vance
clearly stated that he was not in
favor of the occupation tax, etc. Be-
fore the meeting adjourned Mr.
Vance concluded his speech after
considerable opposition.
CALLED FOR POLICEMAN.
W. L. Alexander, a prominent demo-
crat, who spoke upon the commis-
sion form of government, was ruled
out of order by the chairman, and sat
down after a heated argument in
favor of his point.
"I am in favor of the commission
form of government," he said. In
reply the chairman stated: "I'll have
to rule you out of order, because
you say you are in favor of it and
still arguing against it."
"There's a policeman in the house,
and let's use him," shouted A. N.
Wycoff, a leading real estate man,
who seemed to think Alexander had
said enough.
Alexander stated that in order to
set the mayor right, he wished to
state that Mayor Scales would gladly
call a special election to vote upon
the commission form of government,
and had so expressed himself at a
previous public meeting held in the
Chamber of Commerce rooms.
"You will have to pay your city
officials even under a commission
form, the same as at present, if you
want them to do their work well.
The chairman insisted upon Alex
ander sitting down, at which point
the latter stated:
"I paid taxes in Oklahoma City
long before your name, Mr. Chair
man, .was even upon the tax rolls
We're here to argue this question
and are you people who have assein
bled here to discuss this question
going to allow my side of the que
tion to go undiscussed?"
ent departments sufficient to straight-
en the matter out."
MAYOR STEARNS TALKED.
Mayor B. V. Stearns of Shawnee
was called upon and delivered a
very smooth talk.
"I am much interested in what our
sister city is doing, and that is why
1 am here tonight. We are up against
somewhat of the same trouble Okla-
homa City is having since the saloon
revenue is gone and have to have
money to run the city.
"I have informed the councilmen
at Shawnee that I would veto any
occupation tax ordinance, and told
the councilmen that before we had
to resort to such means of getting
money we would have to begin our
economy at the city hall building."
After this statement the mayor was
cheered heartily.
The mayor refused to discuss the
salary proposition, but stated that
Shawnee officials were not receiving
near the high salaries of Oklahoma
City officials.
KNUCKS
TAKEN OFF MAN WHO WAS AR-
RESTED BY POLICE—GIVEN SUS-
PENDED FINE.
A man who gave the name of W. M.
Finley was arrested last night by Pa-
trolman Armstrong and after being
taken to the police station a pair of
brass knucks were taken off his per-
son. Finley plead guilty this morning
and was given the minimum fine of
$25 and costs for carrying concealed
weapons. Finley stated that his home
was in Weatherford, Tex.
CROWD CHEERED.
G. P. Lockey introduced a reso
lution to cut the salaries of city
officials, and when he concluded his
short speech the crowd cheered him
When the vote was called the "ayes
carried and the deafening cheers
lasted for several minutes.
Following is the resolution:
•Resolved, That it is the sense of
this meeting that no occuVation tax
should be imposed in this city at the
present time.
"Resolved further, that if a de
ficit exists in the city revenues
the same should be met and provided
for: First, by repealing the ordin
ance giving salaries to the mayor and
cou cilmen; and, second, by reduc-
tion of force in salaries in the differ
MONEY LOANER TALKS.
C. D. Richardson, a money loaner.
made a short but enthusiastic speech
in favor of the commission form of
government.
I am in favor of it because it
takes the city affairs out of machin-
ery. I am in favor of machinery,
but the one machine I am opposed
to is the political machine."
ADOPTED RESOLUTIONS.
Resolutions asking the mayor to
call an election of freeholders to dralt
a charter for the commission form of
government, also resolutions to sub-
mit the occupation tax to a referen-
dum vote on April 7th, were unani-
mously adopted.
Copies of the two petition were
presented by Secretary Eugene P.
Guthrie. After discussion it was de
cided to station men with the peti
tions at Westfall's drug store, the
Grand Avenue hotel and Van Noy's
cigar store. Everybody who is in
favor of this move should call at
any of the three places at once and
sign their names and addresses. All
signers must be qualified electors. It
requires 25 per cent of the voters'
signatures before the mayor will be
compelled to call an election, accord-
ing to the state constitution.
Before adjourning, a vote of thanks
was tendered the Chamber of Com-
merce for use of the hall.
GARBAGE
DUMPERS ARRESTED BY POLICE
OFFICER—ARE EMPLOYED BY
CITY.
Policeman Paul Lennett arrested R.
J. Melton, L. A. Guthrie and''A. L.
Iissick and Frank Limmerman last
night and filed a charge of dumping
garbage inside Che city limits against
each of them.
All of the men peladed not guilty
In police court and their cases were
continued until tonight. Each stated
that they were in the employ of the
city and that their work was done
through orders from the street com-
missioner.
BINNS
TRIAL
AGAIN POSTPONED— WITNESSES
ABSENT—COMES UP TONIGHT.
The trial of Andrew F. Binns,
charged with violating the speed law
and also running his automobile
without proper lights, was continued
again last night in the city couit
because certain witnesses failed to
be present.
The case will come up again to-
night.
The charges against Binns are the
outgrowth of an automobile accident
last week, when three person? were
seriously injured.
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Tucker, Dudley R.; Tucker, Howard A. & Tucker, William L. Oklahoma City Daily Pointer (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 306, Ed. 1 Friday, January 10, 1908, newspaper, January 10, 1908; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc152938/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.