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i LEXINGTON, OKLAHOMA
NUMBEli I I
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1501,
VOLUME 3.
/
THE CLEVELAND COUNTY HiGH SCHOOL.
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THAT LYING CIRCULAR.
I ertv iu the county would pay this
I extra tax for fiotn 10 to 100 years.
If a thousand dollar property in-
 „— , exactly suited to this need. It
equal, according to the present plan ; resents the grand scheme fonnulat
i creased ¥100 in value this would be
! grade at the average age of fifteen,
"his mental powers are likely to he
i only partly developed and his know-
ledge will he very meager. To keep
! the pupil drilling on the common
branches for four more years would
be very tiresome and barren of re-
sults. What the pupil needs are high-
er studies that will properly devel-
ope the same faculties and broaden
j his scope of intelligence. The pres-
I ent high school course of study is
Norman's Treachery Exposed.—Members of the Commercialj of assessment, to the extra tax for
_ .. . r-   r\:   I  150 vears. If vnn doubt. this, inst
eme
■ducators of
all
Club of Norman Secretly Issue an Erroneous Circular.
---Base Exaggsration Intended to Dsceive and Pre-
judice Voters Against High School at Lexington,
That Norman May Secure it.
d by the greatest
a 11 .i • ■  I times and all nations. If anything
If vou doubt this, lust; , , i i V
, " . more suited to the general needs ot
investigate the increased valuation ! the ;lverajrc cllil(1 t ould have been
of property in and about Norman
after the
secured.
devised, thev would have given us
A lying, misleading circular issued from Norman is the cause of this £OUO ainnj„ „nu„
article being written. The Norman board of trade, being jealous of Lex- ty having pood schools
ington, and wanting the sounty high school located at Norman, but not - ....... • .
daring to fight openly, voted at a recent meeting that a cooipaigu commit- j soutb hajf 0f tbe county
recent appropriation was 1 that. In this bustling age of ad-
Demand regulates the j vanced intelligence, a high school
price of property. Desirable citi j education is becoming more and
... .,i • „ more indispensible. 1 hat comuiu-
zens always want to settle in a conn-j which neglects to offer it to the
„ _ 1 rising generation, is negleetiug a sol-
Establish this high school and the ! emn duty to posterity. There may
will be a be something in the high school
much more desiiable place to live, j course of study of which some read-
. , , , . -I, , | ,l !er cannot see the exact value, .tust
while the whole county will leel the
bejefit. Men with means will settle
tee of five be secretelv appointed by the president of that board, James D
McGuire. The result is the Norman ciriular, an outrage upon the intelli whllB tbe wnoie county win ieei xae , reiliember that "the proof of tin
gence of the voters of Cleveland county. ^ bejefit. Men with means will settle j the eating." Only those
Those are the facts: $8,000 will establish this school, and $2,000 per ^ere, and they already here will feel who have reaped the benefits of such
year will maintain it. The county assessment will reach $2,000,000. A aiore like improving their property j a course can realize its lull value,
four-mill levy the iirst year will build this school, and a one mill levy per an(| making their home permanent. j but anyone may '^u ^
year will maintain it yet the Norman circular says it will take eight mills Good schools are conducive to morali IJIVAV,'Iiml 'i-oin'fortalile positions to-
every year, for all time, to support the school instead of one mill. Think t). anli refinement. The records N are M ej| educated while the
of it! Eight mills would raise $16,000. Yes, voters, that is what it will I prove that it takes but a few crimi- j drudgery of life is done by the un-
do if vou vote Lexington out, for then this school would certaiuly be es- IiaiSj sometimes one, to cost the ' educated. It is true that some men
tablished at Noiman within the next two years Lexington is not so high COUuty as much as would this school, i ~('1 l'leir '!'n<l^(')),,'t''tJ'' !)',t his"'re -
toned aa to want a $50,000 building and a school run on the expensive un : Sumner county, Kausas,paid $11,000 ,'/i^J^'^eullar genius' not gener
iversitv plan. All that the south half of the county wants is such a build f0I the prosecution of Isaac Keed a  
ing as four mill levy the first year would build, and a good High School, few years ago. This amount would
such as a one mill levy per year would support. J build the school and maintain it
) as a uuc mu. .oTjr  — rr  i «>•«•«     „• . . • ...
Yes tax payer, you are deeply interested in this proposition. You are , a]one for more than five vears. Let such as is gi\cn >y a ng i si oo
1 3,3 r ... . , .. ...... .1.-* .  I and it. is for the welfare of the av
interested to the extent of a seven mill levy per annum, for that is the dif- llH never hesitate to do anything thatj womanThatwe must
ference between what it will cost to maintain the school at Lexington or at wm tend to ]egseU the criminality of
Norman, according to Norman's own figures. ( our county. What better means can
As proof that Norman wants this High School: She now has a peti iJe found than the establishment of
tion with 1200 signers asking that the county commissioners call an ' £00(] sehool ?
election to locate the County Higti School at Normau. Many of the lead Every year throughout Oklahoma
in" men of that city were instrumental in getting up that petition, and a great deal of money is spent hiring
those not too tricky to be honest yet openly acknowledge that they are I teachers of ouly very meagre educa-
fiwilting Lexington only in the hope of securing this schosl at Norman. It i tional.qualifications, which it would
was a good enough thing for Norman to get 1200 signers for; but now that take an abundance of natural ability-
Lexington has gotten the call for the election it is not needed according to aucj tact to counterbalance. It is not
their way of talking. Yes, voter, the High School is going to Lexington entirely the teachers fault for the
now or evidently to Norman. Take your choice. county
Norman now has the Territorial University, sanitarium, courthouse, eU0Uir
jail and every county office except one. Our representatives, Senator E.
Duffy and Rep. B. F. Nisbett, secured for the University a $99,000 appro
priation from the last legislature. She had not only the lion's share, but 0f Cleveland county with teachers
the whole thing. Now that Lexington was abiut to get a taste, Norman's thoroughly prepared for their work,
hoggish disposition again asserts itself aud she is rooting for the High .ilKj what better thiug could be done
School also. "Ah! What further fuel will this young ortopus need?" for the advancement of the rural
The worm begins to turn. The time has come to call a halt. Voters 1 schoole. If it is not a saving
of Lexington, Noble and Canadian townships, the time has come for us to money to secure the best
stand together for right and justice. Our first step should be taken at the teachers for
polls next Wednesday, June 5th, by securing for Lexington and the south thea I don't
half of the county this County High School *u:"
figure. The geniuses will take care
of themselves. It is no argument
against a good schooling to say that
many of the things learned are after-
wards forgotten or not used in ac-
tual life. If a man desires merely
tc reach an elevation and never de-
scend; what matter if we lose that
ladder which helped liini to ascend,
but for which lie has no further use i
lie may throw the ladder away; so
with some bits of knowledge after
they have helped him to reach a
y schools do not extend far i higher plane of intelligence.
 h to thoroughly equip teachers. | Latin may not be used by the pu-
The "normal course of this high 1 P'l i" afterlife but the English on
. . ... , ... which it helps him to eel a hrmei
school will furnish the rural districts i,„les.,ensibl.
of
possible
our eemmon schools,
know anything about
this question. Now we have plenty
Why They Want It.
Reasons why the tax paykk wants it:-—
The cost is slight; it wilt furnish good
schools for his or his neighbor's chil-
dren; it will grjatly advance the county;
it will make his home more desirable;
it will increase the value of his proper-
ty; it will save the county money by
lessening criminality; it will improve
the district schools.
This county high school is not
going to be a drain on the tax payer
aud unless one is missinformed he
will not imague that is will be so.
It is true that it will cost something
to run this school but this cost will
be slight for so needed and valuable
an institution. Let us see what it
i of good material iu this county to
[ payer, let us see what this 1 miTL make the best kind of teachers but
paid by us for the support of the , they should be educated aud trained j
school will cost us indivdually. If
grasp, is indespensible; the quicken-
ed power of comprehension and in-
telligence which lie acquired from
its study, assists him in every busi-
ness transaction, and his powers ot
memory developed thereby help to
rank him above the uneducated.
For those who do not desire after
finishing the high school to take a
university course, an English course
is provided, every study iu which,
can easily be proven to be very use-
ful in "practical every day life."
But it seems a waste of
our tax is now $.">,00 it will then be
about 10 ceuts more if now $50 it
will then be about $1.00 more; in
other words for every hundred dol-
    time to ar-
I gue that the country boys and girls
through the normal course of a coun- I have a right to that which is offer
ed to every boy and girl in nearly
every first, second or third clrss city
ty high school.
There is no question but that this
county high school will prove a great
thiug for the advancement of the
lars worth of assessable property we|common or rural schools. Hold out
will have to pay about 10 cents to to the county boy the added incen-
support the high school; for every , tjve of entering the high school upon
$1,000 worth we will have to pay j the completion of the common school
$1.00 When we take into consider- course, aud he will be more, faithful
ation the fact that our county assess au(j earaest in his work. There will
ment this year will undoubtedly ex ! he less money spent in our county in
ceed $2,000,000, it will be easily j maintaining schools where shiftless
seen that these estimates are more , work is being done, aud more spent
ttan sufficient. Can't we stand that J |n maintaining good, first-class dis-
in the United States. The need is
self evident. If you hope to fully
equip your children for coping with
the world, then work and vote for
this high school measure.
school
will cost. $8,000 for a building;      ,...        
$2,000 per year for maintainance of much without feeling any extra bur- j trict schools, after this high
the school is a very fair estmate of j den of tax? With more than 350 j has been established.
♦ he pvnerisp If this sounds big just children in the south half of the J
remember that the tax for its sup j couuty ready for a high school edu- VALUE OF/THE HIGH SCHOOL.
port is collected off of $1,844,744 j cation and about 700 iu the entire
woith of taxable property. Five i county, shall we allow this to stand
mills for one year and 1 mill there j in the way of our giving them the
after will build, equip, and support j chance iu life they deserve? Then,
this school. Now, my fellow tax-' too, the increased valuation of prop-
There are but few people in this
advanced age who refuse to acknow-
ledge the value of a high school ed-
ucation. If systematic training
ceases when the pupil passes from
the common branches of the eighth
WHERE SHALL IT BE.'
Your attention is respectfully
called to these few facts in regard
to the County High school question.
11' Lexington d<>es not get this school
some other place will, because it is
going to be established somewhere
in the county. It is a good thing,
something that we need, and the j
legislature has passed a bill provid-J
ing for the establishment of one in (
each county of Oklahoma having
the required population.
Lexington now has the lead, but
failure this time would place her
forever out of the race. So if you
think this high school should be es-
tablished at Lexington instead of
at Norman take oil your coat
go to work. Help get the friend*
of this movement away from their
plows long enough to go and vote-
next Wednesday, .1 une •>.
Lexington is not fightingNonvr.iT
but in fact expects to get a goo>'
v itc there on .lutie 5. All the peo-
ple of Norman are not hoggish, h
fact those of her citizens who un
derstand her interests say that tic .
think it w ill best serve all parties.
concerned for the school to !>e es
tablished at Lexington. If that;:
done the south half of the county
will feel more like supporting tin
t enterprises of our county seat ii
I the future as they have in the-past.
Should Lexington be defeated oi
June 6, the question would jet Ik
open. ' Then every citizen of Nor
j man would teel free to work tor the
| location of the county high school
there.
Does any one in the south half <
the county doubt but that when Nor-
' man once gets an election called stae
1 will succeed. W hat does past
periencc teach? Then too she wiH
j have right on her side. N\ e need
I this high school and it it can t iv
put at Lexington it should be plat
ed somewhere in the county. There
I is not a doubt in the world but what
before two years have passed by,
! Cleveland County will have a comi-
ty high school. I'hen this question
! which you decide next N\ ednesday
| is are you going to locate this high
| school at Lexington or forever bar
! her from the contest?
Which would you rather do, pay
I a one mill levy to support, the school
I at Lexington or at Norman?
Does anyone doubt but that Nor
! man will work for this high school
I should Lexington be defeated r
Then see here! Two men stood
before the county commissioners, a
| Lexington and a Norman man, each
I presumably with a petition in liis-
1 pocket, that of the Norman man
I having 1200 names to it. The com-
missioners decided to do nothing
until a petition was presented. The
first city presenting a petition with
tlifl requisite number of name'
would secure the first call tor ui 
election. The Lexington man, be-
ing a little nearer .to the table
reached in his pocket and plaeed
I thereon the Lexington petition.
The Norman| man was too slov,
! Thus Lexington secured the call.
Now, Norman's petition of 120<
{ names is still in existence. Should
Lexington fail to secure the school.
| then, whenever the Norman petition
i is presented to the commissioners'
they are obliged, under the law, to
! call another election to locate the
high school at Norman. Think of
I it! University, court house,. jaiL
sanitarium, high school, all at Nor-
man, while the public institutions
in the south half of the county are
00000! Yet with such a reward
the south half of the county is ex-
pected to aid in every way possible •
1 these public enterprises and to pay
1 half of what is required from the
! county in their support.
Voters, are you going to stay at
i home and plow June 5 so as to let
Norman have this county high
school or are you going to take time
i enough to go to the polls and vot*
1 to establish it at Lexington? This
is the question plainly and honestly
stated. Decide at once then act.
Cattle From Wrecked
There was a water spout two miles
south of Purcell Wednesday night
which washed out a railroad culvert
on the South Fe. During the night
a cattle train from the south con-
sisting of thirteen corloud* of cattle
ran into the washout and a serious-
wreck" was the result.
Fortunately none of the train crew
lost their lives, but many of the
cattle were killed and woun led, en-
tailing considerable loss..
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