The Medford Patriot. (Medford, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 11, 1912 Page: 3 of 8
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Peoples1 Editorial Department
[Under this bonding will bo published weekly, letterB from F'atrlot
readers, upon live topics and criticisms, of Interest to the public. The
writers' name will not be published unless requested, and nothing per-
sonal or sensational will be printed. The only requirement to "break"
into those columns will bo that the writer is a Patriot reader.— Ed]
Editor Patriot:-
I see by your last week's paper
that the County Commissioners have
re-let the contract for the County
Poor Farm to George Walker for
$f>50.00 and $75.00 extra for help al-
lowance; and i also read that there
were other bids in for from fifty to
one hundred dollars less.
Now 119 a tax payer I cannot see
why the County Commissioners gave
the contract to Mr Walker under
these circumstances. Our poor farm
is a costly luxury and our taxes are
certainly up to the limit and it
seems to 1110 that fifty or one hun-
dred dollars saved here and there
in the expenses of the county would
be a mighty good thing.
I have lived in Grant county since
the opening of the Strip and have
known Mr. Walker since ho came
here, but I have never known of him
doing any practical farming or fol-
lowing the plow for a single furrow.
It looks to me as If the practical
farmer working at a lower price
than Mr. Walker would give fully
as good if not Jietter satisfaction
and make the farm more profitable;
and 1 should think that a report of
the receipts received from the sale
of the farm produce should be made
at least once a year as the tax pay
ers ought to know something about
It.
I' : .maUy, 1 have nothing against
Mr. Walker and regard him as
good i" 1 iovv in every respetft, but to
me 11 looks like there was more
politics than business in the way the
contra 1. for the management of the
County Poor Farm was let.
You will, pardon me for using so
much space ia your valuable paper,
but I am merely expressing the
sentiments of not only myself but
a large number of farmers in this
section of the county who are feel-
ing the burden of the taxes in a
way that makes farming and stock
raisin/- a discouraging business un-
der the existing conditions.
LAMONT.
Mr. Editor:-
Please change my paper from
Owens to Lamont, Rl. As I have
two democrats out there on the farm
that need an education in Democra-
cy by reading some of the howls
voiced in your paper about high
taxes. If the howlers would only
take time to look the matter up
they wculd find that most of them
are made up in the, estimates of the
various Township and School District
Boards and everyone that rung
might read and I do not suppose
that one of the howlers appeared
before the Excise Board to register
a protest and no doubt these same
howlers would have let out a still
larger wail if some one in their own
district had protested against the
estimate if they had thought their
district or township "as the case
might be" would lose some of their
pet improvements which of course
it is no doubt were greatly needed.
But the trouble is that we wanted
everything at once and did not do
by public works as a conservative
farmei or business man would do;
that .s spread out by degrees as
we w -e able to raise the money.
I notice by my tax receipt that my
state taxes were only about $2.40
pre $1,000.00 and the balance was
school district,consolidated township
and County tax. Now of course we
expect the republicans to turn loBe
some convenient thunder to scare
some voters, just before a Presi-
dential election. No doubt the demo-
crats would do likewise If the re-
publicans were in controll of local
politics. But I hope to see in the
near future that the people will
take more interest in their local af-
fairs, such as school meetings, etc.
and there voice these sentiments,
not as partisian politician but as
good business men discussing their
local needs and thereby aid their
local officers in doing their duties
and if then those same officers do
not do their duties then put the
rascals out and let the people rule
regardless of politics.
Z.
♦
USED TO WORK ON POOR FARM.
Medford Patriot:-
I see in this week's paper the
subject is, "things in General". 1
think that man is right, as I know
something about poor farms, as 1
worked and did the cooking for the
.inmates for ten months. I ought to
know a little about it, I started to
work when it was first built and
worked for five months. There were
from 36 to 4i) inmates, besides the
family and myself, and but 80 acres
of land, but all that was able to
work worked. The man hired no help
and I was all the help the matron
hired. The next time I worked there
two years later, 1 worked there five
months again but with all these to
feed and clothe it was more than
self supporting, there were hogs,
chickcns, pie plant and all kinds or
garden products to take to market,
but they had no fine horese to bo
fed because they had no time to
use them, but they had bought sixty
acres more to work.
Prom One Who Knows.
LEO MEYER STANDS
BY HIS GUNS.
Editor Medford Patriot :-
I notice in my Dally Oklalioman
of last Thursday that the State
Auditor, Leo Meyer, stands by his
guns. This is in re d letters very
similar to the red that the Patriot
is using these days.
The State Auditor says that the
tax table published in the Oklalioman
Sunday, December 24th, upon which
the Patriot made comment last week,
was compiled from figures sent by
various counties. He says since the
publication several County Excise
Hoards and Boards of County Com-
missioners, and we expect the Grant
County Commissioners were among
them but do not know, have written
to the Auditor complaining that an
Injustice had been \done and that
the figures were not correct.
Auditor Meyer says tliere is no
attempt to saddle the blame on any
one and there is also no apology
coming from his office for the fig-
ures which lie permitted to be pub-
lished. He says the figures are from
the County Boards and are filed in
his office and any body and especial-
ly those feeling agrieved are invited
to examine the record's. In fact, he
invites all skeptics to examine his
records to satisfy them that he gave
out a correct interview.
We notice that the Patriot this
last week commented on his state-
ment and the Oklalioman ot' January
4th, clearly corroborates every state-
ment that the Patriot has made. Mr.
Meyer says that the desired result
has been obtained by publishing this
data; that it has gotton the tax
payers to talking, thinking and
vestigating and that it will be
benefit to tax payers, County Offi-
cials who have been negligent and
made mistakes, and says should
tfere be any skeptics who doubt the
authenticity of the published data,
he will be glad to show them the
original figures as sent in from the
counties and also the source from
which they were received.
It looks to me tliat there must be
some fire where there is so much
smoke. It looks as If the County Offi-
cials must have been wrong, or they
have sent in to the State Auditor
the wrong set of papers. Now, I do
not know whether our county offi-
cers have done that or not. I have
read of book-keepers in banks and
other places keeping two sets of
books, and it is possible that some
of our fellows up here In Grant have
been keeping a double set and got
the wrong set into the State Audi-
tor's office.
I would like to know more about
this and expect; to follow the col-
umns of the Patriot each week to
ascertain whether the fault lies with
our home county officers or whether
it lies in a butchering of figures by
the state administration. Truly the
real question Is, "FROM WHENCE
COMES THE TRUTH?"
MEDFORD1TE.
MORE? ON THE TAX QUESTION.
"Stand by Your Guns."
Mr. Editor:-
I have been reading both the Med-
ford papers on this tax and Poor
Farm question. I am not a subscri-
ber to the Oklahoman but I note
you get your authority from the
Oklahoman and Ex-Governor Haskell's
New State Tribune.
When at Wakita Friday afternoon
Mr. Philo R. Smith showed me the
Oklahoman of that date where on
the Editorial page It states that the
State Auditor, Leo Meyer, stands
pat, and says that those state tax
reports that he gave out for publi-
cation (The same figures as I un-
derstand you published in- the Pa-
triot) that those figures were fur-
nished by the Clerks of the various
counties of Oklahoma.
He denies that he made the
figures and says that all he did was
to copy these off the record and
make them public when they were
received from the County Clerks;
and he states that it Is his duty to
make known the details In connec-
tion witb tax matters.
H© further states in said Editor-
's! that 'ho3f> people that deny that
the high taxes come from the coun-
ty's extravagance are Invited to
read the twenty-second Chapter of
jt. Luke; and if my interview with
our Minister is correct the said
twenty-second Chapter of St. Luke
reads about as follows; "And after
a little while another saw Him and
said thou art also of them and
Peter said Man I am not.
And Peter said, Man 1 know not
what thou sayest and immediately
while he spake the cock crew.
Now the question agitating my
mind is, Can the Stato and the
Governor, Ex-Governor Haskell, the
State Treasurer and all those big
state officials afford to mislead the
people? 1 do not think they can
neither do I think they are mislead
lng the people, because Mr. Muye
invites nlll the skeptics to examine
his records that the County Clerks
have sent in, and I can not help but
think that if they were incorrect in
their statements, some fifty or sixty
counties who are suffering from
these statements would send commit
tees down there to make an invest!
gat Ion of just what their County
Clerks and Commissioners have sen
in.
Now this is a i'air proposition; lot
our Commissioners and our County
Clerks who are denying the truth of
these statements that our state offl
cials are putting out say to t lie peo
pie, you send a committee to Okla
homa City and investigate the
port we sent in on this tax question
and if Mr. Meyer and the Governor
is correct we will pay all your ex
pennses; and if they are not cor
rect. and are falsifying our reports
then you pay the expenses of this
committee.
I notice that the only defense that
any county paper has made to the
Patriot's charges is that the report
as published in the Oklahoman is
false and not true and claim inf.; that
anyone ought to know that it was
not. true. Now, I know that lots of
people are net as smart as some
others, but. I would like t.o know how
a farmer has got of kno\* ins what
kind of a report a bunch cf men
that would expend $2.",,uyo.O()
Poor Farm in three years would
make to the State Department
less we saw the report or got
contents from tlie other end of Jit
line as we have in this case.
The time has gone by when a man
can successfully deny a statement
by calling the maker of the state
ment a vile and indecent name.
These kind of denials amount to
nothing; they show the kind <
brain that the maker of the denial
carries in his cranium.
There was a time in Medford
when all we could see in the papers
published there was "liar", "thief,"
"robber" and other such character-
istic names that were hurled from
one Editor's desk to the other each
week. We do not care for that kind
of defense any more, and for that
reason I have ordered the paper
that is seeking to deny these state
ments in such a way stopped.
I am open for the truth and the
farmers want facts. If our county
officers have made the report that
our Honorable Secretary of State
claims they have made, there is a
way for them through these papers
to convince the farmers of this coun-
ty where the error lies and who is
wrong. Until I get the absolute proof
that our state officers are mislead
ing the public by these figures and
until I can be convinced that a pa-
per of state wide circulation like
the Oklahoman Is wilfully printing
these statements which I am sure
they cannot afford to do unless they
are telling the truth, I shall do like
Leo Meyer and the rest of the
farmers of Grant County, we will
"Stand by our guns" and wait for
a satisfactory explamation from our
county officials.
A WAKITA LETTER.
"Wakita Does It and Does It Right."
The Water Works.
Wakita is anxiously awaiting the
return of L. Y. McFarland who has
the construction of the water sys-
tem under supervision. McFarland
says that after the ground is once
broken he will have water in the
town within ninety days. Such pro-
gress is remarkable as the bonds
were voted on December 18, 1911
and the water will be in Wakita by
the last of March.
McFarland will begin operations
for the location of the' water supply
mile or so south-east of here.
The lay of the land indicates a suf-
ficient supply and there are a num-
ber of fine wells in that neighbor-
hood which receive an ample flow
of water.
During the voting of the bonds
quite a bit of uneasiness was mani-
fest about the location of the water.
All were in favor of the waterworks
but some thought the water should
be located before the bonds were
issued. On December 18, 1911, it was
decided by a vote of forty-three to
twenty-six to issue bonds for $30,000.
for twenty-five years at six per
cent.
BASKET BALL.
Wakita Girl's 6—Medford Girls 5.
The girls' basket ball team of the
Medford High School were defeated
by our team in a closely Tontestedl
game at the Opera house 1 \st Fri- j
day evening by a score of six to
five.
The game was interesting from
start to finish. For the first few
mlnuteB neither side was able to
score; then Miss Surrell, Medford's
star player, threw a basket from u
difficult angle and was heartily ap-
plauded by the Medford supporters.
Soon after that Miss McMahan throw
a protty foul and It was Wakita's
time to cheer.
The line up of the Wakita team:
■Misses A. Meade and Carter, guards;
F. Lively and L. Sears, centers; M.
McMahan find 11. Neville, forwards.
Tharp of Alodford, referee.
Wakita H. S. 31—Medford H. S. 5.j
The Wakita boys won easily from
the Medford High School by a score!
of thirty-one to five. At times tin-
game was a little rough owing, per-1
haps, to the weight and size of out-
boys and the eagerness and determa-
nation of the smaller Medford boys.
Foresnian got a little the best or I
the fouls, throwing seven out of j
fourteen, while Miller of Medford
got five out of fourteen. During the
last'half Straughbaugh played the]
star game, making five field goals in
quick Buccesslon. Coldiron seemed to
be a little off on gonl throwing,
making only one basket in the en-
tire game.
The Wakita line up^ G. Hott and
G. O. Hott., guards; Foresnian, cen-
ter; Coldiron, McMahan and Straugh-
baugh, forwards. Pourrin of Medford |
referee.
Wakita H. S. 26—Burchfield, 19.
Wakita defeated Burchfield New
Year's afternoon by a score of
twenty-six to nineteen. The game-
was unusually rough and fouls were
freely made on both sides. The fight
was fast and furious in both halves,
resulting in a close score. The
Jurchfield boys made several wild
throws at • the basket from guard
positions but played to much indi-
vidual work to get good results.
Straughbaugh was the star player,
hrowing several baskets under diffi-
culties. Coldiron had a little hard
luck and only got two baskets.
The Wakita line up: W. Hott and
O. Hott, guards; Foresman, center;
Coldiron and Straughbaugh, forwards.
Wrestler Knocked Unconcious.
Harry Hector, one time champion
middle weight of Oklahoma., while
engaged in a match with Earnest
Linn, the Manchester boy, was knock
ed insensible by falling against the
cement wall at the back of the
Opera house.
Hector was aggressive through the
whole match and secured the first
fall in fifteen minutes by head in
chancery and arm bar lock. The
second fall went to Linn in four-
teen minutes by an arm sissors and
bar hold.
While laborously contesting for
the last fall, Hector struck the
back of his head against the cement
wall at the back of the Opera house
and fell limp and unconscious in the
arms of Linn, who pinned his
shoulders to the mat.
Barring the accident it was a
clean square demonstration of wrest-
ling. Both men got out of a num-
ber of dangerous positians and work-
ed cleverly all of the time. Hector
Is satisfied he can defeat Linn and
they wrestle again Tuesday night.
Medford Patriot's
tatest
Y
*000 in Prizes $3,000
Given away by The Medford
Patriot, The Boston Store, The
Neal Drug Co. and Stewart Bros.
1. ' '.■(,■* i1- ■
■"ii'
WAKITA LOCALS.
Next in line is a flie departiu -it
for Wakita.
"We've got the best basket ball
team in the whole world —bar
none"—Judge Straughan.
Joe Garrett and J. Eastman were
out on a rabbit hunt last week. Some
body said they got forty-nine but we
only saw two in the buggy.
Sabert Hott returned to the Uni-
versity of Oklahoma Tuesday morn-
ing.
A series of special m etlngs are
being held in the Baptist church be-
ginning at 7:30 each evening.
Trer.uway Grand Piano to lady receiving largest number
of votes before close of contest, February 14, 1912.
^ $50.00 Diamond Ring $50.00
For every candidate bringing in 135 yearly subscriptions
and the sale of $50 in due bills to any of above named
merchants.
$25.00 Watch
Gold Filled, 20 year case, Elgin or
Waltham movement for 75 yearly
subscriptions or $35 in due bills for
any of above named merchants,
$25.00 Watch
Specical Offer
Your Choice
See Adams for shoe repairing.
LISTEN!
We are still in the
business of pleasing the
public when they want
anything in lite drug
line.
You know
REXALL?
Give him a trial.
Neal Drug Co.
On the Corner
. 5 Gold
15 Gold
Filled Bracelet
Filled Necklace
To any lac;* bringing in 12 paid subscriptions. Each
yearlv subscription entitles you to 1000 votes.
THE PATRIOT CONTEST.
Mesdaines Wakefield, llarville and
Godfrey, the judges who were the
official ballot counters in the Pa-|
triot contest, opened the ballot box;
Saturday evening and the following I
is the standing of the candidates I
for the grand prize mentioned else-1
where in this paper:
Mildred Smetana 133,0051
Emma Wagner 54,405
Josie Hatfield
Ethel Hartsaw
. :t.«u
Monzelle Ludlow ....
. . . 14.06*
Dorothy Mead
12J 98
Zola Bruner
10,00
Nancy Franks
5,000
Eva Shortall
1,00*
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Becker, J. P. The Medford Patriot. (Medford, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 11, 1912, newspaper, January 11, 1912; Medford, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc185977/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.