The McLoud Standard. (McLoud, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, January 15, 1904 Page: 5 of 8
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Old New York . . :tR3,72f> fl7>-,7
Entile 1 . S.......1 6.006437 ;>3.J2
Kach of flip above without exception
showing an increased per cent of ten-
ants on u greatly increased number of
families over the census of ten years be-
fore and for the United States an in-
crease of 1,900,0000 tenant families in
that period.
Is this the true American system?
The system compatible with a republican
form of government? Who will point
out, the peculiar merits and advantages
which render this compatible with and
state system repugnant to a republican
form of government? In the face of
such conditions who will deny that I he
private system of landlords and ten-
ants is absolutely upon us and stvcngtli-
ming its grip with rapidly increasing
activity? 1 assert without fear of con-
tradiction that nowhere do lands accu-
mulate more rapidly in the hands of the
few and nowhere are private leasing und
rack renting found in more unsightly
form than where years, civilization and
industrial progress have had
their frees! play and wealth
has most accumulated. There we
find the land in steadily increasing
ratio not owned by the men who use
it, and not used by the men who own it.
There invariably we flml the land buyer,
the land owner, and the rent ridden
private tenant, as witness all the coun-
tries of the old world; witness the Duke
of Westminster with his enormous hold
mgs of the, land of London; witness
our richest, greatest cities and our old-
est wealthiest stales; witness the states
of the prairies and the newer west where
the process can be seen steadily at work.
Take any of those tables of astonish-
ing statistics just presented, sit down,
deliberately think it out and figure to
yourself what changes will he wrought
in them in the next fifty or one hundred
years as a result of the rapid and al
most uninvestable accumulation of
wealth in the hands of our oil, coal,
steel, railway and industrial kings, i lien
smile if you dare when 1 stand in this
intelligent presence and prophesy that
I lie chief bulwark against the ultimate
triumph of the private tenant system
and the reduction of our country to the
European condition of peasant and land-
ed proprietor will he the examples fur
nished by the eases of state or public
land ownership such as exist in Nebras-
ka. Oklahoma, Chicago and elsewhere
today, where the holders of the land are
absolutely protected in their occupancy
. .and improvements, where public .senti-
ment and public policj alike will never
permit rack renting on the part of the
state, and where land mortgages, fore-
closures anil evictions need never be
known,
A third argument i? that the lands
are not evenly distributed over the ter-
ritory and certain districts thus lose
more’ taxable properly than others yet
share the proceeds only on a uniform
basis. The criticism is just but the
sale of the lands is not necessary to
remedy the matter. It will not be diffi-
cult to secure constitutional provision
(o have a certain fair portion of the
proceeds from each school section re-
turned for local purposes to (lie town-
chip or school district in which the sec-
tion lies. 1 mean this to apply to the
entire territory, and hMe is a point on
whieTi the cities must play fair with the
country. There is a taxation loss, in
justice there should be suitable return;
liovv* much or what per cent would he
a mere matter of computation.
For the indemnity localities, where
the public lands lie in great solid tracts,
cither the lands should be sold, reserv-
ing sections ltl, 96. Kt and -1.1 of
township and all other sections whose
boundaries at any point lie within a
mile of a county seat or railroad town,
or else congressional action should be
secured permitting the indemnity loeali-
.ties to use a fair portion of their rentals
for other public purposes besides Hie
support of schools. Fifteen per cent,
of the rentals from the indemnity lands
was ordered returned for local purposes
by the legislature. My own opinion is
liiat this is not sufficient.
Furthermore, the returning of a (left
nitc portion of the rentals of each school
section in the territory to the township
in which that section lies would create
a local interest in the careful manage-
ment and welfare of each tract of land
that, would tend more to conserve the
public's interests in this endowment
than any other feature that might be
adopted" in (be management; and such
procedure would answer perfectly where
lownsites or parts of townsites are laid
out on school lands. It is just such
most valuable and promising lands that
other states have made the mistake of ’
disposing of with the greatest haste.
\s for the public building lands there
is no need that they lie sold to accom-
plish the purpose of their grant. 1 hey
have already yielded tne territory nearly
$300,000 net, with a promise of double
that sum for the next ten years. lo
build our public buildings money can he
borrowed at three or-four per cent on
forty years’ time, perhaps from the
Mutes that sold their lands, we can pay
both principal and interest out of the
rental income and thus cat our cake
and have it, too.
\ foultn argument which is now los-
ing its force with the adjustment of
rentals to u basis somewhat, fairer lo
the state is that a greater income can
he derived by the sale of the lands and
investment of proceeds; first because the
amount of taxable property would be
increased by an amount equal to the as-
sessed value of the lands which are
now untaxed; second, by the income
from the resulting money fund. 1 lie
simple answer to that is, that the rents
have beeu too low. A rent equal to
the taxes on similar lands plus a sum
equal to a reasonable per cent of the
cash value is the only natural system of
appraising rentals. Much a rent can
never be unjust, nor unfair. It simply
puts the lessee on a level basis with
the rest of the community whereat! he
has heretofore had a tremendous adv.mt-
...... jf we sav a rent, equal to taxes
id ns font per cent on the cash value
fhe lend what lessee would have a light
to leel aggrieved? Privafe lands yield
taxes and from six to ten per cent and
upwards on the cash value of the prop-
erty, or if they do not it is because the
land is held at a speculative price such
as public lands never will be ap-
praised at.
A fifth point sometimes made is "That
tenants do not properly cultivate the
lands; that it will soon become impover-
ished and unproductive and the selling
value as well as the rental value would
decrease.” This, I admit is true of the
short lease system. A more extended
experience, however, embracing the long
lease system either private or public
is sufticienl to convince one that the
evils here complained of are the result
solely of the feeling of uncertainty, and
insecurity arising from a short lease
term and not from the leasing system
in and of itself. Million dollar build-
ings on leased land may be counted by
the score in Chicago and New York
where the long lease plan prevails; and
when we, as they, attain to a well estab-
lished basis for our system of leases,
the necessity for frequent reuppraise-
ments which now exists will disappear,
though the territory must never sur-
render the right to order :i new ap-
praisement. at certain maximum inter-
vals of sav twenty live years.
Give a man assurance of - continued
possession and of continued fairness in
the matter of rent, and the place be-
comes to all intents and purposes his in-
dividual property where he can build
his own home, ow n his own fireside, and
he precisely as patriotic, home-loving,
liberty-loving a citizen, interested as
much In good government and tlm ad-
ministration of Mate as the man across
the way who holds his lands in fee. Or-
chards will be planted, wells dug, homes,
fences and bafhs built. We will then
find contentment and stability prevail-
ing. and the thriftless, grab-all destruc-
tive tillage will be a tiling of the past.
When that time comes another ob-
jection sometimes offered, that of the
expense of management of the system,
will then U- met. The chief items of
expense up to this point have been in
the organization of the department, in
the selection of the indemnity lands, in
opening up the lands in the new conn-
lies, in appraisements and reappraise- !
ments, in opening new sets of books
and systematizing of accounts, in en-
tering detailed descriptions of each in-
dividual tract. These things have been
a heavy drain of expense but they lmve
all been necessary, they have all paid
well for the doing, and most of them
will not have to be done again. I wish
light here to congratulate the people
of Oklahoma and the present and past
administrations op the completeness and
the perfection of operation to which
this department lias been brought. It
has developed of and within itself with-
out let or hindrance from the legisla-
tures; it is superior to anything legis-
latures ever have had to propose' and
1 am satisfied that the rules and regu-
lations now existing will lie the basis
of all future legislation affecting it.
POLITK AL EFFECTS.
This brings me to the final objection
that “State ownership would inject the
question of the administration of the
trust permanently into polities.” I
fairly admit that I deferred the an-
swering of this objection until now be-
cause in my opinion it constitutes the
only argument of really serious merit
that can be brought against the policy
I propose. There is no question but
that the lessees are strongly organized
today and, as their resolutions indicate,
each | are expecting to bring about the sale
of these lands to present occupants with-
out permitting any serious feature of
competition to enter into the plan of
sale. It may be that the lessees did not
dictate the school land provisions of the
pending statehood bill, hut if I wore a
lessee und wanted to get my lands at
rock bottom figures it would meet my
approval and 1 would not know where
to turn to pick a proposition more
likely to he a winner, tin January 5
in territorial convention they gave the
school land provisions of this bill their
warmest endorsement.
1 venture to affirm that if the lessee
expected, to he called upon to pay full
value for his lands not one in fifty
would exchange his present lease hold
“cinch” for any such proposition. The
lessee willing to pay full value for the
sake of owning a home can do much
better by taking the good round bonus
lie ran get for his b ase and improve-
ments and buying the private lands of
his neighbor.
I therefore maintain that the real
spirit behind this movement for sale is
a spirit of speculation. I doubt not that
for years some of them have been look-
ing forward to the passage of some new
measure that would answer as a “Free
Homes Bill” for them. Certain politi-
cians and newspapers that 1 could name
have fairly promised them as much. A
saloon keeper at Norman years ago
leased a school quarter near that town
because, ns he put it, “it will put a kink
of $4,000 into the back of the man who
holds it when statehood is obtained.”
The point is thi*. We are confront-
ing today not only a crisis in the history
of Oklahoma but a crisis in the affairs
of the lessees, and instead of regarding
it in its true light ns a spasmodic ef-
fort on their part to win out on the
only opportunity that may ever come to
them, the politicians conceive this to be
a condition that will permanently en-
dure. But such 1 am confident is not
the ease. With th“ leaders of both
parties afraid of either horn of this
dilemma and anxious to shift the deci-
sion to a non-partisan vote of the peo-
ple, the time will never be more fa-
vorable, after we have first secured a
fair provision in the statehood bill, for
the people to meet this spasm with the
firmness of honest non-partisan convic-
tion and by constitutional enactment
place out of the reach of legislative jug-
gling this great trust which for the mo-
ment has been committed into our
guardianship for tue benefit of the gen-
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erntions of the infinite years to come;
and future administrations encouraged
by the precedent established by the pres
eiit one will come to know that l lie only
safe recipe for the management of Ibis
trust is a handful of nerve mixed with
a hatful of conviction and common sense.
Majorities are tilings which politi-
cians respect more than they do God or'
his adversary and a good round non-
partisan majority at this crucial point,
indicating tiio people’s will that this
question he removed from the domain
of partisan politics and nlaeed no a
commercial, business basis where it
properly belongs will be the most ef-
fective notice that can be given to poli
ticians present and future flint the state
is alive to its interests in lhi> matter,
that the state is an institution bigger
than any organization of lessees, that,
the state says hands off and will put
her mark for political oblivion on any
individual or party that proposes to
jeopardize these interests of the stale.
Nebraska's politicians dure not lay a
linger on tlie interests of her lands and
schools. With 20,000 lessees, with leases
running for 25 years, with provisions for
fair re appraisement every fifth y ear,
Nebraska has iio resulting social or po
litical problem; and our lessees with
prospect of sale denied them by consti
tutional provision, and with lease period
similarly extended, would hear a fur
less menacing front. With increase of
income the interests of the state in
this question will steadily grow, and
with the growth of population the per
tentage of lessees will be an ever de
creasing minority, though a minority
that never need have anything to fear
at the hands of the majority. These
are the reasons that give me assurance
that however great the political diffi-
culties that may beset the immediate
future, and 1 admit their gravity, we
are not justified in asserting that the
possible difficulties that may be mel ill
the more distant future are a sufficient
cause to warrant us in adopting the pol-
icy of sales.
’Whether, then, we attain to statehood
this congress or the next, see to it when
the. time comes that the men sent to
the Constitutional Convention are such
as will not he susceptible to lessee "in-
fluence.” Demand of every candidate
that he make his position on this ques-
tion n mutter of nuhlic record. The
lessee delegates will go to ihal con-
vention with no uncertain mind a> to
what they want and what they propose
to do. So also should those who may
represent the interests for which this
Association stands. That Convention
will be no place for men of nne_ei'?-*U»
mind. The limes demand constructive
statesmanship, and men who may lie
likely to utilize this convention for pur
poses of boodle or graft may well he
delegated to remain at home. The
spirit of "What is there in it for me?”
is not the spirit to which we can look
with confidence for the wisdom that
should ho brought to the solution of
this problem.
Time is a great corrector of evils mid
abuses and if political difficulties do
promise to beset us let us remember
the interest that posterity has in the
preservation of this trust an interest
absolutely greater than the interest we
have today. Let us remember that
knowledge'is not going to die vvilli us
and tiiat problems which may prove per
plexing now will in all liklihood prove
matters of easy solution to those who
come after.
In case later years prove that the
leasing policy is really* a mistake it will
be possible then to sell the iftnds. but
there is only* one chance to save them
anil that is-at the time of the adop-
tion of our State Constitution.
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FOLEY’S PLEA FOR A DELEGATE
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ARDMORE: Delegate Kolev, in hisjippinos. To those far-distant islands
a delegate before the commit \on have sent more than a thousand
school teachers to educate the ymmi
Filipinos and lo teach them the high-
er and nobler lessons of citizenship.
plea for
tee on territories, said:
"Our white population today aggro
gates •>00.000 people, who are living; V0„ have Memxh-d Porto Riw'a'eom
without any form of government saw ! mlsKiolu„. whw |,,ols alter the tn
that which is afforded them by the
federal courts. These GOO.OOO white
jterests of tbal island. You have d<-
j prived us of the right to tax our o\vn
people are equals, in point of intelli- pltiz,,ns ,lu, maintenance of public
genee. ol' any similar number of pe<>- schools except in the cities, and tu-
ple residing in any congressional dis j()ay wp pavP (lie dreadful condition
trict or state in the union. They have ! exjs| j))K wilhin „ur borders of lOO.tfOO
come to Indian Territory from the olilldi'cn who should u" 1,1 s‘>hr*,t
states, many of them being the cream lgrowjUg up instead
of your own constituency. The immi-
gration to the territories has been
composed largely of ambitious young
men and women who. realizing that in
the states the opportunities for com-
mercial advancement were limited,
sought the opulent fields of the terri-
tory in the belief that the labor would
result in more profit to them in the
new field. They are intellectual,
bright, industrious and law-abiding
citizens. They once enjoyed the
blessings of local self-government, but
today they are shorn of any power
themselves, or to speak through any
duly authorized representative in
congress with reference to legislation
enacted by (lie national congress for
them.
"The congress of the Flitted Slates
is the legislature of the territory. H
is more than that. It occupies the
unique position of being the city coun-
cil of every municipality in the terri-
tory. It enacts laws governing the
a n ail s of the cities as well as the
rural districts.
"In Indian Territory there are ”97
towns already surveyed and platted.
In three of these the population aggre-
gates more than 10,000
In'
in
in school.
lgnorape>.
which, in turn, menus vice. No school
teachers have been sent to our tern
lory to educate these poor unfortunati
children, and no authority lias been
conferred upon the people to lev;
taxes to educate the children except
hi a few towns.
“1 ask you, then, in the name of
humanity, in the name of justice in
the recognition of tin* rights of.man.
to al least give us a delegate in tin
house of representatives In order tha-
lie may present to that body the comb
thins existing, and thereby securing
proper legislation."
NOTED OUTLAW KILLED
Alleged Slayer of Bob Ford Shot by
Oklahoma City Policeman
OKLAHOMA tTTY: In a desperaR
tight Policeman Gurnet! shot and
killed a man who is said to Have been
Edward Kelly, tile mail who killed Bob
Ford, the slayer of Jesse Janies, at
Oroede, Colo., on June 8, 1892. Police-
man Burnett received a number of
minor wounds, the worst of which
perhaps were his ours which had In • i
badly chewed by the bandit. The at
a hand to hand struggle in
CLF.VERISM3.
Remember the week day and keep
it holy.
each, while fair
there are twelve towns in the territory ( which guns were used,
which have a population today of j The policeman was walking along
more than 5,000 each. The Iasi re- (his lie it when he was assaulted by
imrt of the special agent of the inter Kelly, who struck at him vVirh T.is
lor department in the territory, which revolver; the 'policeman caught the
is based upon statistics gathered more man's hand when they clinched. - The
than a year ago. shows that there' outlaw in attempting to shoot tin of-
were then nearly 400 towns in the ter- ficor emptied Ids revolver, hid one
ritcry with n population of over 20b, j shot had hit the policeman and that
people. j was a glance shot on the hip. _ When
"In addition to the towns above the officer was released so lie could
mentioned many otuer towns have use his gun effectively lie sent, a shot,
grown up, and since Ihe. statistics into the man':; lic.ul dial pul. an end
which are embodied in that report to the con fl I el.
were gathered nearly all of these |
towns have doubled In
tion. The taxable valuation of the appearance end actions since ! ar-
tovvn property In tne territory alone rived al Oklahoma City would indl*
can lie conservatively estimated at' cate that he is a bad man and would
$75,000,000. Buildings now under con- iesort to almost anything. He is one
at ruction and projected will within of a gang who have been banging
the next year bring this total up to around the saloons here for some
more than $200,000,000. The aggregate time whom the police have suspie-
value of the mineral resources, agri- limed for a number of burglaries. At
cultural lands, timber lands and other the time of the attack upon the police
resources of the territory can not he he was accompanied by a "pal" who
surmised. Suffice it to say in this con-, fled when the trouble began Kelly
neetiwu, that there are the richest coal lias been under police surveillance for
mines in Indian Territory found in any a number of weeks, this fact he knew
state west of the Mississippi river, jand had been heard to sav he would
Our oil, asphalt, gas and other mill-, get some of them.”
oral deposits arc today attracting the' This episode has made the police
attention of tho world. more determined Ilian ever iu rid the
"What we wan;, gentlemen, is some eily of the "vug" iTe- and a pm on
one who can come here to the national looking the least suspicious and ,i
from probable member of the "wdary" gang
■j Kelly is said to have been identified
their popula- as the man who shot Bob Ford. IF-i
Verily.
In debt.
in the midst of life we are
, Wc are not punished
but by them.
for our sins,
Some people pray; others there be
who repeat prayers.
Think twice before you speak and
then talk to yourself.
To he famous is to he slandered by
people who do not know you.
The man who tells you of all
troubles becomes one of yours.
his
congress, bearing credentials
Ihe people, and give expression To
their views with reference to national
legislation for the government of the
people of ihe territory. Our people
are growing weary of occupying the
humiliating position of a beggar every
time they want anything for the terri-
tory. Whenever we want anything
we are compelled to come to congress
and trespass upon the time of some
member of Hie house or senate, who
realize our helpless condition, lakes
will be asked to “move -on-.’" <
DESPERATE NEGF1Q TRAMPS
Battle Santa Fc Trainmen With Win-
chesters and Revolvers
OKLAHOMA CITY: Alter a battle
with Santa Fc trainmen near this
city, four negroes- Louis and Janies
Walker, giving their homes as Dallas,
Texas, and Granville Harrison and
James Lott, Oklahoma were arts -ted
pity upon us and assists us. While! by the police arid are in the count:
Men who pride themselves on their
culture haven't any to speak of.
As a man grows in experience his
theories of conduct become fewer.
Gentleness and good cheer—these
come before all questions of morals.
People who make it a business to
kill time are allowing time to kill
them.
The kindergarten is the greatest
scheme ever devised for educating
parents.
Fashionable society is usually noth-
ing but canned life. Look out for ex-
plosions.
I believe more in the goodness of
had pe.ople than 1 do in the badness
of good people.
Be pleasant until 10 o'clock in the
morning, and the rest of the day will
take care of itself.
There are many deeply religious
people outside of the church, hut those
inside usually call them nfidels.
oiii condition is pitiable, we feel that
as American citizens we arc entitled
to respect Instead of pity.
"If you w'ill give us a delegate in
congress to look after our interests
we will command your respect.
"As it Is today, wo are not even as
good as the Malays la the far-off Phil
DOWN ELEVATOR SHAFT
jail. When arrestc l Hip liygroesj weri-
armed with Winchesters and revolvers
of large caliber. The trainmen at-
tempted to eject the n from a boxcar.
The negroes resisted, and several
shots were fired ul the trainmen, wili-
out effect. They also riddled the rv
boose of (lie train * itb bullets.
lice pending investigation. Johnson
said the elevator gate did not lock, but
it bad been raised by employes while
waiting for the car to descend to‘the
floor, and suddenly employe:!, in tin-
rear of the crowd began pushing, po
clpitating them down the shaft. The
factory superintendent corroborate;,
Johnson's story.
Ten Lives Lost in a St. Louis Whole-
sale Shoe House
ST. LOUIS: A crowd of employes
pressing against the elevator gate on
the sixth floor of the Brown Shoe Com-
pany buildiyg at Eleventh street and
Washington avenue, caused the gate
to give way, and ten persons were
plunged down the shaft. Six were
taken out dead, two died at the city
bespit:! anil the other two will die.
Thq employes had'assembled at the
close of work in the corridors on the j house to cost $ 11;.00»>.
different doors waiting for the eleva- commodious and fully
New Playhouse for Lawton
LAWTON: F. ,1. Hanks, manager ol
the opera house in this city, has let
the contract for the building of a play-
will be large,
up to date in
tor to take them down. The elevator every detail. Work upon the building
was at the seventh floor receiving pas-1 is to begin inside of ten days. The
sengers, when those on the sixth floor, contract specifics both the construction
eager to get near the door and be llrst of the building and order and arrange
into the cage, began to push toward j meat of inside fixtures.
Ihe gale. Suddenly thn gate gave way j----
just as the elevator started to do
scend, and ton of the
GUTHRIE: The Oklahoma delegu-
employes tion to the Good Roads convention in
plunged head first down the shall. Six ! Hartford, Conn., February 12, has been
wore instantly killed and their bodies named by Governor Ferguson, as fol-
formed cushions which prevented
instant death of the other four.
j lows: John Hale of Chandler, John Sen
| man of Grimes, John Golobie of Gutli
Janies Johnson, the elevator opera-1 rle, A. C. TFus of Crescent City, and
tor was taken into custody by the po-Jj. T. Merritt of TocumseU.
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The McLoud Standard. (McLoud, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, January 15, 1904, newspaper, January 15, 1904; McLoud, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc859183/m1/5/: accessed March 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.