The Farmers Union Advocate (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 28, 1910 Page: 4 of 8
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THE 'ARMORS UNION ADVOCATE.
tiM ?MM(TJ WW
OFFICIAL ORGAN STATE FARMERS UNION
Published Every Week al Guthrie, Oklahoma
Application Made for Entry as Second-Class Mail Matter.
IlIUl
l t
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR.
J. K. ARMSTRONG, Editor
B. J. WAUGH, Business Manager
A FALSEHOOD.
Editor Armstrong of the Farmers' Advocate, who put in hi? time
during the winter defending the Haskell administration, lias sold the
subscription list of the paper, and lie didn't own it either, and skipped
the coop. That is another moral lesson taught by coming in touch with
the state administration. It is always easy to catch the itch when you
set next.—Shawnee News.
The Shawnee Xews, which is distinguished only by its editorial
weakness, and its blind worship of the republican party, and which draws
it editorial inspiration from the business office at so much a week,
thus gaily hops astride our celluloid collar.
The News could have learned and made a news item by slating the
truth just as easily as it has published a totally groundless lie.
Lie Xo. one is that the editor of this paper has put in his time
defending the Haskell administration. The truth is, we have political
ideals, and as an editor a standard of political ethics .that the he 11 or
110 hell devotees of corrupt political parties are incapable of understand-
ing and unwilling if they did understand, to emulate.
We have on several occasions commended Governor Haskell for acts
we deemed worthy of commendation and we dare the Xewg to discuss
with us through the columns of the News or Advocate, as citizens not as
partisans, the merits and justice of our approval of those specific acts.
We have praised the Haskell administration only when we believed
his administration deserved praise. We have never been any more, if as
profuse in our laudations of his administration as we have of Senator
LaFollette the republican. Tom Watson the populist or Eugene Debbs
the socialist.
Our standard of estimating a man's official or public service or
Career is based wholly upon his honesty and consecration to principle
•nd not through a hope of reward or because of partisan prejudices.
The second lie is, that we had sold the subscription list. Had
there been any disposition upon the part of the Xews to deal justly,
or if it had any respect for professional courtesy, it could have learned
the truth from the first issue of the Advocate published "t Guthrie
What are the facts?
The facts are that the Advocate was moved from Oklahoma City to
this city by order of the Executive Committee of the State Farmers' l"n-
ion.
The real animus behind the above screed is hatred of a rival party.
Animated by an inordinate desire to please a coterie of partisan political
masters and the Xews halts at no a. t of mendacity, nor distortion
of truth to serve said masters. Attempting to bolster up, and defend
^rotten political party is a man's job, wholly above the capacity of the
Xews' caliber and it is therefore forced to dabble and revel iu the slime
and mud of personal aspersion of honest men.
Thus has the noble and gloriour profession of American journalism
in this instance l>een lowered in the du>t.
XO PART1ZAX POLITICS AT ST. LOUIS.
The national mass meeting of farmers w ill be held at the coliseum,
Ft. Louis, May '■! to S next, under the auspices of the Farmers Educa-
tional and Co-operative l'nion of America. The convention manager
is John Grady 683, Commercial Bnihling. ^t. Louis.
This will probablv be the greater meeting of farmers ever held
in America. It will no doubt result in bringing the farmers together
in political as well as industrial affairs. Hut no action trill be taken
along partizan lines.
Independent of party prejudices the people can be trusted. Party
prejudices arouse their passions, benumb their sense of discrimination
between right and wrong, arrays them in warring factions and places
them at the mercy of designing politicians and their necks under the
heels of the monied eligarehy.
Freed from the fetich of party worship, the people will rise to a
true standard of American citizenship. a->ert themselves and demand
and receive recognition ami justice at the hands of this republic.
President Barrett and .'no. Grady know the peoples political pre-
dilections and are willing to trust the wise and the ignorant, the good
and the had—with the graved questions, to the etui that they may ba
educated and thorough education a-sume the royal garb of sovereigns.
This meeting at St. I^ouis. is the result of the knowledge gained by
the Xational Farmer* L'nion Legislative Committee while at Washing-
ton of the tremendous power of the organized farmers in all legislative
affairs when used wisely and as a Iwllast. They have also learned their
utter helplessness so long as they depend upon any political party.
President Barette and his associates hope through education, thor-
ough organized, independent political action to secure, not perfect in-
stitutions, but the best institutions and laws possible while human na-
ture is the best nnd onh material to build with.
They correctly hold that as the people are freed from party thral-
dome they become educated ami the state uplifted through the intelli-
gent exercise of their suffrage.
T«*Cj k..c-v t..at wlicii the two forces of prouuicie, the <>in-
ized farmers and laborers .get together and stick to the finish in their
search for the truth, take the bit in their teeth and .do for themselves
the things thev have heretofore trusted to corrupt politicians that they
will be surprised as well as indignant to find that they hr.ve so long been
made the phant tools of con«mencele?-s politicians. Politic ians who have
with remarkable skill led them into servile dependence upon corrupt par-
ties .and who have tlien taken advantage of this dependence and turned
the governments, national and states, over to the tender mercies of
plutocracy.
The farmers and lalforer-4 who n.^et at St. I uii will not di-cuss par-
tisan politics, we do not believe t ,,t any ',T| 1 rt to orgai e a n< « party
will be tolerated. As before ind ■ ated, the pur]*—> will l>e to broaden I
the views, to raise the standard, and elevate the sight < the plain j>eo|.|e
from the filthy mire of partisan slavery to a fuller conception of the
duties of citizenship.
WIH) WANTS Till-: STATE CAPITAL MOVED?
' There arc three contestants named in the petition gotteu up by
Oklahoma City, but two of tiiese emphatically deny that they are iu the
race.
Besides the three mentioned in the petition, we have not heard of
any other city mentioned in the contest,
Is it the workingmen who are clamoring for the adoption of Initi-
ative Petition No. Three, capital bill? Take Oklahoma City, go along
any street, into the shop, the factories, among the wage earners any-
where, everywhere and a>k tliein what interest thev have in the Capital
Bill, and nine out of every ten will without a moments hesitation answer
—none what ever.
Go out among the farmers in any county in the state, not excepting
Oklahoma County, ask them the same question; go farther, point out
the splendid achievements of the State's great mertopolis: tell them
about its sky-scrapers, its magnificent hostleries, its gorgeous temples of
worship, its brilliantly lighted and weli paved streets, and then, on the personal splen, we are not saints,
quiel, honestly and without exaggeration tell them of th« murders, the 'be laws of our country gra
burglaries, and all other crimes which are every day being committed
there. Don't stop there, tell them all. tell them there that this splendid
metropolis, this modest aspirant for capital city honors, has within its
boundaries,—officially stated—more than 1,200 boot-legging dives which
WHY THE ADVOCATE WAS MOVED.
Naturally, the readers of the Advocate expect some explanation
from us as to the reasons for moving the paper from Oklahoma City to
Guthrie.
To tell the complete story, giving in detail all the reasons leading
up to the move, would consume a gteat deal of space, lay bare the
sordid greed, and the inappreciation of a commercially crazed <vity and
inculpate certain interests and individuals in a way, we dislike to do.
We will not tell this story now, for the reason that through years
of schooling and tempering the shorn lamb to the wind, we have
reached a point of discipline sand of magnanimity, that places us above
any disposition to give expression to any feeling that might be con-
strued as malicious. .
But while thus disciplined and though we hold in sup re tries t con-
tempt the editor who abuses his privileges and soils the glorious
escutcheon of his profession by the use of his columns for veuting his
rants and we doubt if the scriptural in-
junction—the Golden Rule—which is one of the basic stones upon which
the Farmers L'nion is founded bars us from the right of self defense.
We are credibly informed that the Advocate-Review, now published
in Oklahoma City intends to severely excoriate the writer, the former
are being run in open and ilagrant violation of the stale's laws; tell 1 of t,iat paper, the present editor of this, holding us personally
them of the road houses and bawdy houses in and out of the red-light j a:it^ solely responsible for the move.
district—then tell them in conclusion of the poverty, want, misery and Jo not court, neither do we dread this threatened arraignment
woe in the midst of all its splendor, its wealth anil its glow and then 1 nn<1 w,lile wo shall not be the aggressor, we do not believe we will be
after giving each one ample time for mature deliberation, ask them if ^ret 1° cr.v ''hold, enough.'
they care to saddle themselves villi a debt of $600,000 -a- a starter, to
move the capital and we guarantee that more than 00 per cent of them
will emphatically answer—NO.
So, the only source from which the inspiration backing the removal
proposition could have em i nil ted, is from the real e.-tate boomers of
Oklahoma City.
W ithout the $600,000 as a starter, the prospect of a million and a
half or two million dollars more and the consequent boom in real estate
values, there would have been no petition tiled asking for a constitu-
tional amendment.
DOMESTICATION BY CORPORATIONS REQUIRED BY OTHER
STATES.
fhe contention by Dorset Carter, the Federation of Commercial
Clubs and all of the railroads of Oklahoma that no new line of road
are or will be constructed in this state because of Section 9 of Article
£>, is believed by a number of people who have not investigated the
matter.
They declare that Oklahoma is the only state in the Union whose
constitution contains a provision similar to Section 9 of Article 9 of
our constitution.
To prove how untrue and misleading these setatements are, we
refer our readers, first, to tiie constitutions of a few states which permit
the purchase of domestic corporations, but require that domestic cor-
porations so absorbed still remain a domestic corporation for purposes
of jurisdiction.
We quote bilow the No. of Article, Section and date of adoption
as follows:
Article ISection IT. of Missouri, 18T6.
Article 1">, Section 1". Montana. 1889.
Article 11. Setcion 14. of Idaho, 1889.
Article 14, Seel ion 11, of Colorado, 1S89.
Section Court, Loiusiana, 1898.
The following states contain constitutional provisions which abso-
lutely prohibits the absorption of domestic corporations by foreign cor-
jk> rations.
Article 10, Section fi, Texas, 1876.
Article 9. Section 8. South Carolina. 1895.
Section 197 ( \rt. ". Sir. '*'0). Mississippi, 1S90.
Section lt;;i (Art. IV, Sec. 11), Virginia.
• 'f course Dorset Carter, the Federation of Commercial Clubs and
railroad magnates are thoroughly acquainted with these facts, and also
know that but few if any of the plain people are cognizant of them.
Their only argument in behalf of their proposed amendment is
that Section 'K prohibits them from selling domesticated line of road to
foreign corporations and that because of this bar. no railroads are being
built and that no more railroads will be built.
This is the only appeal thev have so far made to the voters of
Oklahoma, how do thev manage to overcome the same difficulties in other
all the ground they have to stand upon and the fact that other states
have constitutional provisions equally as drastic on the matter of do-
mestication as ours, knocks every prop from under them and leaves
tliein helplessly dangling in mid air.
IT because of Section 9. A rt it le 9. they can't build railroads in
Oklahoma, how do they manage to overcome the difficulties iu other
states ?
The truth is. the railroad intere-ts do not want justice, they want
special privileges. The right in fait to tax the traffic all it will bear.
The idea of being subject to rigid though just control by our corpora-
tion commission i* altogether new and distasteful to them, just as is
the adjudication of legal differences through honest state courts is ad-
horrent to them.
We do not say this idly, prematurely or boastfully, for we know
too well with what ease a man's motives can bo impugned and his good
name destroyed. We know too the power of great financial institutions,
backed by the commercial interests and the virile press of a great city.
But while we do net underestimate the almost irresistable force of
this tremendous combination which may be directed against us, we feel
no dread of the threatened contest.
They may nail us to the cross and crucify us. They may tear down
and destroy our good name, all we posses and for which we have labored
for nearly forty years to build. They may humiliate and grieve our
wife and children, but mark you, gentlemen, you will not find in us
a meek and servile adversary, who will cringe on bended knee before
you and beg for mercy.
We know right well that war is hell, that there is no more cruel
war than the kind you propose, but cruel as it may be, cost what it
will to me and mine, we are prepared with truth—for we will deal
only with facts—to meet you in the open arena, before the world, cross
swords with vou, and fight to a finish.
Kingfisher, Ok!a., April 2oth, 1910.
Farmers Union Advocate, Guthrie:
Gentlemen: I would like to debate the question of the removal
of the State Caital under the Oklahoma City Bill and the Amendment
to Article nine of the Constitution, as proposed by the Carter Amend-
mend proposing to add Sec. 19 to Article nine of the Constitution with
either ( arter himself or any candidate running for Governor or Attorney
General who stands for the amendments as proposed, at three cities men-
j tioned in the bill and as many more as we can make from now until
I June lltli. I to affirm, that the Capital shall not be located as proposed
by the Oklahoma City Bill and that the Constitution should not lie
amended as proposed by the Carter Amendment or will take the nega-
tive side and lot him a rm just as suits his pleasure, stated as an
affirmative. Would like to commence about May 1st and continue un-
tli June 11th.
Yours very respectfully,
J. A. SMITH, State Grain Inspector.
LANGSTON SAYS STAND BY THE CONSTITUTION.
letters from congressmen to
president barrett.
TENNESSEE.
Washington, D. C., March 7, 1910.
Mr. C. S. Barrett.
Dear sir:—Replying to your circular
latter of the 18th of February, received
March 1st. 1 will say that 1 agree with
you almost identically in your six de-
mands and shall vote for properly drawn
bills to effectuate the several purposes.
1. r favor abolishing gambling on
farm products.
2. I favor a modified parcels post sys-
tem.
3. I was compelled to vote against
the postal Dank bill in the shape it wi^s
passed because It Is simply a barefaced
scheme to collect the money of the peo-
ple and send it In to the money centers
to aid speculators and monied men. In-
stead, now. of being a measure for the
convenience and oenellt of the people. It
is a bold attempt further to tie their
hands nil I hetle ray ebinrgodbbrdlupp
hands while they are being robbed.
4 I favor stricter Immigration lawa
excluding unwholesome and unassimil-
able people.
5. I oppose the central bank proposi-
tion In any shape.
6. I favor ftiost liberal legislative aid
to purposes promotive of agricultural In-
terests and the farmers.
I can not bind myself to vote for any
particular bill until I have fully ascer-
tained that it Is honestly drawn for its
ostensible purposes and has no hidden
designs, for, some of the greatest legis-
lative calamities that liav- ever befallen
this country have been concealed in in-
nocent-seeming Acts.
Very truly yours,
ROBT. L. TAYLOR,
U. 8. 3.
In an extensive article on this page will be found labor's reasons
for opposing the proposed railway amendment to the constitution, and
it will not be my purpose to discuss at length the legal >ide of the con-
troversy; however, a little history would not be amiss.
In the first place, the Santa Fe railroad dominated with an iron
hand the old elgislative assemblies of Oklahoma Territory, and it was
absolutely impossible for labor or the farmer to get through that body
any legislation that the Santa Fe railroad, through its attorneys, namely,
Asp, Cottingham, et al., objected to. For some unknown reason, + lie
people of Old oklahoma were at the mercv of tiiis blood-sucking foreign
corporation, and it was not until the eonstitntional convention when
the people, through the Farmers' Union ami the Oklahoma Stnti Fed- ei«n immigration.
eration of Labor, got a hearing. Everylxxly r< nieml>ers the Joint Leg-
islative Demands of the Fanners Union' the State Federation of Labor |ura| projects. ,,ut durlri the last twelve
and The Railway Brotherhood, and if tho.-e demand- had not been ye.-ir*. a« a member of the Agricultural
heeded. Oklahoma todav would -till be in the ■ . t.■1 ie~ ... mrourate erred. 1 ' 1 «« ^"t"1 for literal ap-
• ; ) proprialions for that Department, that
Do vou remember the excessive freight rates that prevailed before : r,ache« mam
not only in favor of fair
e nd liberal appropriation? to Agrloul-
statehood ?
Do you remember the treatment that the public received at the
hands of employees of the railroads prior to statehood?
Do you remember the exorbitant rates c iarged for hauling coal
when Oklahoma was under Federal Domination?
Do you remember that ail officials of the old territory were ap-
pointed from Washington, and that most of them were men that were
not residents of Oklahoma?
Do you know that the railroads sanctioned the appointments made
in Oklahoma prior to statehood?
And, dear reader, do you know that today Federal Judges are st'll
appointed from the White House? And—sanctioned by— whom? The
people? No. not the people—but the railroads.
Why did the railr- ads ignore—insuL the courts of Oklahoma by
jumping into the Federal Courts with their "injunction*"' airainst tins
people's 2-cent fare: against the freight rates levied by the corporation
x weeks i commission; against the payment of the .11 ST TAXES'- Do vou
want to know? I'll tell yon; Oklahoma's Courts are elected bv the
P-E-O-P-L-E, and the Federal Courts are suggested bv—T-ll-E-M —
the railroads, ami ap|>oin ed at Washington. The railway* even ignored
the Federal Judges in Oklalioma. Why? Because thev knew that the
two Oklahoma Federal Judges lived in Oklahoma, and would not give
thtin an injunction, even though thev were appointed at the nation's
capitol.
Xow, listen—the railroads want the game right* m Oklahoma as. for-
eign corporations that theft would hare as domestic corporations, nith-
out being art ountable to the laws and court* Ih il yn ami t are forced
respect and obey.' That's what Ikjsrt 4'arter and llenrv Asp have
wi 1 in living the ra.t .. I- t - •, .? S< tj.,n
Logan County Co-operative Aaaociatioa held ii- annual-sharehold-
er* meeting in this City April 12.
Njtter before in the history of this country have the people been
Ire* from j*>!iiieal bias as now. Rock-ribbH political ]wrt- arc
I •iception, rather than tbt nila. Thw is a florious change, and I
" " —11 avbcatai, audi aa ae country upon the habitable
WORDS OF CHEER FROM EX-COMMITTEEMAN
Hennessey, Okla., April '.'3. 1910.
Editor Advocate.
Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Dear sir: I wish to av i few wards to our membership through-
out I he state.
First. Do not criticise our editor if during the next
you get a little more discussion on the two questions to be voted on on
June 11th, than you think proper. I feel that a crisis confronts its
and the people must be reached and if some repetitions are made it is
only that ail mav know the truth.
If either one of these propositions carry we :nu?t repudiate our
our former actions. We as a I nion demanded of our constitutional
convention the very suiManee that the corporate intere-ts are now striv-
ing to Wipe oi:t. One iV.ot. if thoroughly understood ought to defeat
their amendment. The first on which thev lay the greatest stress, in
fa-1 the* expect to win bv showing that Soction of Article 9 practic-
ally prohibits railroad building in the state of Oklahoma. Their whole i
contention is just as false as is this proposition and that this is false j sought anc ■■ Hp
observe tie fin t that "Ifai wavs in nkla e.a have, bull miles of Fort' Nine .arrie- at the «| vial elect i-n Juno 1J. I * ,Mii • .a. - iv
track since Jure SO, IMft. The same roads have built but 11." —but they are merely hirelings of the Santa F . and are paid to derive
K*n a-. Texas. Arkansas, Ixmisiana. Colorado, Illinois and the people. They are working for the seitish interests of their masters
state- where thev operite combined." I sa\ this one fact and will not tell thetruth to you.
sh uld def. It this • V T, . - ' ' They—^Dorset Carter and Henry Asp—imported s man into Okla-
Again. Reiner.: er there is no limit to the opportunity for graft
times more farmers than
the S.OOO.ftPO you Halm to repreaent.
6th. I am not in favor of a Central
Rank.
In conclusion. T will sny that, havinff
been a farmer in\>el'. and representinfc a
District em' racing eight rountles, large-
ly engaged In farming. I have and al-
ways will, consider their interest and
welfare of prim. Importance, and I point
to nr. record in Congress in proof of
this.
Very truly your*.
JOHN* LAMB. 11. C.
fSugirr tion From heln* "full "—of
"indignation." -on "sober" second thought
th* gentlenmn frotn Virginia. Sir. (in-
cludes to answer our little question*,
Mr. Farmer. And they all will. If you
k *ep after tli*m spring, summer, fall
and winter )
GOOD RERUN I RHUM
OKLAHOMA COUNTY
Okli;' om.i County Farmers' l'nion held
n publi quarterly meeting at Kansas
school lionnc six miles southeast of
Choctaw on Wednesday. April IS. Pres-
IdMl Ltonard h hnson dro\e miles t
get there.
He •' M a r«tvrt of men. wnmfn,
ai d cirl* what the union had done.
doing and also explained* the state agen-
cy in such an earnest and eonvinclr.g
way that tbe people believed him. and
extend him a \ote of thanks.
The farmer*' wives *er\ed a splendid
Jlnner ind in r\er way entertained ui
so hoepitahiy that we shall endeavor to
at tin pt; ' f anotl er inet'tinf at Kan-
fUM H /ALTON
new
miles in
all other
i e worst right rider is "death."
lit'le }■ jtsmy is a dangerous thing.
in Um oklahoma Citj -< hemea W# M ft Union Ittd tbt
jieoj.:. «• a ww t un Mate have evrryhelmiiiglv endorsed the "New
Jeru'iilein' idea. Ix>t us stick l> it. Vote NO! on both propositions.
1'riternally,
W. A. UOOD8PKID.
honia to try to "handle" the writer of this arte le. Hit thei/ ftil ,!on ti.
If Dorset t'arter denic* this s-tatement. I will furnish affidavits from
Ihe or six of the liest riti/en of this «tate that'he's a liar.
Sit in the lx «t—and vote; see that your friends lote ako.
Mand by the Constitution.
J. LUTHER LANGSTON,
ation of Labor.
P""- Hi;-kl*berry Finn and Tom Saw-
yer are orphans.
K ng htward ,-tian |« in Franc*
• II he g t is ti ree agate llnee.
Hetty's son fr.l«ht my 1 ft*
"Th#y lore the Imm n
UTAH.
Washington, D. C-. March 26, 1910.
Mr. Chas. S. Earrett.
Jear Sir:—I wish to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of February IS,
1910, submitting si : great issues in
which the Farmers' Educational and Co-
operative Union of America is deeply 'in-
terested.
I sincerely thank you for calling these
subjects to my attention and for your
views concerning tlie same. Assuring
you that they shall have most careful
consideration at my hands, I remain,
Tours very truly,
reed SMOOT.
VIRGINIA.
Washington, D. C-, March 10, 1§10.
Mr. C. S. Barrett.
Dear Sir —I am this morning In receipt
of your letter of March the 8th. calling
my attention to the fact that I had not
replied to yours of Feb. 21st. Thu fact
is that when I received your first men-
tioned letter I was too full for utterance.
I claim to be a fairly reasonable pe-son,
but your letter filled my aoul with r.flht-
eous indignation. In the first place, I do
not recognize your authority to inter-
rogate mc along the lines Indicated In
your letter. 1 am responsible for my
offi ial actions to my constituents in the
Third Congressional District of Virginia,
and I cheerfully answer every inquiry
they make of me. I have heretofore In-
variably declined to anhwer letters of
the character of yours, but In high rev-
erence (?) for your position of President
of so important and far-reaching Asso-
iation of Farmers, maintaining a 'Leg-
Ulative Bureau" In Washington, I ven-
ture modestly to give you answer to •
few of your Inquiries.
1st. I would like to abolish all gam-
bling of every character, but I must
frankly say that I am not in favor of,
and will not support, any of the bill*
now before the Agricultural Committee
dealing with futures In Grain and Cot-
ton. believing that they would not ef-
fect the purposes In view.
2nd. I have not as yet seen any Par-
cel Post bill; am Informed that none
lms been introduced, and I am not pre-
pared to say how I would stand
3rd. I am opposed to Postal Savlnge
I Banks.
I am In favor of restricting For-
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Armstrong, J. K. The Farmers Union Advocate (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 28, 1910, newspaper, April 28, 1910; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc98657/m1/4/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.