The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-10
A ROMANCE OF STATE MAKING
The Growth Of Oklahoma Territory
Three Years Old.


she will have made the quickest race
on record from the Territorial con
dition to Statehood. The short his
tory Of Oklahoma is the romance of
State making. The act Of creating the
Territory was approved by the Presi.
dent on May ?, 1890, By the census
of that year the Territory had little
less than 62,ooo inhabitants. Two
years later a commission, including the
Governor of the Territory, was APP
pointed to make a new estimate OF the
population. The Governor, IN his re.
port to the Secretary of the INTERIOR
dated one year ago, declared the popu
lation, according to the estimate OF
Iune goth, to be I53,Ioo, not includ-
ing about $500 Indians living on
tribal reservations.
The latest official statistics of Okla
homa are contained in that report of
the Governor The report for the
current year will not be given out fer
nearly two months, but the statistics Of
a year ago read like fairy tale, and
those of this year will tell the same
story with heightened details. Counties
A, B, c, d, E, f and g. down in the
Federal census of 1890 as unlnhablted,
had in 1892, according to the Commits
sioners report, $500 inhabitants.
Canadian, Cleveland and Payne coun
ties had doubled in population. Logan,
Oklahoma and Kinghsher counties had
gained respectively S. per cent, oo per
cent and 90 per cent OF the popu-
lation, IS per cent was white, 10 per
cent. colored and S per cent Indian,
while nearly all were native-born and
nearly every State of the Union was
represented.
The increase in population is an
index to the increase in matter. Only
the Indians, whom the Governor re-
ports idle, thoughtless and unambltious,
though generally law abiding, stood still.
For every 90 acres of farmland settled,
60 acres were under cultivation. The
total assessed value of property In the
Territory was about SII,soo, 900, a
gain Of more than 81, 500, 900 in one
year As the assessment was made
upon two-third valuation, the true
value was more than $1,000, 900.
Town lots were valued al S3,848, 900,
and the $1,000 acres subject to taxa
ton averaged in assessed valuation
So 65. There were 2I,S6S homesteads
of $500, 900 acres unassessed in COun-
ties A. B. Beaver, Canadian, Cleveland,
Kinghsher, Payne and Oklahoma. De
Quoting school lands and Indian allot-
ments the unassessed lands in these
counties were worth $2I, 6oo,o 900 Of
these, -fifths will be subject to taxa
ton in the fiscal year 1894, SO that
the Governors estimate of the total
taxable value of the year is $40, 900, 900
Further opening up of unsettled lands
had added vastly to the wealth and
population of the Territory.
When Oklahoma was scarcely two
years old the Territory seemed to have
acquired, in more or less rudimentary
form, all the institutions of long
organized community. 1t started out
with wholesome fear of public indebt
edness, and most of the public officers
were housed inrented buildings. Each
county, however, possessed a jail, and
one had built Court House by private
subscription There were already
seven national banks, six Territorial
banks, and fourteen private banks. with
a known and estimated capital of near y
$500, 900.
The story of the Oklahoma pubic
schools, colleges and universities is the
most interesting chapter, because the
most astonishing, in the progress Of this
community Public schools of primary
character were organized in nearly all
parts of the Territory as soon as the
people had found breathing spell, SO
that by 1892 there were nearly 40, 900
children going to school, gain Of more
than 1880 in a single year. The
Federal Government had authorized
the retention for the endowment of
schools of two sections in each town
ship. A Territorial university was
established at Norman, Cleveland
county; a normal school for the train
ing Of teachers at Edmund, Oklahoma
county and provision was made for an
agricultural college at Saltwater, Payne
county, this institution to be endowed
by the Federal Government, as are
agricultural colleges in all the States
and Territories.
The best farms, according to the
Governors report, yielded as high as
forty-four bushels of wheat and II8
bushels Of oats to the acre, and the
Territory can produce cotton, tobacco,
and all the products Of adjoining
regions north, south, east and west
Farmers were building substantial per
manent homes, and social life was
already taking on a curious mimlcry OF
older communities. The Governor
named nearly score of beneficial So.
cieties as organized within the Terri,
tory. These included Masons, Odd
Fellows, Knights Of Pythias and the
Chautauqua Circle. Perhaps the
strongest argument against mere ma
terial progress as indicative Of a Terri
tory's fitness for Statehood is contained
in The GOvern1r's CautiOuSlv worded