The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-12-23
TOWNSHIP.

struggle with imp0sSibilitieS. Any
given number of square acres may
be blocked out and laid off in town
lots, and any amount of money
may be invested in making a town
and any number of population
may fill up such allotted space.
Still it will remain simply locality
until it can exercise such fran
chises as complete the purposes of
its existence. 1t must be clothed
with such rights as give protection
to the prosperity, and the capital
invested, and the health of its
population Struggling along
with its titles in doubt, with its
business more or less unprotected
by any local authority its
people disfranchised, with nothing
but federal laws and federal courts
and L. S. marshals to execute
police regulations. Such a town
is only town by toleration and
not by chartered franchises. There
is nothing to distinguish it from
the Territorial space all round it
except the lines run out by survey.
1t is not town in any legal sense.
1t can neither sue nor be sued. 1t
can neither assume jurisdiction
over its population nor be held
responsible for their protection
1t can execute no police, no Sani
tary regulations. No earthly
authority is responsible for the
condition of its streets or the
health of its people. The conse-
quence must ultimately be the
garbage thrown out will decay and
rot. The streets will be clods and
ruts in dry weather and in rainy
weather viii t. rn to mud and mis-
cry. One hundred and sixty acres
of business is the average town
site in the Territory.
1t is safe to say that no town
that struggles with such disabii-
ties, that is hampered with such.
difficulties, that can do nothing
and is responsible for nothing;
can ever have dummy lines. elec-
tric lights or water works. Pos
sessing none of the franchises it
can confer none or few of the
privileges and immunities Of civil
lied life. 1t can only prolong
strangulated existence, struggling
with impossibilites. No public
enterprise will venture into dis
couraging conditions. No manu-
featuring of any kind will be at
tempted and only such trade is to
be expected as agriculture in its
precariOus and anomalous condi-
ton in the Territory will justify.
Leases, quit claims and intermar-
riage with Indians being the only
ways that real estate can be held
in the Territory there can be little
done for the towns until the town
sites are taken out of this state of
uncertainty Much capital has
been invested, it is true, but it has
ventured upon precarious cOndi-
tions. 1t has done much for the
people in the Territory The in
dustry of white men has done
much for the civilization of the
Indians as a race; and the town.
sites as centers of trade and edu-
cation most imperatively need such
chartered franchises as will enable
them to assert corporate exiS-
tence and extend over their popu-
lation the care and protection of
person and property Without
this law is impotent or unable to
conserve the public welfare.
The condition Of things in the
Territory, the amount of capital
invested in townsites, the steadi-
ly increasing population that is
gathering at these places of trade
and business. demand that an
adequate remedy be applied at one.
Townsites should be available for
legitimate purposes. The towns
ought to be possessed of such fran
chises as will give an adequete
assurance 10 invested capitnl. an