The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-05-06
SOME PERTINENT POINTS

THE LEADER is in receipt of a com
munication from gentleman who has
been sojourning in the Capital City for
some weeks-a man Of varied business
experience, who has travelled far and
observed much, aud so pertinent are
his points, so valuable his suggestions,
that 1t is with pleasure that we give
his communication place in our edi-
toral columns, and urge its careful
perusal by every business man and
every progressive citizen Of Guthrie
and Oklahoma. 1t is as follows:
EDITOR LEADER If you will pardon
the presumption OF "a stranger within
yonr gates" in attempting to give your
city advice, would like to say few
words that are of vital interest to
every citizen of Oklahoma You are n
new country, a new people, and as
such have had the experiences OF all
new places, and now that the boom is
over the country has an opportunity
for steady, natural growth, hut like
all other "infents" it must be fed, and
to this end am happy to see that the
business men and the club men are
ioini-ey La~de. ~~I - - - tLo-., i.a
their efforts, that | desire to speak.
l have been considerable Of traveller
in this and other countries, but have
when decided, few weeks ago, to
come here, / began to look up statis-
ties, facts, data, etc. in regard TO it.
| inquired of the news agents, con-
suited the newspapers, / visited the
public library, | talked with the
agents of the various railroads through
the territory, and in each and every
place | was disappointed in finding
what | wanted-information found
practically absolutely nothing OF a
satisfactory or reliable nature; now 1
suppose that there are thousands of
others whose business requires that
they should visit, or pass through,
your territory, and who are in similar
positions, Something should be done
to enable such persons to obtain the
Information they desire; again, IL the
information were collated and ready
for them, it could be used to attract
others; those who might, perhaps, be
looking for place for investment, for
place in which to settle, for pla
in which to establish some business,
and TO all such information would be
very welcome. | can find nothing even
here in the capital of the Territory
that is satisfactory; nothing that is
complete; no maps, no statistics, prop
erly collated; in fact, no reliable in.
formation.
Mr.. f. p. Burlingame said in his ad-
dress last Friday evening: every
thing that we possess, or that we shall
ever have, is the product of the ground
whether animal, mineral or vegeta-
ble." This is so, ana, consequently,
what is required to make the value of
Oklahoma increuse is TO increase the
productiveness of the groHnd, get more
farmers, get more stock raisers, get
more delivers after the mineral wealth;
and TO do this invite the people of the
world to come to you. Tell them
what you have waiting for them, tell
them where you are; tell them how to
reach your territory, tell them what
and how large your cities and towns
are, tell them about your schools,
churches banking, railroad and other
facilities; let them know that al
though young, you are fully grown,
fully developed in all that is necessary
for free. safe, progressive citizenship.
let then know your resources Of all
kinds; your climate, your streams,
your timber, your mountains, etc, and
tell them this in a concise, accurate
manner Don't overdraw the picture;
don't make the feast too attractive:
but state plain facts, facts that can
be, that have been, lived up TO;
prepare these facts, Sthese statistics,
and send them where they will do the
most good, and that is, everywhere.
There are but two kinds Of people in
this world, men and women, and they
are what you want in Oklahoma, not
the booming, rushing class, but the
sober, earnest, industrious class, the
class that will come to you to stay. to
n Y est, to settle down to live and work !