The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-07
HAD A JOLLY TINE
Legislators Treated Royalty
on Their Excursion.
BARNES Is WORKED UP
Over the Alleged SIowness of
the Investigators.

Guthrie, 0. T. Feb. 6.-(SDecial)-Con-
sidering the gay time and continued round
OF pleasure accorded by the citizens Of
Oklahoma City and Chandler Saturday and
Sunday. the members appeared none the
worse for their experience when the legis-
lature convened this afternoon. The
weather was bitterly cold when the lesis-
lative visitors reached Oklahoma City Sat-
urday afternoon, nevertheless the citizens
were on hand with carriages and drove
their guests to the compress, oil wells,
stock yards and other evidences of the
city's growth and prosperity. At night
there was a reception at the opera house,
and speeches, which was followed up with
a generous winning and dining and more
speeches. Sunday morning the legislative
guests were rendered a special train by the
Frisco railroad to visit the new town OF
Stroud, stopping at Chandler for dinner.
The reception at both of these towns was
of most cordial nature.
The investigating committee will prob
ably commence active work tomorrow. 1t
is the present intention of the committee
TO hold daily sessions until the work in
hand is completed, even though it neces-
state the absence of the committee mem
bers from their other legislative duties.
The committee meetings Will be open 10
the public Governor Barnes is consider
ably exercised over the leisurely methods
of the committee in getting ready for work
and IS reported to have used emphatic Ian
guage in the presence of a committee of
members who called at the executive office
to consult with him on various measures
now pending in the legislature. 1t is said
that the governor expressed himself very
decidedly that he would discuss no mat
ters of legislation until the investigating
committee showed some disposition to COM
mence the work for which it had been
created; that so far during the session
his administration had been pilloried be-
fore the public gaze as corrupt and rotten,
and he did not propose to have this club
held over him through the balance of the
session, and just so soon as the investigat-
ing committee showed a disposition to
commence work he would be ready to talk
over their measures with the mmebers.
In the council this afternoon the clerk
read communication from the Oklahoma
Book and Statfoners' association protesting
against the passage Of the bill to annul
the contract ade by ex-Auditor Nichols
with the American Book company on the
ground that such action would be detri-
mental to the people of the territory in
destroying he value of school books now in
he hands of pupils as we'll as those in the
hands of dealers. The protest sets forth
that the value of the school books in the
hands of pupils of Oklahoma at the pres
ent time is s1500O0. The stocks in the
hands Of dealers is estimated at 81, 900
and any law necesitating a change of
books would entail a loss of 80 per cent
of the books in the hands of pupils and 80
per cent of the books in the hands OF the
dealers; besides necessitating an expense
of the entire cost Of whatever books would
be placed in use. II is further represented
that any change made in school books
would result In disorganizng the school
until teachers and pupils could secure the
necessary books. and a change from terri
torial uniformity would affect, as 10 .ex-
pense, all who made a change, and would
render it more difficult to get supplies for
the school. The protest sets forth that
the school patrons are not clamoring for
an opportunity to throw away the books
they now have in order to get an oppor-
tunity to purchase new ones.