The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-03
OKLAHOMA PRODIGY
Will Have Third of a Million
People at Next Census,
ITS SOCIAL CONDITIONS
As Seen by a Chicago News
paper Man.

as follows:
Oklahoma is 10 years Cd, and it IS
unique example of nineteenth century civ
iIization 1t did not appear in the last
census. but in the next it will probably
show something like S25 coo population, for
the last count made by the local enumer-
ator, in 1897, was 81, 400.
The anniversary was not celebrated In
any formal manner except at the town OF
Kingfisher, but it was a great day for
"reminiscences, and the old settlers, VINO
came in with the rush, told US incidents
OF the great event when 10000 people, at
the boom of a gun, started over the oords
Of Kansas and Texas in mad race Tor
homes and fortunes The wave from the
south met the wave from the north at the
Canadian river, so that the northern half
of the territory is settled by northern and
the southern half by southern men, but
1 am told that the latter have been leav-
ing and going back to their old homes in
large numbers. The southern counties Of
Oklahoma at first cast an almost solid
Democratic vote, and the northern coun-
ties were quite as strongly Republican
during the first few years but the south
erners are selling out to northern immi-
grants and the Democratic vote has rap
idly decreased.
Captain Couch the original Oklahoma
boomer, who started the agitation that
opened the territory to settlement and for
whom a monument viii some time be
erected in one of these thriving towns, like
that to Kit Carson at Santa Fe, died with
hissboots on while defending a homestead
claim upon which he had located just out
side Oklahoma City. Adams, the man
who shot him, has just returned from
ten years visit to the Kansas peniten-
tiary where he was sent for manslaught-
er. and is now preparing to fight COUGHS
family in the courts for the title 10 the
property. There is no pententiaTy in Ok
lahoma, and there are no poorhouses or
poorfarms in the territory. The need of
such things has never been felt. Although
there is an impression in the east that
this is a lawless country the reports of the
criminal courts show that the pententiary
population is only 49, and that there was
only one convict last year for every 2,150
of the inhabitants, while in the good state
of Ohio the ratio was one to every 9G2;
in Kansas, one to every 1900, and IN In
diana one to every 1850. There are jails.
or coolers as the people kindly caN
them. in all of the larger towns, but in
the smaller places when man has COM
mitted an offense against society the sher-
if locks him up in a vacant room until
he gets time to take him to court
The people have been so busy building
schoohouses and churches that they
haven't had time TO build courthouses ana
jais, and the territory IS still without a
capitol building; but that is due chiefly to
the rivalry between two or three of the
leading towns to secure the seat of gov
eminent. BY the census last year there
were more than !, 900 Sunday schools. with
an average attendance of 40 600. This is
one church for every 40 of the popula-
ton and one Sunday school for every 81
Ten per cent Of the inhabitants of Okla
hCma are communicates in some church
which is probably larger percentage
than any of the older states can show
but it should be remembered that the ter
ritory was settled by a remarkable class
of people and that on the first day, when
5000 determined men rushed in to seize
the best locations they could find, there
was only one homicide. and the victim
was a Chicago tough" who was shot for
refusing to behave himself He simply
could not be tolerated and a righteous
man. selected by his associates to keep
order. removed" him from the scene.
Last night Governor Barnes, who was
register of the land Office on that mem
orable 81 of April 1850. told us Of his expe-
rience and observations at Guthrie. It
was an extraordinary illustration Of the
se,f-contr0l Of the American people and
their respects for the rights Of others. A
town of 1900 people sprung up on the site
Of Guthrie within two hours. Most OF It's
population were determined men. who had
been waiting weeks, and some Of them
months, on the edge of tbs promised land
for the lonC-coveted permission 10 enter.
Many of them had been "s00ners.' as pre-
mature settlers were termed. and had been
arrested and driven out By the army
Many had already been in as prospectors
and selected the places upon which they
intended 10 locate. and upon some Of the
desirable sites were six, eight and ten
Jumpers" each claiming precedence and
C'amorin- for what he believed % be his
rights.
The crowd reached Guthrie soon after
noon on a dozen special trains, on horse
back and in Al sorts Of vehicles. Before
night they called a mass meeting and
elected n. b DYER. now If Atlanta.
mayor. and 4 board IF aldermen. consist
ing Of one from each Of the states from
which the settlers had come. and more
than two-thi-ds q me states had repre-
seutatives n the crowd TIE next dav
court ~ arbitration was appointed % de-
eide disputes. shotgun tit'es were uo-
recognized. but every claimant submitted
his case in n candid and honorable man
ner. Most of tho decisions q tbs court
mere obeved and accepted as final. ard
the -eral tribunal afterward appointed 5y-
he government confirmed nearly AL =
them. L vas splendid exhibition ~
American enterrrise. AID 4 country set
tied BY that class Of men cannot bu:
prosper. rs Oklahoma has n-7Spersd-
There IS 10 more intelligent Fav-abs5-
ln-. a-o=7-ro--z ~ c1ntented peoo-e o-
earth said Governor Barnes. and p
rer cent are American born. 7 ~ -0- b.
Sieve -hsre Is community i the COUNTY
n similar p10u'atIo1- unless T. be- 81
Maine or Vernon. w5.a a smaller pe--
ce-tsze - foreign e-s. ard wt5se We have
never made an oG-lal inqEiry. 7 Believe
that Oklahoma vii show a smaller -er-
ceatsze ~ .E-ite-a~v -hsn any Other state
or r-i--r n the G-a'o1- We have 7h71t
= 80 partially civilized Indians. a-5 Ps--
hs7s = Pia co,7-es pe77,s VIZ az p-eo-
tra.'y une51rate i. bcr Eoast = fae-e
IL -rAs-r -~ -V---z- - rttz 81