The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-01-19
Guthrie Bankers Address
to American Bankers
Association

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Guthrie, who responded for Oklaho-
ma on the roll call OF states The
address was as follows
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentle
men ] want you to understand that
/ represent the baby Of the United
States and that it is the hottest baby
in the Bunch Oaughter and aD-
plauseJ oklahoma is but lildo under
stood, apparently, from the inquiries
made by the delegates of this conveu-
ton The word Oklahoma is Of In
dian derivation and according to In-
dian traditions may mean. Home Of
the redman, or the Beautiful land
or the Land Of Homes" Any Of
these definitions would apply with the
Indian theory of the meaning Of the
word
In 1889 a small part OF the Indian
territory about the size of the COM
bined areas Jf the state OF Rhode Is
land and Delaware, was opened to SET
tlemert under the name Of Oldahoma.
In 1899 congress established the
territory of Oklahoma During The
succeeding years additional lands
have been ced-d and added until now
the Oklahoma part OF the Indian ter
ritory comprises $4,000 square miles,
an area about equal to that of Ohio,
Kentucky or Indiana. We still have
81 600 more square miles to add when
we will be a state of 10000 square
miles. The lands not yet ceded are
well populated. have good towns, rail
roads, banks, business of every kind
ana only await final arTangements
before becoming a part of Oklahoma.
In 1900 we had population Of SOo.-
600 people. Since that, some reserva-
tions have been opened to settlement
and it is safe to say that now there
are over million people living with
in our boundaries Many of you have
but little idea of the size of our fu-
ture state Why let me tell You.
that we can use this book as a center
and call It the state of MainC. add
New Jersey on the south, Massachu-
sets on the east, New Hampshire and
Vermont on the north, Connecticut
on the west and FIJI up the cracks.
and corners with delaware and Rhode
Island and then you have just abodt
the size of Oklahoma bigger than Al
the New England states
When it comes to banking we have
in territorial and national banks az
gether 4S9 in number Captain Fletch-
er was boasting that Arkansas had
1l7 banks Now we are not in the
habit Of Dragging ont IN Oklahoma
0aughter) yet facts speak for them
selves. Our banks have on deposit
an average of about $40 per capita
In the school population, we have
250,000 school children, We have
more school children than the com
bined population of Wyoming, Idaho
and Nevada We have more popula-
tion than the combined population Of
Wyoming Idaho Montana evada
Utah and Delaware. Still we are not
much known and the gentleman who
prepared these banners, decorated
this hall, representing the different
states did not seem to know that Ok
lahoma was on the map Laughtc
and applause)
We are eXpansionists and ! pre-
sent myself as living example Of
the beauties of that doctrine
Oaughter)
have only one word TO say IN con
clusion and that IS that the people
here from New England and from 9TH
er eastern and southern states have
little idea of the magnitude of this
young territory Of ours-in fact, they
have so little knowledge OF the mag
nitude Of it that It is absolutely EN-
barrassing to me to stand up here
and explain that Oklahoma is in the
entire center of the Louisiana pur.
chase and while our friend Kneisley
OF Toleda. has haa a great deal to
say about the state Of Ohio, want
TO say that the first nineteen years of
my life, never was outside of that
state. but after living thirteen years
in oklahoma ! feel like this I will
never go back to Ohio, or hacl, on her
either Laughter and prolonged APP
plause)