The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-01-07
MattDuhr'SStOry
OF THE VARIOUS OKLA
HOMA LEGISLATURES
He Attended Every Session
Except The Fourth
Assembly


oldest journalists and milan writer
in the vest is in the city to attend the
legislature. He has been heie dur
ing every session except the fourth /
enc. which No regrets very much q I
mishap Of some kind having i'ept hnl
away. He describes the sessions That
he attended as follows:
The FIRST Oklahoma legislature bris
tied all o,er with rioneer short grass
originality The tai Imposing fora
OF Currau the colored member Of that
body always drew iha aIeftion of
the spectators. w Terrill tho
always d.soutaticus member from
Payne pade .wi,e as many speeches
motions ard I'D other sorts Ct "jaw
smithing." .han an he other mem
hers Of the lower house. ~errll caus
ed the soldiers 10 .rsh srom their
barracks 80 tho legislative meeting
house lwice, aIa both lines qc enched
hrew'ag. boiling mob under Vim
Matthews. the teamed hlacksoitI
from, C;eI,oc aat. thar 40 CO ne vcr9
near agcwicg bellicGsa l''g.ir ont o1
,he third stcr. wianoN anu vas sol.
~ he 7aile, ID dc q. for woolf
have saved Emblys lie and .ogr
county not Icss than . T. )oG 70 lcl-
expenses ca, SCI j. -e ~ .,"h. 4
of En'bly
The first legislative asseui1i iaste
( 12O days There must have tecn ,C s
Of money travelling from Oklahoma
City to Guthrie 1uring those 100 days
3 There was some fine Machiacelliarc
ism displayed dur ne those piping,
capital pulling times. Tie voraeious
Uncle jim said "l co'ild have got a
roll of ten dollar bills as big as my
right leg. but refused 10 tale the
stun. others. however, took lots Of
It," Itwas never quiet on ne Cot
tonwood during the hrst the broncho
busting. flntusteriag assembly The
sergesnt-atarms was often compelled
20 search for chrotio absent members
all over town. Some eastern papers
that pictured the first assembly room.
as a regular. well equipped arsenal
were somew hat eSaggeratins. The
tables wo.e not loalel down with re-
volt ers. aud it is almost certain that
some Of the members did not even
/. carry shooting irons iu their rockets
The ihirl Oklahoma parliament was
unique fcI having been he'd over a
saloon, n the bu.l!ing at present used
for the Logan county offices The
representatives met in the narrow,
elongated probate court room The
wives of majority of The members
attended most of the meetings. aad ii
was ueaily always crowded to smoth.
Grafton. viii Little onicis.t I'd as harm
less okejr of the congeegated wisdom
of the territory: Captain KnPe was
there ana SO we're George Poston am!
sawrn'uer Brown a"the mid eyed pep
without necktie." Poston hecame
famous as the forS most sleeper and
sno-er OF the Third legislative agsTe'
cation. Speaker G. NJ Barnes re
peate.ily ordered the sergeantat-arms
10 awake the snoring gentleman fron'
Blaine. Poston had defeated his op
ponent in a peculiar may He lived in
dugout. took care Of 200 dickens
and dug wells for destitute widows
and orphans He took his chickens
along on the stump. ard after learning
what Republican and Democratic
claimhclders hal no feathered live
stock he promptly drove 10 Their 'ing
. outs. and throwing out scme hens an
ROSTERS. said: The people ave guins
TO elect me to the legislature AMI j
would be hard on my chickens tc let
them stay around my dueout and he,
would fare even worse 10 take then
.ialong with me TO Guthrie u woul'
be hard to recount all the good ANA in
dinerent legislation perpetra'ed 10y
that law maki-g and law spoilia'
body. but the backyard OF Fort Piuzer
rs the cyclcaear structure was Otter
calleL, contained about four wasoi
loads Of empty hecr and soda bottle
the next day after the final self-dis
persine a the intellectual giants
81 The Fourth legislature was held II
IS a smaller, darker and generally les
.s suitable building than it's thFee prs
NJ decessors. Tao representatives hel
their meetings IN vacated chicNe
shcw. While the upner crust brane
met in a thy photograph gallery. Tn
M host Of pretty CLERKS ofteu toes up g.
ie the roam. so thet the noble lcrGs @er
K. compelled to f.ther adioarn OF san
n up and leeR standing The NV
a branches c1n,riged 20 get up seye'