Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-24

boulevards. until. though not so large, it
has more modern pavement than such ciffeS
rs Dallas, Tex, or Lincoln. Neb. !, has an
electric street railway system unsurpassed
In the southwest. with interurban connec-
tons under construction In three directions.
Its up-to-dateness. cleanliness and health
fulness. as well as its superior geographical
location led TO It's selection as one of the
I'VE division headquarters of the United
States army the other four beng New
York. Chicago. St. Louis and San Francisco
There Is some interesting history Goa
nected with, capital location controversy in
Oklahonlas The original boomers. Capts.
Payne and Couch. Sam Croker Gen ] u,
Weaver and Sydney Clark and others had
selected as the site for a great city point
on the North Canadian river. and VIXEN
the Santa Fe railroad built through In
1887 they established water tank and
station there and called Il Oklahoma. Thir-
" miles north, near the Cimarron. they
established another station and water
tank. naming II Guthrie. after one or the
stockholders or attorneys OF the road When
President Garrison. by proclamation. OPEN
ed the country TO settlement the Kansas
people had no trouble IN securing the loc9-
ton of the first land office al Guthrie and
II was announced as the coming city. Con-
sequently ON opening day 1900 or $1,000
people went there. and only about 10000 at
Oklahoma
But many or the men who had fought
for years TO secure the opening OF fhe
land to white settlement went to okla
t'!tid- Inc government conceded them N
post office, and oklahoma City started
upon its marveiously successful career.
While the people there were little slow
about securing favors from Uncle Sam.
they secured during their second year tho
nrst cross railroad in the territory. tho
Choctaw Coal and Railway Company's line
and from that time their business prosper
lty In the territory has been very great
The people of the territory remained for q
year without any authorized government
When Congress framed an organic act
Tor them in 1890 Il named Guthrie as tho
meeting place for the first session Of tho
legislature. The first bill passed located
and established the permanent seat of gov
eminent at Oklahoma City. Gov. Steele OF
Indiana, who resided I'm the territory only
during his incumbency of the governors
office in long message alleging manifold
objections, vetoed the bill Another bill
was passed meeting the objections. also
again locating the capital at oklahoma
City. II was again vetoed. A third bill
was passed locating tho capital at King
fisher.
The Next Move
The next move was to secure In each subs
sequent appropriation bill passed by Con-
gress proviso to the section appropriating
for the expenses of the Oklahoma legisla-
ture forbidding the legislature to remove
the capital from its present location. Thus
1t is that OF all the territories that have
ever been candidates for statehood Okla
the right to locate its capital where IL
chose. But there was still another move
-Four years ago II happened that tho
Guthrie partfsans made a combine which
gave them control of the legislature for
once, and they at once tried to evade tho
spirit of the congressional prohibition. The
whole time of a legislative session until the
last day was taken up with public build
ing Bill which sought 10 give to various
towns the insane asylum, penitentiary re-
form school and various charitable institu-
tons, supreme court building to be erect
ed at Guthrie. This in the face of the fact
that a statehood bill was pending in Con-
gress providing for the immediate or event.
ual union Of Oklahoma and the Indian Ter
rItory. This public building bill got
through the legislature by one vote, but
was vetoed by the governor. Since then
Congress has also inserted in each appro-
priation bill that the Oklahoma legisla ture
should make no appropriation for any pub
lie buildings. So Il is now necessary when
ever an addition to an existing normal
school or the university is necessary, to
get a special bill through Congress permit
ting the legislation.
Now the people OF Oklahoma and Indian
Territory want to be left free to settle the
matter by popular vote, fair 10 all at an
early date. and get down to the solid work
of upbuilding their new commonwealth