The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-12-27
HASKELL ON COUNTIES
CONTINUED from Page u

mad tho better.
why,
because the longer the making of
counties Is delayed the greater would
Dc tn ccst Of transcrlblng records.
so thst eae. coenty may have its land
titles IN Is own county. and that the
Itoua organization when effected
and Us officers elected should be OF a
pcrnan II nature. Again. when the
constitutional convention completed
this work and the people, by their
| lto.a ratified the constitution. the ques-
ton is settled and except for such oc-
lcasicn1i Change in years to come. as
dos uecsT frCm time to time In any
STATE, lly the occasional change OF n
ccpnty line, the question ceases to
agitate the public mind Had II been
possible in tho exercise OF common
sense to defer this qnestln for future
] legislatures to determine, 1t would
have been continuance also of agita-
tion and politics Id have been
swept aside at every election and
members of the lcgisl turo would have
been elected in almost every locality
solely upon the groind OF where they
favored locating permanent county
lines IN their neighborhood. Every
session OF the legislature would have
become a lobbying and log-rolling
match on the county boundary ques-
tion, and ten years would not have
seen the end of the legislative aglta-
ton, and thousands OF dollars would
have been consumed In needless ex-
! penses transferring records, holding
elections and all such procedure, iaci-
dent TO alleged temporary counties.
The idea Or temporary counties was
only born in the mind oil tho man who
tries to dodge the sensible determine
tion of public questions. The man
who fears to do his official duty and
who belongs to that class who have
pat the Democratic party in the atti.
tude whero Republicans for years
have charged the Democracy with be-
ing a party OF Collectors only, and
not a party of sensible action or de.
termination II is time that the Dem
ocratic party demonstrate its ability
to take up public questions and fear
lessly consider and dispose OF them in
stead of temporlzing and evading the
discharge of public duty. The sole
question for the convention to have
determined in this case was that OF
making a sensible and practically per-
manent county map. Upon the charac-
ter Of the county map and the number
OF counties, men differ At first
thought you yield TO the clamor for
largo counties.
Why?
Because yDr hear il said that large
counties mean a smaller rate OF tax
alton than small copnties. Thir state
ment is not true, as you will find from
an examination of like conditions in
older states. Guessing on this sub ject
Is wholly Unnecessary. II is were true
that the larger the county the lower
the rate of taxation, then make the
whole state into one county, and enjoy
! The abusrdity of travelling hundreds
al miles to attend TO yoaf public duties
and yOlr county seat business
OF course this is so absurd that nc
Estate has ever tried It.
There is no demand for extremely
large counties, except from two classes
of people, First the Republicans, who
lOf course, made up their mind to criti
else this convention no matter what II
might do. Second, the court house
ring, which infests every county un
less the people keep in such dose
torch with the county affairs that the
court house CRATER Is driven from his
roOst by the vigilance OF the public
lOw readers viii readily realize that
in a moderate sized county, say 2l
miles square, the people OF the whole
county beo acquainted with one
lanother, meet frequently at the county
seat and by reason OF Intimate ac
lquaintance take the affairs OF the coun
lty into their own hands and care.
fully watch the doings Of the county
lOfiicers. Frequent communication be
tween the peoIle OF the whole county
depriyes the court house ring OF the
opportunity to graft and otherwise
impose upon the tax payer. whereas
IN an extremely large county like
Woods Woodward or Greer. for ex
ample. we venture there are men liy
Ing thirty or forty miles north Of IN,
cC'nty seat who do not know a single
citizen living like distance south o
the cornty scat Many men who have
not been In the opposite end OF the
county. indeed only small ier cen
OF yon who live thirty OF lorty miles
from your county seat, rarely eve
! Nlsit Il and consequently the people
OF such county are comparative
strangers 20 one another. Reader
such q condition Is the grandest op
portunity q court house ring coul,
possibly enjoy Il leaves them com
paauvely free 10 manipalate the al
fairs Of your county. aided only by an
occasional Citizen from the remote
parts OF the county together viii
those who live close 10 the count!
seat
The government OF srch a count!
corld not possibly be sufficiently clos
10 the whole people 10 insure thei
! protection Is Il amy wonder that thl
+ clamor goes vp from the court housl
: ring Ike unto the thunder OF nan.
T cannon when they fear that their op
q artunity Is 10 be destroyed By reduc
ling the counties 10 sach reasonable