The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-10-19
SAM JONES' LAST
PUBLISHEDLETTE
WRITES ABOUT HIS TRAVELS IN
THE MIDDLE WEST.
IMPRESSIONS OF OKLAHOMA
Thinks That City and All Our Cities
Need a housekeeping, a Street
Cleaning and a Thorough Cleaning,
Physically and Morally, in His opln-
ion.
oklahoma City Letter, 10th, to Allan.
ia Journal.)

oklahoma City Letter, 10th, to Allan
ia Journal.)
Accompanied by wife and two
daughters and my co-workers. We ar
rived here on the morning of Sept.
Both. Brothers Excel, Holcomb and
Smoot, with myself, have been hold
ing three services a day in this city,
in large unfinished department store
which seats about 5000.
Oklahoma City now claims a popu-
lation Of about 10000. It is a typical
Western city, with all the good and all
the bad necessary to make up such a
city. Shrewd business men, wide
awake merchants, lawyers, doctors,
preachers, teachers, ETC., most all too
busy to serve God much, or notice the
! evil-doings of those who would corrupt
and debauch the city. Oklahoma City
is no better and no worse than Wich>
ita, Kans., or Waco, Tex, or Dubuque.
la. OF course this is no compliment to
this city, but in spite of all this lack
of moral tone, the city grows in leaps
and bounds. They add one addition
after another and build splendid
homes, with a splendid street car sys-
tenn and twenty-seven miles of asphalt
pavements, the end is not yet in view
of the growth and development of this,
the city of Oklahoma and Indian Terri
tory. This city is in the very cream
Of the agricultural section of Oklahoma
Territory, about half way between the
black lands of Kansas and the black
prairie lands of Texas, with all the
products of both sections, for here they
grow corn as luxuriously as Iowa or
Kansas; cotton as luxurious as the best
of Texas lands; wheat as much per
acre as Kansas or the Panhandle of
Texas, alfalfa equal to the irrigated
lands of Colorado; watermelons, can
taloupes, fruits and vegetables in all
varieties are grown here as well as
anywhere. If there is a God favored
or God enriched country in the world
surely We are in the midst OF 1t now.
The Constitutional Convention,
whose delegates are soon to be elected
to make the fundamental laws for the
government of this State, will also
soon assemble. The act of Congress
making this State, made Indian Terri
tory prohibition for twenty-one years.
Oklahoma is free to act on that ques-
tion for herself, with the help of In
dian Territory delegates to their Con-
stitutional Convention. 1t is gener-
ally conceded by most of those with
tory delegates will be solid for prohi-
bition, claiming as 9 reason that they
don't want to give Oklahoma advan.
tage, If there be advantage in the IL
quor business, and perhaps a large
minority of the Oklahoma delegates
to their Constitutional Convention will
be in favor of prohibition. Incidental
ly, / am throwing in my best ticks in
favor of the prohibition of the liquor
traffic in this great country. Giving
them the sum of my candid opinion on
the subject, I have said: That del
egate to a Constitutional Convention
who was in favor of the licensed sa-
loon and the debauchery of the State
was not fit to represent a dog kennel
in hell, and this is as Tar as | could
go without cussing. | said to them
that as the issue was made before I
came, that l couldn't be silent on that
subject without being a poltroon; that
/ could not take the side of the So
loon without being a hypocrite, and
that | could not help the side of so
briefly and decency from sheer neces-
sity, not to save my life, but to save
my character.
/ am sure the experience through
which Atlanta has gone for the last
few days has helped the prohibition
side of the question, not only here.
but everywhere The old cry and the
old lie that the sale of whiskey brings
prosperity and that prohibition kills
business and reduces rents and real es-
tate values is being peddled out here
for all it's worth. I don't suppose
there is a business man in Atlanta of
any sense or character who would say
that Atlanta's experience caused
a rise in real estate or put boom on
her business interests. For the life OF
me can't see how that the B. & B.
Co, of Atlant, builds up real estate
values and the crowd that appears be-
fore Recorder Broyles can add any
thing but shame to city. am glad