The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1907-12-03

| wheat grown so successfully on
the same farm. AS an exponent
of scientific farming, Oklahoma
bids fair to outdo any state in
the Union No less than II per
cent. of the entire population is
engaged in agricultural pursuits,
these mostly made up of success
full and energetic farmers of the
Middle West or from Texas. who
have added to the natural re-
/ SOU ces of the country thrift and
modern methods. Even the bar
rem districts of the western part
of the State will be developed by
means of irrigation, for Okla
homa has So, 200 900 to her cred
it in the national irrigation fund
and projects for irrigating Green,
Kiowa and Beaver counties are
already we'll under way.
AS a gas and oil producer Ok
lahoma will supply 20 per cent
of the American output of petro-
leum. Two pipe lines connect
the fields with Kansas refneries
and the expenditure for develop
ment cf oil and gas has been
more than $4,000, 600. The best
coal is found in the eastern, or
Indian Territory side of the
State, though in the part that
was f rmerly Oklahoma Terri
tory some deposits have proved
profitable. In the Indian Terri
tory side the annual output of
coal reaches about 5000 900 tons
and its mining gives employ
ment to 5000 men and boys
Oklahoma is lacking, how yer,
in any precious metals, so far as
is known. Her salt and gyp-
sum deposits are extensive and
she can supply the world with
cement for generations to come.
In the Wichita Mountain region
is found an inexhaustible supply
of fine granite and building
stone.
AS Oklahoma grew under ter
ritorial regime, ruled by Federal
officers, her desire for Statehood
became manifest several years
ago. This increased to a general
clamor. and IN Dec. 5, 1905,
Bird S. Mcclure, the Territorial
Delegate, introduced the State
hood bill in the lower house of
congress, and after much ha-
rangue and amending it was
passed, providing for the en-
trance of Oklahoma Territory
and Indian Territory as a state
into the Union, under the name
of Oklahoma. According to its
provisions the capital is to re-
main at Guthrie until 1910, and
then it's future location will be
decided by a vote of the people.
The passage of the bill was
marked with celebration in the
territories rarely equalled in real
enthusiasm and patriotic fervor
When the news was flashed over
the wires from Washington it
was the signal for a general fir
ing of guns, ringing of tells,
footing cf whistles and other
n oi S Y demonstrations. The
Land of the Fair Coo" for a
day and night was converted
into a bedlam, dotted with bon
fires and punctured with the
flash of firearms. Every citizen
who could walk, joined in pro-
cessions which passed round and
round the streets, yelling, wa V
ing flags. shaking hands and
discharging revolvers that had
seen service in the days of the
rush.
Then Oklahoma got busy on the
preliminary-the preparations
for the official birth of the new
state. From the 10 districts
provided for in the bill, delegates
were elected to the Constitution
al Convention which assembled
at Guthrie. Here the native
'silver tongued'' orators spilled
eloquence all over the convention
hall, threw ink wells at at each
other in true Western style ano
passed the lie on several oc.
casions. But despite it all they
Hnallxy J.o ftad n ol.,c+1+,,E.o,-