The Washington herald., 1907-11-07

@Aeg COlne lIOu lne Ol0eE anu NlOlt
crowded agricultural States into this
great. wide country They are building an
empire richer than has ever been erectedI
on foundation OF blood and heroes. They
are the conQuerOrs of peace. and their
weapons are work and intelligence. Texas.
the most wonderful of States. is the
promised land 10 a large proportion of
these homeseekers. Oklahoma Invites them
all. and hundreds Of thousands have ac-
cepted since the good year 1907 began
Each alternate Tuesday the railroads run
special trains. 90 accommodate thousands
who have taken advantage of special
'homeseekers' rates" to see the South
west
Railroad managements may be guilty or
many sins FOR which they deserve punish
ment, but IL is not less true that they
should be given the credit for many acts
of virtue. No section In the country is
more strict in It's regulation of the rail-
roads than the Southwest The Interstate
Commerce Commission was developed
from an idea which first saw the light Of
the forum IN Texas. The constitution OF
the new State of Oklahoma goes far be-
yond all previous records In assuming
control and direction of railroad affairs.
Yet the railroads must be given the
credit for the founding of this new en-
pire. They have pushed their sinuOus
paths across the trackless plains. which
covered their riches under the cloak Of a
desert. AS the railroads advanced. towns
and cities arose The desert cloak was
ripped off. and there lay millions OF acres
Of fertile land. awaiting the tiller Of the
soil The railroads knew that this coun-
try must have people If IL was 10 make
business. Therefore they have sent agents
10 tell the farmers Of other States of the
fortunes awaiting them here. They have
given them cheap tickets If they desired
10 have look. The railroads have spent
thousands and thousands Of dollars ad-
vertising the glories and opportunities of
the Southwest Their reward is IN the
traffic, which is now greater than they
can handle. developed from country not
two decades old.
AT the Oklahoma State fair a farmer.
Vincent Anderson. occupied 1900 square
feet of space with the exhibit of his sin
gle farm. He has 240 acres within ten
miles of Oklahoma City. Last month he
showed no less than 312 varieties OF farm
products which he had grown this season
on that one farm. And there were five
crops of alfalfa from the same ground
and two crops Of potatoes. the first yield
Ing 125 bushels 10 the acre and the second
between 50 and 100 bushels.
Oklahoma already ranks sixth among
the cotton producing States It will soon
rfc II ~. T.. ~
ritory cotton has been grown for more
than sixty years. In Oklahoma proper It
IS quite new thing Oklahoma was set
tied By Texans. who imagined they were
going too far north for cotton. and by
Kansans and Misscurians. who never
thought of cotton as a crop. A Kansas
negro politician established Il negro town
near Guthrie and peopled it with mem
bers Of his race from Georgia. The town
was a failure. and the Georgia negroes
shifted about the neighbOring country.
One old nanny had brought 4 handful
OF cotton seeds from her Southern home.
She planted them, that she might have a
little cotton 'jes' to look at The plants
were 50 thrifty that some Of the negroes
persuaded a Guthrie man TO buy some
cotton seed Thus the cotton planting
began. This year the crop will be worth
more than $30,0O0OO0.
An experimenter planted some broom
corn seed few years ago. The success
was quite wonderful and it was found
that the soil was peculiarly adapted TO
the plant. Already oklahoma produces
more broom corn than any other State.
and the growers sell their product at
prices which are very profitable Pea
nuts are beginning 10 receive much atten-
tion, and it has been discovered that
some lands will produce more dollars to
the acre IN peanuts than in any other
crop. Therefore, the peanut business is
on a decided boom, not only IN Okla
homa, but in Texas. In the Lone Star
State Bill Sterret has concealed himself
behind the breastworks OF the state
press" in the Dallas News and is leading
the hosts OF the peanut boomers on 10
certain victory.
The Elberta peach has displayed such a
fondness for Oklahoma soil that il is in
imminent danger OF being re-christened
"the Oklahoma peach" Apples are
grown extensively. and some OF the best
orchards in the Southwest are to be
found in Oklahoma. This year. however.
the old State of Arkansas is wearing the
apple-growing medal. the value OF which
is measured in millions Of dollars.
But not in agrlcultUre/and horticulture
does Oklahoma place all her faith Her
mineral wealth Is beginning to be de-
veloped. Her coal and oil and gas fields
are not TO be surpassed in the country.
This means fuel in plenty. and while few
factories have come as yet. the citizens
OF the new empire believe that it is but
a matter OF waiting a few years until
Oklahoma Will spin her own cotton, pack
her own cattle, make her own brooms.
and pro~de markets in manufacturing
towns for her own garden produce
Nearly forty years ago, when the In
dians were hunting scalps instead of col
lege degrees. and when the plow share
had not yet cut the virgin soil OF this
new State, an officer Of the United States
army and a company Of FIVE scouts were
crossing the plains about seyenty-ffve
miles west of what is now Oklahoma
City They were surprised by a band OF
a hundred Indians. who were on the
warpath. A desperate fight and a desper-
ate race ensued. Four Of the white men
were killed The officer and one of the
scouts reached the mouth Of a deep ra-
vine. rode into IL and found refuge under
an overhanging clif of white rock. The
scout Amos Chapman, was wounded and
had TO suffer the amputation OF a leg.
He is still in that section OF the country.
The army officer went back to the East
and told a friend OF the fight. Then he
added: 'I believe the Tavine where we
hid and the hills for miles around are