The Washington herald., 1907-11-03

Guthrie, Okla, Nov. 2.-The forty-sixth
star this month bursts through the blue
into the constellation Of Old Glory-Ok-
lahoma, II blazes brighter than any new
star that has ever shown there. for Ok
lahoma Is the richest the most popu-
lous, and the most highly civilized State
ever added to the American Union. 1t
has half as many people as all the thir-
teeR-original colonies could muster when
American Independence was achieved.
Twenty-three OF the States even now have
fewer people, so that Oklahoma begins
its career halfway up the ladder. BY
measure Of population ii is six times
greater than any other State was. at the
time of admission, and by the measure
Of developed wealth it is fifty times
greater than any OF its predecessors on
the threshold of Statehood. AS Minerva
leaped, ful-armed, from the brain Of
Jove, so Oklahoma comes into the Union
full-grcwn State. born Of the best that
al the other states might give.
It is a generally accepted theory that
the comminglIng Of the blood and Gus
toms of all the nations of Europe is re-
sponsIble for the fact that the United
States has taken the commanding po-
sitiOn among the countries OF the world.
The new State Of Oklahoma looks TO
a brilliant future. with firm faith In its
people who have gathered from every
one of the States Of the Union. Mis-
souri,, Kansas, and Texas have given
more than the other States, but there is
not one Of the forty-fve that has not at
least 800 representatives here Rich in
agriculture, rich in mines, and rich in
blood, oklahoma promises the people OF
America that the new star shall never
lose its luster, and that the flag shall
ever be more glorious because Of its
shining there
No other section of the country is SO
much misunderstood as this In the
East, especially. the average man has no
idea OF the wonderful growth and de-
yel0pment Of the Southwest. The pOpu-
lar notion about Oklahoma has been
gained from tales of the famous 'l0l
Ranch" and the press agent explolta-
tions of the Alulhalls. As a matter of
fact, ranch life in Oklahoma is as much
an anachronism as would be an Indian
village in New York's Central Park The
renowned '101'' is a great institution,
prepared 10 furnish ready-made. person
ally conducted, blank-cartridge, wild
western vacations to whOsoeyer viii pay
the price of 81 a week and up. all gun
plays charged extra in the bill The
Mulhan ranch" is nothing more than a
o2l-acre farm in Logan County. half of
which is leased from the school land
board A really, truly ranchman couldn't
take deep breath in $50 acres. The
ranch and the cattleman are numbered
with the things that were, so far as
Oklahoma is concerned. while the home
seekers are attacking their last strong
hold in the Panhandle Of Texas.
Three decades ago the plains of Okla
homa were still Inhabited by roaming
herds Of bunaloes. The bunaloes We're
destroyed. and then came the great
grazing herds Of cattle. They are gone.
too, and Oklahoma raises cattle just as
New YORK state does. Oklahoma is now
carefully nursing O band Of buffaloes.
They arrived two weeks ago in special
cars from the New York Zoo Ia the
Bronx
Those who are not possessed Of the 10
cent-hction idea Of Oklahoma are apt TO
think it a wild Indian country. especially
that part OF the new State which was the
Indian Territory. There is just one way
to see the Indians IN Oklahoma-go 10
their reservations. The. New Yorker will
find it easier 10 visit his own Indians
on Long Island, in the Adirondacks. or
81 Niagara Falls. The citizen of Okla
homSs City is Just as much surprised and
El hs. T-Tf
on his streets as the New Yorker could
be. In fact, the Hippodrome shows have
caused a greater Indian procession
through New York streets for the past
year than a typical Oklahoma town could
stir up.
Ia the Indian Territory section OF the
new State there are many Indians, of
course, but they are not Of the Fenimore
Cooper variety. Many Of them are col
leEe-bred men and women, who take
lively interest in the business. political,
and social life of the day. Many have so
much white blood that their Indian
descent is not at ali apparent Yet they
are Indians, and until recently were. citi-
zens OF some one OF the Five Civilized
Nations There are blanket Indians.
too. but they are rarely to be seen out
side of their own reservations. and there
are fewer of them in the Indian Territory
than in Oklahoma proper. Cowboys and
Indians are what one does not see in
oklahoma
What one does see are the same things
he would see If Massachusetts and Geor-
gia and Ohio and Texas We're all mixed
together. with dash Of Kansas and Cal
ifOrnia for vaTiety's sake He will find
better farm houses. taking them alto
gether. than he can find in any other
OF the States. He will find coal and iron
mines and oil fields that viii remind him
of Pennsylvania, farms on the prairies
that viii remind him of Illinois, farms
among the hills that will remind him of
Virginia. Yet the farm that looks like
Illinois win be growing cotton. and that
viii remind him of Dixie The red hin
farm that looks Ike Virginia may have
all the Virginia crops, and yet the dis
tinctive alfalfa or something else TO i'm
press upon the world that this is Okla
homa.
The Oklahoma farmer must have a
we'll But he has left the moss-covered
bucket to hang only in the well Of men,
CRY and song, for out here he has a
windmill. galvanized iron tank, and
bath tub with running hot and cold
water in the house. Looking from train
windows one viii see that there is rarely
4 farm house that has not It's own water
works system The Oklahoma farmer
tore himself loose from old ideas and old
associations when he came here. He
meets people from everywhere and he
makes all they know his own I stood
n the front door Of a farm house and
looked out over a valley below, in which