Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-15
FoRhl0OEt CAPITAL
Oklahoma Proposes to Make
Seat Of Government Unique
Among States.
WILL SELECT A VIRGIN SIZE
All Public Institutions to be Grouped
on Tract of Ground Planned
on Ideal Lines.

Shall the people of oklahoma erect
an ideal capital city. in which would
be grouped all the state institutions.
or shall they be distributed over the
state In separate locations. as sort
of pap to each section? is u question:
that is now being agitated throughout
the new state. writes q MuSkOgee q |
u correspondent of the Chicago Post.
Argument for the. united plan pre-
sents the opportunity of building city
that would be the only one Of its kind
in the world, where every building and
its surrounding grounds could be laid
out on a plan of absolute pernlanency
and with relation to its surroundings
and its contemporary state institutions.
This plan, it is asserted. would save
the taxpayers of the state $5,000,000,
or $50 for each voter in the state.
For the other plan it is argued that
certain towns In the state would be
given one institution each, and the
state would thereby divide it's property
and extend certain state interest to
the various counties where such insti-
tutions were located
Residents of cities where there are
hopes of landing some state building
favor the latter plan. The average
citizen, who has no favorite town,
wants the state buildings centralized
under the ideal city plan.
Some of the strongest men in the
state are working on the ideal capital
city plan. They propose to have the
state elect nonpartisan commission
which shall have entire charge of the
work of building this city. 1t is pro-
posed the state shall condemn two or
three townships as 4 site within fifty
miles of the exact geographical CEN
ter and then let the commission Sc
lect the most advantageous city loca-
ton out of this prescribed area.
Expert engineers and architects
would be employed to lay out the site
and place the grounds for each build
ing in a general scheme with the 9TH
er institutions. Here would be locat-
ed the state capitol, the penitentiary,
the asylum. normal schools, agricultur-
al college, some of the experiment sta
lions, school of mines and other inSti-
tutions supported or endowed by the
state. When all the land necessary
| for the state buildings should be Segre
gated the remainder could he laid off
in town lots and sold for residences or
| business f.f s Nv y ~
Could Sell s5,OO0.O0O worth of Lots.
| Conservative town site men say that
! in this manner the state could sell at
the first sale S500O.oO0 worth of lots,
| which would be available for the con-
struction of the state buildings By
1 other plans the taxpayers must pay
| for the buildings. In addition to this.
rs the city grew additions could be
laid out and sold by the commission,
and the state would have big income
| from these sales for many years.
In addition to the state buildings, the
| commission would also control the
municipal property. The state would
own and operate all street car, light
water, telephone and other municipal
franchise properties. AS the streets
are laid out water and sewer mains
telephone and telegraph wires are tc
be laid under the streets in conduits
and the street once made would sell
dom have to be disturbed-in Other
words, as the city builded it would
conform as near as possible to modern
methods and requirements.
70 carry this plan into effect it vii
be necessary for the Legislature to cal
an election for the people to vote the
!, needed power to a commission or Other
| body to have charge of the proposition
1t is believed that the first state legls
lature will consider such call.
The enabling act provides that the
/. state capital shall remain at Guthri,
until 1913. This gives five years for ;
, decision as to a permanent capital
This would also give time in which
this comprehensive plan of a mode
capital city could be carried into effect
Corridor Cars For India.