Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-09-04
STATE SONG CONTEST
Plan Proposed to Decide on Okla
homa's Official Lyric.
PRIZE TO BE COMPETED FOR.

Colonel Sidney Sugss Suggests Com
pesers Be Invited to Sing Before the
lsgislature-Question Of State Flow
sr Also to Be Settled-Alfalfa, Mis-
tletoe and Goidenrod Suggested.
II the next Oklahoma legislature,
eonvening early in January of the com.
ing year, does not pull off u singing
match to decide upon tie song to be
adopted as the official air of the state,
IL Will not he the fault of Colonel Sid
ney Suggs OF Ardmore, editor-owner OF
the Daily Ardmorite, an enthusiast in
good road building and carrier of near
ly 800 pounds of flesh. In letter writ,
ten recently to Governor Charles y.
Haskell, Colonel Suggs says:
Il believe that the time has arrived
In the history OF the new state to select
a patriotic song for Oklahoma. would
suggest that you notify the musicians
OF the state that such song is desired
aud have the words selected from the
constitution and set to some new air
aud then call upon the musicians of the
state TO compete for a prize"
II was further suggested by Colonel
Suggs In this letter that during the
next session of the legislature all the
competitors come to Guthrie and sing
their songs before Il musical committee
empowered TO pass upon the quality OF
the music and the general tone of the
poetry, says Guthrie (Okla) dispatch
to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Then
he would have law enacted adopting
the song selected as the official song of
the state.
This would not be the first contest
of Its kind In an official Oklahoma as
semblage. While the constitutional
convention was in session late in 1906
the matter of selecting reading clerk
came up, and the delegates voted to
have the various candidates read be-
fore the convention and to select the
the platform aud read selections given
to them. The place was won by Bob
Williams, a newspaper man OF AltuS.
In connection with Colonel Suggs'
idea. 1t IS contended by T.. S, Russell.
chairman of the executive committee
of the Democratic State Press asso-
citation, that the states official song
has already been adopted Mr.. Rus
sell, a newspaper man, was present
when the constitutional convention
held its initial session. While the del
egates We're gathering the representa-
| tives Of the press. together with nu-
merous political hangers on who were
awaiting the parceling out of the jobs.
began singing, How Dry AM and
IL continued uutil the convention was
I officially opened.
State wide prohibition was then un'
known. 1t was pretty generally be-
| lleved, however, that the convention
would incorporate it in the constitu-
, tion. and the song as given by the re
porters and politicians was considered
| appropriate. 1t is contended that 1t is
even more appropriate now after nine
months of prohibition. Mr.. Russell be-
lieves, therefore, that this should be
considered the states official song. The
| first verse and. in fact. the other nine
ty-nine verses of the song are:
How dry am. how dry am!
God only knows how dry am
| During the sessions of the constitu-
| tional convention the delegates were
always ready to sing. After G. N. Has
kell began to forge to the front as a
gubernatorial possibility, for he was a
delegate in the convention, his friends,
under the leadership of President Muir
ray, would frequently employ idle
time In the convention by singing to
some popular tune the words, Here's
to Charlie Haskell; he'll be our next
governor" The delegates who were
not Haskelps political friends, how
ever would always end such i'm
promptu concerts bZ singing to the