The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-12-18
WALKER THINKS IT
SCHEME Of CORPORATIONS

| Nutbrle, Okla, Dee. lS.--With sil
cere regret ! have read constantly IN
columns CT the newspapers all ths
has been published by the so-calle
Federation of Commercial Clubs-Stat
( Publicity Bureau Railroad Corpor,
lion Agents--Ripley. etc, combinatio
pro and con. And am fairly we'll D s
ed upon the subject matter, and b,
lieve, as does ever reading and thinl
ing Individual in Oklahoma. that ali q
that dope purporting to come fror
the socalled Federation Ct Commercia
Clubs Is In reality the railroads ans
wering the railroads for the sole pun
pose Of airing their imaginary griet
ances for public perusal
1t is commonly believed by ever,
well posted, individual In Oklahoma
that the s9called Federation OF Com
merclal Clubs in reality is Messrs
Magee. Jackson. Kraus. Farquharson
Spaulding, Smith. Barnett, G. b. Stone
Martin and William Busby OF McAles
ter. That 1t is a combination OF anti
prohlbitionists, coal operators, rail
roads and a very few retail merchants
while the entire proposition may be
iiihhcVu b9 tht idliiOduss
OF course t,t object would be to
cause a sentin sufficient to intimi
date the law-maSers Of OkiahomH into
enactlng laws giving the special inter,
ests some special privileges aa.uwir
them to impose upon the people OF tins
grand cOmmonwealth and to, II pos
sible, cause the constitution to be
so that more special privi-
leges might be given by the legislature
TO these special interests. If the law
makers coaid be prevailed up to 50
do; or to intimidate our present state
I'll constitution-bullderS and law
makers of Oklahoma did not enact any
freak legislation, RS Is so Cften al
legged and insinuated by the agents of
these aforementioned special inter
ests, in the press and by the circular
route. But. on the contrary. every
piece OF legislation was copied from
some ether state or section where It
has been tried and found to be for the
benefit Of the whole people. That part
Of the constitution so violently and
referred to by the corpcr-
ations' agents relating to railroads be
ing compelled 20 maintain general Of
fees in Oklahoma. in case of new roads
being built is copied from the Texas
law. The law Is enforced strictly in
Texas and we have net heard of any
railroads going out of business or going
into the hands OF receivers.
In the newspapers and by the cir
route we hear much about
way and what the railroads have not
lone In Oklahoma since the constitu-
ion has been adopted. There is a
faint suspicion that this dope" comes
rom the same sOurce-the Federation
)f Commercial Clubs alias the rail
road cooperation agents. These cal
amity croakers have not told us that
he railroads done no building In Ne
sraska, Missouri, Kansas or the South.
western states during that time. II is
/ fact however. that railroad build
ng has G. implicitly stopped In that
section and there are grave grounds
for suspicion that that prosperity
oanie' had something to do with IT,
II Is believed that these same com
,lnatlons made quite a dismal failure
n their attempt to defeat CorpoFati n
Commissioner Watson, both In the
primaries and the general election. and
hey are going to make another failure
n attempting TO amend the ccnstitu
ion of Oklahoma. The people of Ok
ahoma are q reading and thinking
leople They are well aware of the
act that all that Is asked of CORPORA.
Ions ana capital is the same as has
leen asked in ether states. Nothing
nore SO the corporations have all to
ose and nothing to gain by their con
tant agitation.
lt appears to me (and | am not
ciallsD that one of the most ef !
ectlve remedies for these property
rowlers and calamity croakers would |
e for tho state of Oklahoma to 20 |
nto the railroad business Itself Il
'ould mt have to build many miles |
efore the railroads would be willing |
D be good for little while know |
he laborIng people and the farmers
iluld be cry glad to cooperate with |
he state IN this matter.
Now let us see whether 1t viii be |
lr Ripley representing the railroads |
r MIR. Hudson representing the rail |
Dads, or Mr.. Stone representing the l
or Mr. McKeand represent |
lg TIE railroads. that will come ( rth
18th their next appeal for public
2iave~.
Keep your eye cgon Attorney asp |
lso. That recent attack upon the
.ate administration was quite differ
Mt from the pclicy usually pursued by
l Sc esteemed. high-salaried, railroad
residents, who are always asking
pecial fayors at the hands of the par.
Z in power. Think Il over. Mr. Read
Z. Here is what President Ripley Of
lie Santa Fe says: "Oklahoma offers
certain sections what would be quite
n attractive field for railroad build
IL II the restraint of your constitution
,uld be removed, and II the disposi
on on the part Of your state officers
as to be fair toward the railroads.
Nc under existing conditi MS II Is quite
nposslble 60 do anything.
And the above quotation is the best
'idence that the corporations agents
ave not been able 10 handle" the
'esent state administration