The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-01-23

steAn roads have not thcir plaie. Tor
20 hem we must look for the ai,y
hauls and the opening OF new sslus
hut the electric line Is individual. y
takes he milk and butter from TIE
farmers door while still fresh, and
the shopper gets on at the stop that
takes q second or two. the electric
coach speeding on. finally dropping OF
its freight in the city. where the steam
road hastens to hose ohrand man tn
road bastens to those other commun.
les using the surplus. For forty years
the southwest has been one Of the sur.
plus users, but from this time the
state of Oklahoma shall make for Il.
self the test and endeayor TO change
existing conditions
OIL Versus yoRN.
Some days since the Leader had
an article about the production OF
OIL and the statement was made the
vi industry was the greatest IN the
state. The article was from the pen
Of man who had the correct data.
but It was listed wrong.
Now comes corn exponent who
SAYS the crop Of the year past was al
most worth s500Oc.OOO, and adds 70
~ greater than both oil ard gas.
There is a LESSON to be learned from
the rivalry of the two correspou-
dents.
Corn has only a market value for
the day. even though the FARMER has
but little to do with the making of the
price. He can get fifty cents per
hushel. as rule for the past few
years at sometime Guring the year
on and gas are controlled by the
STANDARD oil trust aud the various
companies they own They pay a price
that would make farmer go on the
war trail
The oil Of the territory Is worth
in Whiting, Indiana including the by
products, $23,6O per barrel The pro-
ducer of the state OF Oklahoma gets
from thirty.seyen to fortytwo cents
per barrel and gets about one-fifth
OF his possible prediction handled
Add the production used for what
we are capable OF producing and the
sales OF oil alone, according TO the
figures published. would be an hun
dred millions annually
Add a million dollars urofit for the
handling Of the total production to
the Standard, and stu the producers
Of the state were they allowed to
sell their output at a price ruinous
if fairness were taken into consider
alton, would net sum amounting TO
over billion dollars annually
enough money being kept from as
to have purchased tine continent Of
Europe at the time Columbus dis
covered America.
When we add the STANDARD and
subsidiary companies pay IN div,.
dends each year three to five times
the actual money invested therein,
the most careless reader can under
81 od why men who have studied
this bjcct seldom are eble to speak
fairly on the subject.
Oklahoma Towns Distressed.
And with the millions upon millions
of gas being wasted in the oil district
of the state, We are paying eight dol.
lars per ton for what the producer
has named coal, aud gas so close to
all the cities Of the state The trl-
butte paid by the people of the twin
territories before statehood was so
great that when attempts to men
tion in a modest manner, the facts
are sc terrible one fears that even
statistical reports, made by the auth
ority OF he federal government. must
be incorrect.
Had Oklahoma and Indian Terri
tory been granted the boon of state
hood even five years ago, we would
walk to the census post of 1910, the
most populus state west OF the Father
OF Waters
Hundreds Of millions wasted; cities
begging for cheap fuel and the heav-
ems clouded with the wasted material
for the upbuilding Of great centers of
commerce, and all this time a pesti-
ferrous system Of politics prevented this
people from even getting permission
to live under the law of any single
state, territory or executive depart
ment
Is 1t any wonder that those who
exploited these men and women who
sweat and suffered in trying to make
a home they could cali their own AZ
this hour feel the burdens may be
reversed?
While railroads are being extended
over the state and new trade terri
tory is thus brought to increase the
great agricultural resources, and our
mines and fields of timber brought
in closer communion with the outer
commercial world It can not be
Oklahoma and the entire Southwest
Oklahoa and the entire southwest,
for that matter, is faster passenger
traffic
Fast Passenner Traffc.
The Santa Re has the honor of run
ming the fastest long distance train
in the world, but that does not come
our way II Is true shat the distance
between Guthrie and ST Louis has
been lessened of late months, and We
can reach Kansas City two hours
quicker than IN the past. yet We have
no train that hurries the business
man across the continent at fifty
nile schedule. and the necessity is
lapparent We want better roadbeds
and twice the speed now attained by
any road west Of the Missouri river.
IN an age like this. passengers do
rot travel TO see the country from the
coach windows One half day is long
enough TO spend Jogging from here
10 ST. Louis, and thai time win be