The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-05-26
oklahoma clty's sohpiatry
Tulsa World

Tulsa WORLD
In its fight for the state capital
Oklahoma City should at least stick
to the issue and not add an insult to
ihe voters Intelligence in addition 10
The injury Ii steadfastly proposes to
60 him. The following appeal to pre-
lndice taken from the Oklahoman, Is
calculated to cloak the weakness OF
the capital location scheme:
There are some things that the peo-
| pie of what was formerly the Indian
Territory shoud remember in this
state capital location contest.
They should remember that Okla
foma City was from the first and al
ways at the front in the battle for
single statehood aud Guthrie was not.
Oklahome City business men gave
financial aid toward the conduct OF
the campaign for single statehood
Oklahoma City newspapers constant
ly championed the cause of single
statehood.
They should also remember that@
| Guthrie newspapers and Guthrie poli-
4 ticians from first to last opposed sin.
gle statehood and declared that In
dian Territorys people were almost
entirely of the illiterate and criminal
classes.
VIII the people of the East Side
forget these slurs?
We hardly think so.
4 Granting that all the Oklahoman
here AYERS is true it can not proper.
rs have any bearing on the present
capital location scheme, which Is OBJ
iected to, not on the grounds of favor
to one or prejudice of another OF the
contestants, but because the scheme
Is:
!. A breach Of good faith, in that
II proposes to controyert that pro-
vision Of the constitution which locat-
ed the state capital at Guthrie until
| 1918.
2 The most dangerous piece of
! legislation ever proposed TO people,
in that il bears on its face a deter
n'ination TO raid the state treasury.
establish a reign of graft, destroy one
community. not for the benefit of the
state or any tax payer but for the
iurther enrichment of single section.
; and to tax the whole expense, not
against oklahoma City property own.
ers, who would be the sole aud only
beneficial les, but against John Jones,
of Ellis county: Dick Smith, OF OF
tawa county, Bill Brown, of MuCur-
tain county, and every other small
land owner in the state.
Outside of the precincts of Okla.
homa City this capital location fights
add resses itself to the voter in these
terms:
!. is there any public necessity for
the state capital TO be changed at
This time? II so, what Is that neces-
sIty?
2. VIII |, as tax pyaer already
burdened to the limit, be benefited In
proportion TO the cost?
). Guthrie has been assured of the
capital nnta 1878; II Is so written In
the constitution. The constitutional
convention spoke for the entire state,
aud can |, as a citizen of the state,
vote now TO repeal what Is made inn
possible of repeal, without doing yIo-
lence to my own integrity for no 9th.
Ter purpose than to lemove the cap.
lltal less than fifty miles, further bur
cen my own property, and do an In
Justice to one community for no 9th.
Ter purpose than to further enrich an
ether community?
And the conclusion being reached
by nine out of every ten voters not
allied with Oklahoma City In some
way is just this:
the present capital buildings at
Guthrie a'e costing the state not a
cent: Guthrie erected them and plac.
: ed them at the disposal OF the state
) free of cost. Therefore there is no
: necessity for a change at this time.
: | will vote against the whole promo.
s'tion, leaving the question open for
J unprejudieed consideration at some IN.
! ture time when my interests may be
/ more carefully safeguasded.
And great majority of the votes
: will be cast along that line.
AS to Guthiie having fought single
, statehood while Oklahoma CITY fay-
! cred 1t there is just this to saw
Guthrie was then the state capital ana
was conducting a selfish fight. The
orly reason that Oklahoma City threw
its influence TO the side of single
] statehood was because Oklahoma CITY
i did not possess the capital and
thought by so doing 1t was advancing
its selfish interest
Will Oklahoma City or the Okla.
toman pretend that ii was actuated
by patriotism?