The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-25

all know this has never been done.
| While this selection is being sat
isfactorily madt. we can keep our
agreement that was made when the
constitution was adopted this agree
ment was recognized by the First
| Legislature. We passed bill de-
signed especially to authorize Guth'
rie to issue bonds with which to erect
tue temporary capitol building, which
she did erect, and which we are now
using at rental of One Dollar per
year
The payment Of interest and sink.
ing fund TO meet these bonds has
helped to make the high taxes in
Gutarie which we used so effectively
during the campaign.
This building ooe5 not meet all the
requirements of state capital, but
do not know Of another building IN
the state as well adapted TO that pur
pose as il is
In our private business If we per
mitted the erection of a building es
pecially for our use we ourselves
making it possible for the builder IL
mortgage his home to secure the mon
ey for the purpose, we would feei I'm
der obligation to use the building al
least until we had something better
The statement now going The
rounds of the Oklahoma press taal
the supreme court has decided that
Oklahoma has no capital, etc, is b. $
of the most fragrant kind
The decision was that we do ave
capital and that the enabling acI
is binding, but only as statute Law
and not as part Of the constitution
That being the decision. it follows
that Ii does not require a constitu-
tional amendment to repudiate the en-
abling act and thereby violate tat
agreement that we made when we ac.
cepted it, and thereafter tacitly re-
newed when We made especial pro
visions whereby Guthrie might issue
bonds for the express purpose oil
I erecting temporary capitol.
The undue haste to get tae legis
lature together now for the express
purpose % violating our agreement
(Which is morally just as binding as
ever 1t was) reminds me of the fel.
low who on discovering that the
mortgage on his team, which was Civ,
en- last spring, has not been record
ed, proceeds at once to sell his team
at sacrifice In order to beat the
other fellow.
] do not believe that any legisla-
ture should exercise the power to
place the state in that attitude.
do not believe that our legisla-
ture viii do such thing If its mem
bers win think twice"
do not believe that 10000 Okla
homans voted for that last June.
do not believe that 10000 OkIaho-
mans would vote for, 1t today. | do
not believe that Oklahoma City would
cas-; $4,000 votes for that today. Nor
that she intended to cast them for
such ? proposition last June.
II the Legislature can be rushed
together and held under q sphere
81 Influence" they may act in haste
nnl repent at leisure The principal
rtS D. TO my mind, is not whether
ihe state might lose the opportunity
70 s.iale TO the extent of Sl700.00O in
some real estate values which she is
..~geE instrumental in creating
iha qnes siion could not possibly
take higher tan third place.
The first Is are we keeping faith,
honor bright" as a state and as a
people? The second Is, have the otn.
er candidates mad fair chance TO
present their claims?
Oklahoma City would not offer any
less desirable option just because
others were permitted to compete
with her on equal terms, which we