The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-05-28
oklahoma city's sohpistry
[Tulsa Morldl


In its fight for the state capital
Oklahoma City should at least stick
to the issue and not add an insult to
Inc voters intelligence in addition to
the injury 1t steadfastly proposes to
60 him. The following appeal to pre-
Judiee, 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 should remembe. in this
state capital location contest
They should remember that Okla
coma City was from the first and al
ways al the front in the battle for
single statehood, and Guthrie was not.
Oklahoma 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-
ticans from first to last opposed sim
gle statehood and declared that In
dian Territory's people were almost
entirely Of the illiterate and criminal
classes
viii the people of the East Side
forget these slnrs?
We hardly think So
Granting that all the Oklahoman
here AYERS is true it can not proper
ly have any bearing on the present.
capital location scheme, which is OBJ
Jected to, not on the grounds of favor
70 one or prejudice Of another of the
contestants, but because the scheme
is: @
|. A breach of good faith, In that.
1t proposes to controyert that pro-
vision OF the constitution which locat-
ed the state capital at Guthrie tuntil
1913.
2. The most dangerous piece OF
legislation ever proposed to people
IN that 1t bears on it's face a deter
n'inaton 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
further enrichment of a single section
and to tax the whole expense, not
against Oklahoma City property own
ers, who would be the sole and only
'beneficia'ies, 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
addresses Itself to the voter In these
terms.
l. Is there any public necessity for
the state capital to- be changed at
thls time? II so, what II thai neces-
sity?
2. VIII j, as a tax pyaer already
burdened to the limit, be benefited I'm
proportion to the cost?
3. Guthrie has been assured of the
capital until 1919; 1t is so written in
the constitution. The constitutional
convention spoke for the entire state.
ana can |, as a citizen of the state.
vote now to repeal what is made i'm.
possible of repeal, without doing yio-
ience to my own integrity for no 9TH
er purpose than to remove the cap.
ltal less than fifty miles, further bur.
cen my own property, and do an in.
justice to one community for no 9th
| er 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 ae costing the state not
cent: Guthrie erected them and plac-
ed them at the disposal of the state
Tree OF cost. Therefore there is no
necessity for a change at this time.
Will vote against the whole propo-
s'tion, leaving the question open for
unprejudiced consideration at some fu-
ture time when my interests may be
more carefully safeguarded
And great majority of the votes
VIII be cast along that line.
AS to Guthrie having fought single
statehood while Oklahoma City fav-
cred 1t there is just this to saw:
Guthrie was then the state capital and
was conducting selfish fight. The
OILY reason that Oklahoma City threw
its Influence TO the side of single
statehood was because Oklahoma CITY
did not possess the capital ana
thought by so doing II was advancing
its selfish interest.
Will Oklahoma City or the Okla.
homan pretend that it was actuated
by patriotism?