Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-06-30
OKLAHOMA HOME
OF FREAK LAWS
Cracked Plates Are Barred
From Hotel Tables.
COWBOY ROPES RAILRoAOERS.

Would Have Magnsses Eating Out
Of His Hand" but Enforees Statutes
to Limit and Makes Them Toe Mars.
Kansas used to be the legislative ex-
pertinent station of the country. Okla
homa is now. BESIDES all the common
garden varieties of laws known To the
legiculturists of the world. the political
Burbanks of Oklahoma are now en-
gagged in trying out n large number or
legislative rarties and mUnstrosities OF
their own invention aud development.
writes q recent traveller In that state.
OF course Oklahoma has the anti
cigar and anti-cigaretie paper laws OF
Iowa. Nebraska. Kansas and certain
other western states. OF course II has
prohibition. though that was put upon
Oklahoma by congress. 1t has the law
against public or common drinking
cups. which you will also find in Kan
SaS
Quick Thought Necessary.
But it has queerer and stranger
things. Oklahoma has II law forbid
ding the putting of Il cracked plate on
a table in a hotel or restaurant and
sometimes it enforces this law. The
other day the proprietor of restau-
rant in Oklahoma City was moving
about among the tables when he saw
the inspector enter the room. Glanc-
ing at table the proprietor perceived
cracked plate. By Il deft movement
90 l.> 4 ., 10.
and it broke into twenty pieces on the
floor The crash was answered by an
other in the back part Of the room.
The vigilant head waiter had discov
cred cracked plate. too. and was on
the job.
BY such presence Of mind as this the
majesty OF the law is maintained in
Oklahoma.
One of the new states legislative
curioaities is the payment Of n salary
Of $500 year to Il functionary who
is commonly known--I blush to say it.
but it is what all Oklahoma~calls him.
and ! cannot suppress the truth-as
the badbug inspector. NominalyA he
is the hotel inspector. but his principal
function seems to be to inspect the
beds. which have to be shown up for
his study at any hour of the day or
night when he arrives and demands it.
Colonel Love a Character.
This seems to be the proper place to
put these dry matters aside and tell
something about the most remarkable
man in Oklahoma who happened to
have something to do with this rail
road question:. L. Love. universally
known as Colonel Jack. who is the
chairman of the state corporation COM
mission. This justly celebrated man
was formerly Il cowboy on the western
ranches. He looks it, though he is now
developing a localized embonpoint,"
which would be Incompatible with Il
high degree of efficiency as Il broncho
buster.
He is about six feet four inches in
height and carries his height proudly
and well. He has an eagle eye and an
eagles beak and a big mustache. with
prominent cheek bones aud every con-
ceivable mark of the cowboy type of
beauty. With u wide Tat on and no
coat. he walks the streets OF little
Guthrie with noble and command
ing air.
The corporation laws OF Oklahoma
impose five different kinds OF taxes
on the corporations. and II is the bust
ness Of the state corporation commits
sion. over which Colonel Love pre-
sides. to see that the corporations
faithfully pay all these kinds Of taxes
and perform all their other manifold
obligations.
Revenge on tho Magnates.
Not long ago Love had several great
eastern railroad magnates before him
in connection with n matter of law
enforcement. 1t IS said that he leaned
back, cast his eye over the great men
and exclaimed with emphasis:
"Well, when | was riding the ranges
out on the plains | never dreamed
that the time would come When
should have you supply here the most
profane and insulting epithet known
to the western vocabulary eating out
of my hand
Colonel Jack Love says that the cor
poratiOn laws of oklahoma are not n
bit severer than are those Of New
York or Massachusetts and that the
only difference is that the laws are
fearlessly and vigilantly enforced there.
whereas they are not enforced in New
York or Massachusetts.
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