St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-01-29

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alton Com. A. G. Watson, j. NJ
Brooks, mine host Of the Royal, and
Governor Price; whom President
Cleveland appointed Governor oi
Alaska, the latter affable and enter
tanning, is always doing his utmost
to please others, and is just now
taking his first lessons Id the liohI
fantastic and is given up to be the
best two stopper iii Guthrie. HI
says he had TO make this departure
to please the ladies, Of whom there
are q goodly number at the ROYAL.
Colonel Watkins, Of the railroad com.
mission, Q most enterprising gentle,
man, and who has a strong predilec.
tion for Louisiana syrup. IS another
strong factor in the upbuilding oil
this splendid young State. Mr.. j.
M. Brooks, owner Of the Royal, and
his two sons, showed me over
Guthrie in an auto.
/ went TO Oklahoma CITY in com
pany with biz. W. @. Flemmine, an
other promoter, and we went over
the city in an auto, and the building
up Of that city is phenomenal. Eioh-
teen years ago it was a grass plot,
and it has risen to be a city OF sixty
five thousand. The limits have been
extended to ten miles, and it is be-
ing severed and paved as fast as
machinery and man can make it. It
is destined to be a city Of perhaps
two hundred thousand at no far dis
tant date.
Okmulgee, the place where I pot
my bird, has about four thousand
inhabitants, and is showing all the
push and energy in good buildings
and street paving.
Sapulpa is a large and
thriving town near the oil
fields Of Keiffer. These fields are the
largest that ] have ever seen. Oil
and gas seems to be in untold quanti-
ties nearly all over this favored sec
ton, and these are destined to make
Oklahoma one of the richest States ii.
the Union. The school system and.
the churches are certainly keeping
abreast Of the times. All the school
houses that / saw were Very large.
commodious and elegant two story
brick buildings, and the State having
now over forty millions Of dollars and
much more to come when the lands
are all sold to the settlers, I am told
has on foot the building Of one every.
three miles. The pay for teachers
ranges from seVenty-fve to one hun
dred and twenty-five dollars. This
does not include the principals.
The churches are elegant, and are
in evidence everywhere. Oklahoma
City alone has thirty-two.
Another thing that is noticeable is
prohibition as it is and It's effects.
The State is so-called prohibition.
The prohibition politician and the
b~ootlegger seem to be in cahoots.
Liquor houses outside the State, / am
told, will ship . car load Of beer.
which is distributed, and when the
booze is largely disposed Of, the bal
ance is generally seized and sold, por-
tions of the money going for ex-
and the residue disposed of
By the authorities. I am told that
outside the State the liquor dealer
generally has his man to purchase
and ship back. BudWeiser sells for
.25c per pint, or twice as much as it
can be had for in the States not pro-
hibition. Other liquors ID about the
same proportion.
I was informed that the Dgspen-
sary system prevails, and if | under
stand it Alright, is is much after the
way we carry on the local option cleo
here. Il a majority votes for q
Dyspensary, they have it, but the
dispenser gets ten per cent of the
The liquor, I am told, is sold
IN prescription. This was what e
vas told, but as this is written for a
ocal paper and not for Oklahoma, IL
ian do no harm. I do know that we
lave much the same conditions here,
ind when we come to contemplate
condition of affairs here, it does
ieem appalling. In comparison, our
Dwn law makes it prima facia evi-
lence that If you have an Internal
revenue License, you can be indicted,
md although you will hear the Judges
rom the bench charge the iuries
hat the burden of proof is upon the
tate to show the guilt Of the ac-
used, and unless the State makes
its case, the accused goes free.
low the exception is made in liquor
asses, and the accused has to prove
is innocence. That is, the burden is
from the State to prove guilt,
0 the accused proving his innocence.
an incongruous proposition.
q much for prima faeia evidence.
on the other hand, if you walk
a place with plenty of liquors Of
kinds, you have to get the proof
the stuff was sold, and / have
ever been informed Of any law to
onviet unless a sale is made. IF you
ish TO search. you have to get out a
earch warrant, naming the party, the
ouse and The articles to be searched |
,r.
Comparing this Mace and Oklahoma