The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-03

] NNtFtA Ny wa
| have letter from an old friend IN
the State Of Indiana, enclosing clip
ping from the Guthrie State Capital
the substance OF which is that our
higher educational Institutions in OK
lahoma have become disgrace and
even our own people are taking their
children away and Sending them to
similar institutions In other states
In Joe McNeRls platform he says, Ia
substance, that these institutions are q
disgrace and avoided BY our own peo
pie who have children desiring to at
tend our own grade OF educational in
stitutions.
! say look at the record OF the State
University last Territorial year, Uni.
yersity students proper Two hundred
eighty-eight compared with last year
under Statehood four hundred eighty
eight.
State Normal students OF the three
old Normals the increase from the last
year OF Territorial government up to
last year under State government the
increase has been thirty.three per cent
Notwithstanding the fact that three adj
ditional Normal schools have been
created in the Indian Territory and al
though not fully in operation were pat
ronized by new pupils TO make the to.
tai increase over the last year OF Ter.
ritorial government more than double,
9hile in our Agricultural and Mechan-
ical College attendance there are today
four times as many students IN the
several Agricultural and Mechanical
Colleges of the state as there were In
the year OF the greatest attendance un-
der Territorial government.
Reader. shall the statement Of one
who would SANDER and destroy the.
good name Of his own state be taken
In preference 10 the official records
which speak the truth?
Agricultural Department
The State of Oklahoma, in a printed
circular issued by Joe Mckest. is criti-
cised because II spends one hundred
two thousand, seven hundred fifty dol
lars a year to promote and encourage
the agricultural and stock raising in
dustries Of our state, whereas McNeal's
circular says that Kansas spends only
fourteen thousand, three hundred
eleven dollars year for the support
of its state agricultural department.
We meet this criticism with the ad-
mission that Joe McNeal's figures in
this instance are probably correct and
the state administration OF Oklahoma
has no apology to make. Agriculture
and stock raising are the industries
which furnish seventy-five per cent Of
all the prosperity and wealth Of our
state. We are proud of the fact that
our state Constitution placed the Board
of Agriculture with all of the Agricul.
tural and Mechanical Colleges under
the control of Board the members Of
which are selected by the farmers
themselves, and there is not living
man in Oklahoma today who can show
that ! ever have sought in any way to
influence the election by the farmers
OF single member OF that Board.
Joe McNeal and Jim Harris cannot
make this statement for II Is known
to thousands of farmers of this state
that McNeaI and Harris sought to turn
the State Board OF Agriculture into
politics by sending word throughout
the state TO Republican farmers to
send none but Republican delegates to
their district and state farmers as.
semblies. They tried in this contemp-
tible partisan effort 10 destroy the ef.
fciency OF the State Board Of Agri-
culture by seeking to drag it into poll.
tics after its members became eIee.
tive when |, as Governor. charged with
the duty of appointing the first list OF
members in the beginning, set the ex-
ample of appointing three Republican
members upon that Board.
Yes, we repeat what We have often
said. the State OF Okahoma deyotes a
larger per cent OF its entire cost OF
state government to promoting the in
terest of the farmer than any Repobli-
can state in the entire union, and from
McNeal's own figures, although the To-
tai cost of government in the State OF
Kansas is almost twice as much as the
government OF the State of Oklahoma,
yet Oklahoma deyotes more than seven
times as much TO the support, mainte-
nance and encouragement of agricul.
ture and stock raising as does the
State of Kansas.
State Capitol.
We will take little time to repeat the
story that is now we'll known TO every
citizen OF Oklahoma
Joe McNeal and Jim Harris say that
the people are being grated on the
state capitol question. II by the name
state capitol" they mean the r3wspa.
per published at Guthrie would read
lily concede that II was grafter, but II
they mean the building which is 10 be
owned by the people OF the state and
wherein the state officers will conduct
our government then let me PROFOUND
this question.
The people Of the State Of Oklahoma
are getting capitol building actually
costing one million, five hundred thous.
and dollars, with an additional two
hundred thousand dollars 10 nay for all