The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-10-28
WE DO" (The People,
Oklahoma CHy,s Capital Offer

Oklahoma City capital commission
ers argument. in answer 10 Guthrie
why the Constitution should not b.
amended and the capital returned I,
Guthrie where Ii belongs. is fun O
blow holes. II Is as full OF pur
poseful mis-statements as Oklahom;
City is of empty buildings. and as full
OF innocent inaccuracies as Oklaho
ma City is OF vacant lots.
Here is the committees official ar
gument, with the truth Injected ii
parenthesis. for sayory swallowing:
Argument for Oklahoma City oil
state question: number 40. initiafiy.
petition number a5.-"Whv the con
siitution should be amended so as Il
locate the capital permanently al
Guthrie, Oklahoma" being the an
swer to the argument filed BY Guth
rie.
Oklahoma City in presenting hel
! argument to the people of the stat,
ia perfectly content 10 submit tht
facts as they are.
The argument Of Guthrie discloses
two facts.
First, that its citizens are grossly
ignorant OF the facts AS they actuall,
are, or they are possessed with 4
Nilful and malicious determine
ton TO grossly misrepresent the facts
Their entire argument is based upon
the. theory thai Guthrie is the pro.
ierests Of the people in order TO sub
the state The theory il slightly mis-.
leading when the attention Of the peo-
pie is called TO the fact that Guthrie
Tor twenty-one years ignored the in
terests Of the people in oder to sub
serve and advance her own selfish
interests in the matter Of the loca-
tion OF the capital The capital ney-
er has been located at Guthrie. either
by a vote OF the legislature or by a
vote of the people.
THE, question OF what happened
twenty years ago is ancient history
and has nothing to do with saving the
people money now; the fitness or un-
fitness Of either place as capital, or
the truthfulness or untruthfulness in
either city's fuifillment of promises
to the people of the state in the pres
ent) ;@Tgg UH
When Oklahoma was opened 10
settlement the organic act providing
therefore, provided that the lerritor,
ial ca pi.shseApnld be at Guthrie and
that the sf Territorial legislature
should loeifte the capital ln 1880 the
territorial legislature did locate the
capital at Oklahoma City, but the
bill thus locating the capital was We
toed BY Governor Steele Garnet
bagger who came to Oklahoma with
his commission in his pocket and LEFT
the territory with its expiration The
capital was next located al Kingfisher
and this bill was vetoed. both of
Lhese vetoes being brought about
through the influence Of Guthrie poll
icians.
THAT is frying to hefog the present
and blind the people with
he prejudice of the past new vot
nq generation has been born since
hen. Oklahoma at that time had but |
10000 people. The Cheyenne. Arapa.
zoe. Cherokee Strip, the kicaapoo |
;ountry, the kiowa. Comsnche reser
'stions had not yet been opened, and /
he indian Territory did not yet know
oklahoma. There are now 100000
Ieopie living in Oklahoma and did
ot then live here, and they don't
are what happened between May I.
$50 and 1917
In Guthrie's argument It Is stated
hat the election held June II, 1910, /
I which the capital was located al
klahoma CITY was in violation OF |
ne enabling act which the constitu-
onal convention had irreYocably ac.
spted. This statement implies and il
the purpose Of Glthrie 10 leave the
that the people of the
ate were without power TO locate
le capital. that Oklahoma was not +
United into the nnion on an equal
Y with the other states but came !
degraded and lied by the 1919 ,
ause which Was inserted in the en-.
oling act under the Influence of r.
uthrie, but our own supreme court :
u The supreme court of the United o
ates fepudiated this contention OF :.
lthrie aud held that Oklahoma pos +,
sged in All respects the same con
IuIlOQal TlSut ana power oi tHt Z
Ter states and that since all other =
ties were unrestricted in their pow ;,
TO locate their capitals. SO has Ok :.
oma this power. !.
II would have been economically
ter for the people Of Oklahoma If
1918 clause had been observed !.
the taxpayers realize that fact N
I. A hzsty prejudice, due TO the =.
that the. people Of two distinct - -
tories each abused by the same - -
erai Government in its sense Of .,
Ie rule, but one more than the ~
r., were brought together into one ~
E. against their Will made Il pos =.
, TO Fan up flame Of change Of -
tai But II the people had il to "a
ver again they wouldn't either y,
on Il until 1913. or change Il ~
, they did vote on it,
rie Opposed Statehood az
lhrie opposed statehood by al ma
means within her power and al fhi
election when the constitution ca