The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-09-24

ers' argument, In answer 10 Guthrie's
why the Constitution should not be
amended and the capital returned 10
Guthrie where it belongs is iull ot
blow holes" IL is as full Of pur.
poseul msstatements as Oklahoma
CITY is OF empty buildings. aud as tull
of innocent inaccuracies as Oklaho.
ma City is of vacant lots.
Here is me committees official ar
gment with the truth Injected IN
parenthesis, for sayory swallowing.
Argument for Oklahoma City ON
state question number l0 initiative
petition number "a" Why The con
stitution should be amended So as 70
locate the capital permanently at
Guthrie. Oklahoma being The an.
sWer TO the argument filed by Gutl-
rie
Oklahoma City in presenting her
argument to the people Of the state
is perfectly content TO submit the
facts as they are.
The argument OF Guthrie disclosos
TWO facts.
First. that its citizens are grossly
ignorant Of The facts as they actually
are, or they are possessed with q
wiful and malicious determine.
ton TO e'ossly misrepresent The facts
Their entire argument is based upon
the theory that Guthrie is the Pre-
terests OF the people i'm order 10 sub
the state. The theory is slightly mis-
leading when the attention of The peo-
pie is called to the fact thar Guthrie
Tor twentY-one Years ignored the i'm
-erests Of the people in oder to sub
serve and advance ner own sellisl
interests i'm The matter Of the loca
ion OF the capital The capital ney-
II has been located at Guthrie either
by a vote Of the legislature or by a
.ote 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 IN
fitness Of either place as capital or
The truthfulness or untruthfulness in
sither city's fultilIment of promises
o the people Of the state in the pres
ent)
When Oklahoma was opened "a
settlement the organic acl providing
herefore, provided that the torritor-
a capital should be at Guthrie aud
hat the first territorial Legislature
hould locate the capital IN 1890 the
erritorial legislature did locate the
apiial al Oklahoma City, but the
bill thus locating the capital was yo-
.oed by Governor Steele. a carpet
6agecr vino came 10 Oklahoma With
lis commission in his pocket and LETT
he territory with it's expiration Tire
:apital was next located at kingisacr
nd this bill was vetoed, both 81
hose yetocs being brought about
hrough the Influence Of Guthrie poll
icians.
(That is trying to befog the present
argument and blind the people with
he prejudice OF the past, A new vot-
ng generation has been born since
hen Oklahoma at that time had but
10000 people. The Cheyenne, Arapa-
zoe, Cherokee Strip, the kickapoo
ountry, the Kiowa. Comanche reser-
fations had not yet been opened, and
he Indian Territory did not yet know
Oklahoma. There are now 100000
eople living in Oklahoma ard did
lot then live here, and they cont
:are what happened between May I,
800 and 1870
"ln Guthrie's argument Il Is stated
hat the election held June II, 1919,
1t which The capital was located AT
D., it, ri.I.t f,f
he enabling act which the constitu-
ional convention had irregocably ac.
epted This statement im0lies and il
S the purpose of Guthrie 10 leave Tire
Impression that the people Of the
;tate were without power to locate
he capital, that Oklahoma was not
admitted into the union on an equal
IN with the other states, but came
n degraded and tied by the 1918
lause which was inserted in the eu-
bling act under the influence Oi
;uthrie but our own supreme court
lnd the supreme court of the United
States repudiated this contention Of
iuthrie and held that Oklahoma pos
iessed in all respects the same con-
stitutional right and power Of the
other states and that since all other
states were unrestricted in their pow
II to locate their capitals. so has Ok
ahoma this power.
(lt would have been economically
better for the people of Oklahoma if
he 1918 clause had been observed,
md the taxpayers realize that fact
'ow A hasty prejudice, due to the
fact that the people of two distinct
territories, each abused by the same
Federal Government in its sense Of
home rule, but one more than the
)ther, were brought together into one
state, against their will made il pos
sible to fan uD flame of a change of
capital. But if the people had it to
DO over again they wouldn't either
vote on it until 1918, or change il
when they did vote on it,
Guthrie Opposed Statehood
Guthrie opposed statehood by all
the means within her power ana at
he election when the constitution
was adopted Guthrie aud LOGAN
county cast twice as many votes
against the adoption Of The codstin
ion as they did for il. and. while the
constitutional convention was in scs-
sion and during the time whom The
ns, administration had offices at
Guthrie her ,coplc and her chioI
newspapers mtaeonized and yiliihed
tic public officials engaged in foIm-
iee thes cons tiuuon and administer
ing the state government When the