The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-10-25

| each month to the state and con-
| tinue these payments until million
! dollars had been paid. Not a single
dollar of this has ever been paiu
and in March 1912 the attorney
general of the state held that the
| contract had not been complied with
and was no longer in any way bind
ing on the state. Their bond of
100000 given for fulfillment of their
contract was forfeited and has new
er been paid. Their agreement to
furnish free rentals has never been
kept and the state is now obliged
to pay over $4,000 year in rents.
Their promise to pay the moving
expenses was like all the rest of
their promises and the taxpayers
paid these bills as well as the fees
of the attorneys employed to try ana
on an Illegal action. After the at
torney general ruled that the con-
tract with the state had been yio-
lated by Oklahoma City and was no
longer binding the citizens of Guth-
RE, on the solicitation Of people from
all parts of the state and to righs
wrong done them and the state,
prepared the initiative petition Ice
eating the capital permanently az
Guthrie and it was signed by 51,49a
voters, over $4,000 more than thS
number required by law. IN com,
parison with Oklahoma Cty's action,
calling for a special election at q,
cost of 100000 to the taxpayers ail
60
and only able to go to the polls att
a sacrifice and also special session
of the Legislature at an additionat
expense of $4,000, is Guthrie's PEI
tition submitting the matter to this
general election then every voted
viii be at the polls and entaining not
a single dollar Of additional expense.
Oklahoma city's Offer.
Oklahoma City now offers in place,
Of he million dollar capital, and the, |
moving expenses, 100000 and $50, |
acres of land scattered all over the. |
northeast part of Oklahoma county, |
the most valuable part of which is, |
IN litigation and that where they, |
wish to locate the capital, being i'm |
so that no title can be- |
made on it. The residue of this 65G |
acres is in small tracts and the Of;
icial state abstracters found about
200 defects in the titles to thesd
1arious tracts.
The committee which put this land
n the hands OF Lee Cruce, as q
private individual acting as theta
rustee valued it at sl,4O0,000 bua
Z. H. Gardner, before the statef
'oard Of equalization, a director OF.
he Oklahoma City Chamber of Com,
1erce, while testifying swore that
ne tract was not worth over $tZuJ
90.
Fred Galm, president of one of thd
argest investment companies of Ok,
lhoma City testified that as a basis.
Or loan the land was worth $13,+
90 and as a speculation could no1
e considered at over $65,000 and
Governor Cruce in recent letteh
ublished states that the land would
ecome valuable il retained until the
apitol was built. Where then is the
,illion or more dollars for a capitos
uilding to come from except out OF
le pockets Of the taxpayers?
uthrie's Offer.
The city of Guthrie offers to tho
-ople OF the state. capitol square
fourteen acres, upon
hich it hss built a convention hall
hLch was used by the state free for
e purpose Of capitol building
ID which cost $3.50. 900 and around
nich it has paved and parked the
reefs and improved the groundsy
aking beautiful park. well set out
shade trees and Bermuda grass.
These grounds located in the
art OF the city which were reserv.
by the government for eapitos
rposes with all the Improvements
Guiding the temporary capitol arej
'rth at this time fully half a mnJ
N dollars.
The state owns a school sectiony
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