Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-08-31

easy to imagine what our gentle July
or August sunbeams would do to a
man thus incased.
During the three -hundred-o odd
years between Coronado and Captain
Payne, little occurred in this vicinity
to measure anything in the future by.
While the surrounding states wer0
settling up and developing their nat
ural resources Oklahoma lay dor
mant--fenced off from the pioneer.
Her actual development along indus
trial lines has nearly all occurred
within the last twenty years. The
greater portion of ii has been within
the last twelve years. Just now, "a
period OF comparative inactivity is
on; but it is only a breathing spell.
Now let us briefly analyZe the results
up to date, and take a swift inven-
tory:
A Brief Inventory.
The state Of oklahoma now has Il
population OF about a million and
thrcC-quarters. OF this population,
more than 10 per cent Is rural There
is one city Of over $4,000, two others
of more than $4,000 each, and five
more ranging from 10000 to 5000
population. The means OF transpor-
tation and communication are as am
pie, as good and as modern as in any
Of the older states similarly located.
There are 1S9,42S Improved farms
averaging 1862 acres each. The state
produces in an average year agricul-
tural and live stock products worth
more than three hundred million dol
lars; oil worth forty to sixty million
dollars; coal, natural gas, and build
Ing stone and material worth many
millions more; and a greater variety
and quantity of miscellaneous pro-
duets than any other state. In manu-
featuring, a very respectable start has
been madc. hut Il is only a star IN
educational and social side OF our de-
velopment has kept pace with the
general progress.
All right. Now let's draw a few
comparisons with other states and
estimate. If we can, what we may eX-
pect to do and be ten or twenty years
from now, using the results they nave
achieved I'm the longer time they have
had in which TO develop as cflter-
ion: In crop production, we ALREADY
rank second to only such states as
Illinois Iowa and Texas; we equal
Kansas. surpass Nebraska Minnesota,
the Dakotas or Indiana, and when our
agricultural resources are fully de-
voloped. any state that beats us in a
favorable year will be eXcusahle for
blowing about il. In oil and gas pro-
6uct!on. no state can equal Okl2ho-
ma. In coal, the title will lie betN cen
Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. In
variety and quality of undeveloped
natural resources, no other common
wealth starts to be in Oklahoma's s
class.
The Growth of Cities.
Farm land values in oklahoma, the
samp as anywhere else, will be gov
erned by it's productivencss; and its
productiveness will be determined by
the manner in which It Is handled,
moro so in Oklahoma than most any
where else. The growth or lack Of
growth Of the towns and cities In the
state will be influenced very largely
by the efforts of the men who now live
in them. Not one Of our cities Is GER
tain Of its relative position as per-
manent proposition. If all were GER
tain in this respect II could be esti-
mated, by comparisons with other
states, about what the growth Of each
in the next decade or two might be.
Oklahoma can reasonably expect to
have as much population in her first
four or five cities az Iowa. Indiana
Illinois Coutside of Chicago. Texas
or Missouri toutside Of st. Lous).
That being the case, Oklahoma CITY,
Muskogee. Tulsa and Enid are rca-
sonahly ccrt7in to more than double
in the near future-if they maintain
their present relative positions. Some
of the smaller towns will continue to
grow. while others will probably drop
back or remain stationary.
Another period Of general municipal
developmcnt VIII undoubtedly begin
Gin Oklahoma in two or three years
say ahOm The time the paraua rp"
sition ia over fhe re0nie VIII f0i i-.e'
from California the same as they did