Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-08-30

| years IN newspaper work in Calves
| ton and Houston. Both cities have
| shown marked growth and civic inn
provement in the past four or five
years and both are wide awake to
the advantages to be secured in the
building of a bigger and better city.
! The opening of the Panama canal
stimulated the people of these cities
to greater activities that they might
secure the advantages to be derived
, from the increased commerce
through the section of the country
they occupied. Warehouses, storage
facilities, railroads and even ocean
going ship canals were constructed
in an endeavor to secure the mop"
on the other cities, which, too, were
awake to the necessity of taking
every advantage of the present in the
building Of the future.
This newspaper man, keen OBJ
server of the things that really go to
make greater city was filled with
the spirit of the cities in which he
had lived. Then he came to Tulsa
Here he found not only the activities
of which the gulf cities boosted; in
creased commercial activities. but
others as well.
lie saw the system of paved high
ways the hundreds of newly fin
ished homes, costing from $4,000 to
$50, goo, He saw the improvements
being made in the school buildings
He viewed the new government
building which is being rushed to
completion These things he saw,
and as he sat in the office of Secre-
] tary Douglas of the Chamber of
Commerce, he said, of the spirit
which has built Tulsa, of the spirit
which Secretary Salter held up to
Trenton as the ideal spirit of pro-
gressivc citizens of any community:
Tulsa is real town. It's got "A
big league air. The small town at
mosphere that comes from the atti-
tude of the townspeople and their
conduct of their affairs is absent
Tulsa goes about its business with
businesslike air, with its eye on the
lain chance and with complete con-
fidence and ease Tulsa is a bit of
the south, more of the west and al
together attractive.
THE same, | suppose, might he
said of any town in the southwest,
but I'm handing out the straight
dope when | tell you this about
Tulsa. Tulsa is different. It's
7
isn't another town just like it IN the
world. Why? ! don't know, exactly.
! 81 come to town when Texas Bud
and the street carnival and big
convention are here, when the streets
are gay with bunting and there's an
extra hustle and gayety among the
people But the carnival element is
easily separated when you come to
analyze the situation. 1t hasn't any
l. Il l.as "A
they are putting up, or the atmo-
sphere of strength and solidity that
prevails. The good time air is es-
sentially frothy.
81 think the thing that first and
most forcibly impresses the stranger
and the observer is the fact that it's
young mans town.
II have Travelled considerably and
in no place have ! seen so many
young men. They aren't triflers,
either, but hard working young men
who seem to be pretty well salts
fled with themselves and their city.
They are out in the streets, moving
about There aren't many places TO
loaf downtown In Tulsa.
Then the town looks healthy, and
when you come to look into 1t thor
oughly you realize that it is sound
to the core. It's good clean air and
clean people it's an open-faced
town, with style II you want it and
informality. too. Panama and Palm
Beach, or an old black hat and over
alls-it makes no difference, appar-
entity for if you look and act a man
in either one or the other you'll get
the same measure of respect.
Tulsa has got more people on the
street than ! ever saw before in
town of its size. 1t looks young and
ambitious and strong. Everything
suggests power No, you can't say
all this about any town, because no
matter how fine the buildings are,
how well paved the streets, the char
acter of its people Is indelibly
stamped upon it. ! can show you a
duplicate Of this or that particular
group of buildings in Tulsa in a
dozen or more cities. north, east,
south and west, but you won't be a
minute in catching the different
character of the people. Tulsa has
got a short, snappy name, and big,
broad character.
az know Of one town that put up
a big electric sign to proclaim It's
greatness, but that was the supreme
effort of the drowsy burg. They
coultN't get up steam enough to put
in new lights when the old ones
burned out, and the sign that was
intended to blaze the spirit of the
fastest growing city of the southwest
was not very convincing to the
stranger with half the bulbs dark.
That isn't the way with Tulsa. II
doesn't have to get out that kind of
certificate of its character. Just
four little letters fill the bill -
Tulsa Honest I'm strong for this