Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-08-30
A View OF The Capital OF Okla
homa.


EDITOR SENTINEL Il arrived in this en-
terprlsine city, the capital of a so-calIe,
oone-dry State, on the third day of tn,
present month. With respect to the sal,
and the use of alcoholic beverages, learned
the day after my arrival, from a tips,
edltor OF a newspaper published in neigh.
boring city. that old John Barleycorn still
has his devotees within the commonwealth
and that boot-leggers, blind-tigers and the
promoters of speakeasies are constantly
upsettine the bone-dry theory. My con.
Vivial informant, the laxative editor, told
me that whiskey was then selling at two dol,
lars half pint, twelve dollars a quart, and
forty dollars a gallon. Two minutes later
two thirsty printers entered the room. The
three held whispered consultation and
with eager, yearning countenances, hurri-
eddy left together without saying where
they were going.
So far as weather is concerned, the State
OF Oklahoma-this section of it, at least
comes about as near being bone dry as any
bone can possibly be. On the goth of
June second-class tornado, accompanied
by little rain, swept over a portion of
OF this town and county, and since that
date there has not been enough rain to
lay the dust in the kitchen yards. All this
time scorching sun has been beating
dnWn unon tho hoIf fan;ohad ao.tb e,o-,
morning until night, and since have been
here there has not passed a day upon
which the thermometer has not registered
from 100 to 105 in the shade. II these be
not ideal conditions for a bone-dry state of
affairs, what more could be exacted 1t
seems that somehow the demon Rum can
circumvent all bone-dry laws that men
can make. When the demon Drouth de-
crees that vast regions of the earth shall
be hot and dry and barren, it is only where
artificial irrigation is possible that the de-
cree can be defeated.
Some of the people here will tell you
that this is the most destructive drouth
they have witnessed in thirty years. Others
will tell you that the summers are always
hot and dry. One man told me few
days ago that he had tried farming in this
locality for twenty years. and had made
two crops in that time. They say there is
plenty of rain in the winter and spring and
that early vegetables can be successfully
cultivated if brought to maturity by the
end of June. But sometimes the vines of
potatoes and tomatoes will show vigor-
our growth and will put forth a wealth of
bloom and yet produce no crop.
There is one mystery. in this connection,
that have, so far. been unable to solve.
the extreme drouth this
excellent cantaloupes and water
some of the latter very large
have been raised in this vicinity and ped
died around town by the country people.
Upon inquiry | have learned that few of
the nearby farmers succeeded in raising
anything else. One man said he had raised
some wheat and had good prospect for
little corn ana COTTON.
And here is another thing to me unac-
That such city as this should
be located in such region. 1t has pOpu-
ation of one hundred thousand, is beauti-
fully laid off, with wide streets and avenues.
and has a spacious boulevard, extending
through the central portion and entirely
around the boundary line. the right of way
for which cost half million dollars. and
which, when completed, will cost at least
as much more. The city has magnificent
public buildings, up-to-date office structures
and "sky-scrapers, and beautiful resi-
dences fitted out with modern improve
ments. That the city is the capital of the
State and that the State has resources
other than agriculture-such as petroleum.
natural gas. minerals, marble granite and
other valuable building materials are the
only inducements that can figure out for
the building of such splendid city in such
a dry and desolate stretch Of country.
A. A. b.