The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-10-06
Oklahoma Condition
Somewhat Distorted
D. e. Turner Writes Back Home
Regarding Published Reports
and Sends Some Facts.

D. c. Turner, a former Pleasantville
boy, now residing in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
writes home that conditions there are
far from what one would suppose.
He sends an ARTICLE with his letter,
which somewhat describes conditions
in Tulsa. The letter says:
please print the enclosed item in
your paper, giving it as prominent a
place as possible. Tulsa is not so bad
as it might seem to the world at large.
We just have a crazy Governor, is all.
yours truly,
I'd. c. TURNER.
"P. S.-Might say in way of expla-
nation that these papers were handed
out by the churches here yesterday
Sunday for people to send to their
home town papers TO print"
The article says:
You folks back home have read
some alarming reports about Oklaho-
ma and particularly about Tulsa in
the newspapers. Doubtless many of
you are concerned about friends and
relatives down here, while others
probably have gained the impression
that this is one of the last places on
earth where a good, home-loying citi-
zen would care to live.
Well, that's a mistaken idea. and
furthermore, there isn't any war or
riot going or in this neck OF the woods.
In fact. since martial law was declar-
ed, there has not been a single call
made upon the soldiers TO quell any
riotous disturbance, so of course there
have been no casualties. Life goes IN
normally here just as it does every
where else in the country.
Despite martial law, u school sys-
TEN entered on its fall schedule last
week with the largest enrolment yer
made, 1850, which is 20 per cent.
more than last years. We have o
than $500 boys and girls in our high
school building, one of the largest and
finest in the country. Our superinten-
dent, DR.. P. B. Claxton, formerly was
L. S. Commissioner of Education.
Then consider the churches of Tul-
sa. About $4,000 people are numbered
in the congregations of the 35 church
es and they own church property val
ued at nearly $4,000, 900. Sunday
School attendance reaches the $4,000
mark now. Does that sound like the
record of an irreligious community?
Nearly every important civic organ
in the country is represented
in Tulsa, most Of them by exceedingly
strong branches. The clubs and soci-
cites which engage upon community
service of some sort include something
more than 1000 persons on their rolls.
We Tulsans are mighty proud of our
eity's record-iust about 100000 peo-
pie have come to live here in the last
% years. New concerns are entering
Tulsa every month. The building per-
mits last year totaled S19,636, 439, and
this year they have passed the $4,000
600 mark up to the present time. The
banks had SCI ,127, Acc in deposits at
the last call, and postal receipts show
a steady monthly increase.
So you see, the place has some re
deeming features despite all the black
marks which have been placed against
it during the controversy now raging
in our state. You've read all the dark
side of the story in the sensational
dispatches of the last few weeks.
Now we want you TO see some of the
bright spots and understand that, af-
ter all. more than 100. 900 people think
Tulsa is a fine place to make their
home.