USA > Oklahoma > A standard history of Oklahoma; an authentic narrative of its development from the date of the first European exploration down to the present time, including accounts of the Indian tribes, both civilized and wild, of the cattle range, of the land openings and the achievements of the most recent period, Vol. II > Part 40
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POPULAR VOTE ON THE CAPITAL LOCATION
The fires of local rivalry between Guthrie and Oklahoma City, concerning the location of the capital of Oklahoma, had been smouldering for nearly twenty years. True, the breezes of excite- ment incident to the extension of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway from Red Fork, in 1896-8, to the struggle over the passage of the public building bill, in 1901, and to the tenseness of the feel- ing over the omnibus statehood bill, in 1902-3, had almost fanned them into flames, but, during the greater part of that long interval, the rivalry was in a quiescent state. Also, another aspirant for capital location honors had arisen in the enterprising town of Shawnee. The passage of the enabling act with its capital loca- tion restriction, which stipulated that the capital should be at Guthrie until 1913 was displeasing to the other two towns, of course, but it tended to lull the fears of capital removal at Guthrie and to create a feeling of confidence on the part of her people. But the purpose which had been baffled only by an executive veto away back in 1890, had remained determined all through the interven- ing years, for Oklahoma City had only been biding her time for another trial for the political mastery while she was growing and gathering material strength.
When it was finally decided to make an effort to locate the capital, the necessary initiative petitions were prepared and filed and the towns of Guthrie, Shawnee and Oklahoma City were all named, in the one petition thus prepared, as candidates for the location of the capital of the state. When all of the conditions and formalities incident to the initiation of a measure of such importance had been complied with, Governor Haskell issued a proclamation calling for an election for the location of the capital of the State of Oklahoma to be held on Saturday, June 11, 1910.
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An exciting state-wide campaign followed. The amendment to the constitution authorizing the location of the capital was carried and Oklahoma City was chosen as the permanent capital by a substan- tial majority.
It was generally expected that the people of Guthrie would resort to every legal expedient to prevent the removal of the public records from that place. Governor Haskell, who was in Oklahoma City on the night following the election, decided to forestall any injunction proceedings so far as he was concerned, so, as soon as it was evident from the returns received from the elec- tion that Oklahoma City would have a majority of the votes cast on the location of the capital, he issued a proclamation announcing the result of the election and declaring Oklahoma City to be the capital of the State of Oklahoma. This was quite as much of a surprise to the people of Oklahoma City as it was to those of the state at large, as they did not expect to see the capital removed to Oklahoma City until 1913. The great seal of the State of Okla- homa was carried from Guthrie to Oklahoma City that same night. For some months thercafter the controversy was as to whether the people of Oklahoma had the right to move their capital in spite of the stipulations of the enabling act in regard thereto. The State Supreme Court still continued to hold its sessions in Guthrie, but most of the other state officers moved to Oklahoma City. The action of both State and Federal Courts was invoked in behalf of Guthrie.
THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF 1910
In the general primary election for the year 1910, the democrats chose Lee Cruce, of Ardmore, as their nominee for governor, while the republicans selected Joseph W. McNeal, of Guthrie. The cam- paign resulted in the election of Cruce by a plurality of 11,889 over McNeal, their respective votes being 122,363 and 110,474, while Cumbie, the socialist nominee, received 24,707 votes. The democrats secured a strong working majority in the Legislature but the republicans elected three out of the five representatives to Congress."
THE CAPITAL LOCATION IN THE LEGISLATURE
The courts had invalidated the election for the location of the state capital because of technical flaws but the constitutional
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amendment making possible the location of the capital without waiting until 1913 was not affected thereby. Governor Haskell therefore called the newly elected Third Legislature in extraor- dinary session, November 28, 1910, for the purpose of taking action in regard to the matter. The Legislature voted to locate the capital at Oklahoma City. The governor submitted a proposition to donate site and other lands located several miles northwest of Oklahoma City in a suburb known as Putnam City. The House of Repre- sentatives approved of the governor's recommendations in the matter but the Senate rejected the same in favor of another propo- sition for the donation of the site and other lands located closer to the city in a northwesterly direction. The special session ad- journed on the 16th of December.
GOVERNOR CRUCE'S ADMINISTRATION
Governor Cruce 2 was inaugurated early in January and with the Legislature already in session. The new governor made a number of recommendations, one of the most important of which was the consolidation of the governing boards of the several state institutions of learning other than those which were included in the scope of the Board of Agriculture. This recommendation was acted upon favorably by the Legislature, the State Board of Edu- cation being created to have administrative jurisdiction over the University, the School of Mines, the Girls College, the six Normal Schools and the two University Preparatory Schools. The general
2 Lee Cruce was born at Marion, Kentucky, July 8, 1863. His education was obtained in the common schools, with one year spent in Marion Academy. His early life was spent on a farm. While he was quite young his father died, and after the older brothers had left home to do for themselves, he took his turn in running the farm for his mother. Having decided to take up the study of law, he entered the law school at Vanderbilt University, at Nashville, Tennessee. He spent only one year there, however, his law studies being completed in the office of his brother at Marion. He was admitted to the bar in 1888. Three years later he came to the Indian Territory, locating at Ardmore, where he engaged in the banking business, eventually giving up the practice of law. The only public office which he held before being nominated and elected governor was that of regent of the State University from 1908 to 1911.
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election law was again remodeled, and the usual grist of routine and local measures were considered and passed upon.
Strong political pressure was brought upon Governor Cruce to call a special session of the Legislature in 1912, but he refused to do so. On account of a disagreement between the governor and
K
LEE CRUCE
some of the members of the State Board of Education, he removed several of them from office, a course which they sought to resist by court procedure. During the latter part of his administration he was decidedly unpopular with many of the leaders of his own party, due in a large measure to his independence in matters wherein many politicians thought party interests should be consulted.
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THE CAMPAIGN OF 1912
Under the new congressional apportionment, based on the Federal Census of 1910, Oklahoma was allotted eight seats in the Federal House of Representatives. One of the most insistent rea- sons urged upon Governor Cruce in the attempt to induce him to call a special session of the Third Legislature was the fact that
ROBERT L. OWEN
there were but five congressional districts in the state, whereas, there were eight men to be elected to Congress. The refusal of the governor to call the Legislature together to divide the state into eight districts necessitated the election of three representatives-at- large from the whole state in the ensuing general election. The primary campaign was therefore a very active one, nearly thirty men being aggressively in the field for the nomination for those
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positions. Robert L. Owen 3 was a candidate for the nomination to succeed himself as United States senator. Former Governor Haskell also announced himself as a candidate for that place. Senator Owen was renominated. At the same time, a mandatory amendment to the constitution made it obligatory for candidates for the Legislature to state whether or not they would be bound by the vote of the people as to whom they should support in the Legislature in the election for United States senator. Against Senator Owen, Judge Joseph T. Dickerson made the race as the republican nominee. In the general election in November, Okla- homa gave her electoral vote to Woodrow Wilson, endorsed the candidacy of Senator Owen for re-election, elected six of the eight democratic nominees for Congress (including all three of the representatives-at-large) and returned a substantial democratic majority in the membership of the Legislature.
THE FOURTH LEGISLATURE
The state election board was reorganized in such a way as to weaken the governor's power and the appointment of the capitol commission was taken out of his hands. Impeachment proceedings were instituted against three state officials, two of whom resigned ; the other one stood trial and was removed from office. Senator Owen was unanimously re-elected in obedience to the mandatory instructions of the electors of the state. The end of the session found much important business unfinished, so the regular session
3 Robert Latham Owen was born at Lynchburg, Virginia, February 2, 1856. His father, Robert L. Owen, was president of the Tennessee Railroad and his mother, whose maiden name was Narcissa Chisholm, was a member of the Cherokee Nation of Indians. Mrs. Owen was educated in the schools at Lynchburg, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, and at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. After completing his education he came to the Cherokee Nation, where he engaged in educational work for a time. From 1885 to 1889, he was U. S. Indian agent at the Union Agency, at Muskogee. He has always taken an active interest in public affairs, was nominated (June 28, 1907) for the United States Senate by the Democratic primary and elected (December 11, 1907). When the new Oklahoma senators entered the Senate, Senator Owen drew the lot which entitled him to a seat for the term ending March 3, 1913. He was re-elected in 1912, defeating C. N. Haskell, former governor, for nomination in the democratic primaries.
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had to be supplemented by a special session, which took a recess and did not complete its work until the end of June.
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1914
In 1914, the democrats selected Robert L. Williams,4 of Durant, late justice of the State Supreme Court, as their nominee for
ROBERT L. WILLIAMS
governor. There were several other active aspirants and the cam- paign before the primary election was a spirited onc. The repub-
4 Robert Lee Williams was born at Brundidge, Alabama, Deccm- ber 20, 1868. He was admitted to the bar in 1891, beginning to practice law at Troy, Alabama. In 1896, he settled at Atoka and six months later at Durant, where he took an active part in local political affairs. In 1907, he was elected as a delegate to the Okla-
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licans held a preferential convention, at which a full ticket headed by John Fields, of Oklahoma City, was selected and afterward ratified by action of the primary election. The state having been redistricted for the election of representatives to Congress, all candidates for that office were chosen by districts. The election resulted in a democratic victory, Judge Williams being elected governor by a plurality of 4,693 over Fields, their respective votes being 100,597 and 95,904, while Holt, the socialist nominee, received 52,703 votes and Hickam, the progressive nominee, received 4,189 votes. The democrats elected seven out of eight representatives to Congress and re-elected Senator Gore over Judge John H. Burford, the republican nominee.
homa Constitutional Convention, in which he soon occupied a lead- ing position, both on the floor of the convention and the commit- tees to which he was assigned. He was the author of the provisions relating to public service corporations, the stipulations regarding arbitration of labor disputes and other advanced and progressive phases of that instrument. In the general election at which the constitution was adopted, he was elected as one of the justices of the State Supreme Court. In 1908, he was re-elected for the full term of six years. In 1914 he resigned in order to be a candidate for the nomination and election as governor of the state and was elected in the general election of that year.
CHAPTER LXXX
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
When Oklahoma was opened to white settlement, in 1889, the organization of a public school system was not possible until after the passage of the organic act and the installation of a territorial government. During the year which intervened between the date of the opening and the establishment of the territorial government, subscription schools were maintained in the larger towns and cities. The organic act provided for the organization of a system of public schools and appropriated the sum of $50,000 for the support of the same until the necessary revenue could be raised by local taxation for their maintenance.
In accordance with the law under which the lands of Oklahoma were opened to settlement, two sections of each township (16 and 36) were reserved for the benefit of the public schools of the future commonwealth. When the territorial government was installed, the organization of a public school system was promptly undertaken under the provisions of the Nebraska statutes which had been adopted by Congress to serve as the laws of the new territory until its Legislative Assembly should amend or modify the same or sub- stitute others in their stead. Prof. J. H. Lawhead, of Kingfisher County, was appointed as territorial superintendent of public instruction and county superintendents were appointed for each of the seven counties. Superintendent Lawhead, who had been state superintendent of public instruction in Kansas before coming to Oklahoma, died before the expiration of his term of office and was succeeded by Rev. J. H. Parker of Kingfisher. Superintendent Parker was one of the founders of Kingfisher College, a Congrega- tional institution. He also served as president of that institution for several years.
In June, 1890, at the suggestion of Governor Steele an educa- tional meeting was held at Edmond. At this meeting a committee of teachers consisting of T. H. Umholtz; J. A. J. Baugus, of Okla- homa City ; G. D. Moss, of Kingfisher ; Mrs. Lucy E. Twyford, Mrs. Daisy Uhland Svegaberg and W. A. L. Hoff, of Edmond; and Henry C. Decker, of Guthrie, was selected to undertake the work of drafting a code of school laws for submission to the Legislative Vol. II-28
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Assembly. This committee did most of its work at Oklahoma City. About three weeks were spent in the formulation of the measure which served as a basis for public school legislation during the session of the first territorial Legislative Assembly. The members of the committee served without compensation other than their expenses which were defrayed from a fund that was raised by popular subscription among the citizens of Oklahoma City.
The first territorial Legislative Assembly enacted the necessary laws for the location and establishment of the University, at Nor- man, the Agricultural and Mechanical College, at Stillwater, and the Normal School, at Edmond. All of these institutions were organized during the following year. Changes in the administra- tion of the Agricultural and Mechanical College and the Normal School were frequent during their earlier years. Some able men were called to fill these positions, but petty politics and the machinations of agents of school book publishers disgusted them and drove them from the territory. Dr. David R. Boyd, who was selected as the first president of the University of Oklahoma suc- ceeded in steering clear of such troubles and filled that position until the university was reorganized under the state government, in 1908.
The Legislative Assembly of 1897 passed an act providing for the establishment of the Northwestern State Normal at Alva. In 1901 the Assembly made provision for the establishment of two addi- tional state schools-the Southwestern State Normal which, after some contention and litigation, was finally located at Weatherford, and the University Preparatory School which was located at Tonkawa.
After the homestead lands of Oklahoma were mostly taken up, inquiries reached the governor of the territory as to when the school lands would be placed on sale. In reply to all such inquiries it was stated that the lands could not be sold until after Oklahoma had been admitted into the Union as a state. Some of these lands were already occupied by squatters who were using the same with- out permission and without paying rent. The matter was referred by the governor to the secretary of the interior. Shortly afterward, the United States Senate passed a bill, the purpose of which was to provide for the leasing of the public school lands of the Indian Territory. The bill unfortunately did not pass the House of Repre- sentatives. The Fifty-third Congress, however, did pass an act which authorized the territory to lease the school lands under proper regulation and the course thus taken was followed and con-
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tinued with but little change until the end of the territorial period. The moneys derived from leasing were divided among the several counties pro rata according to their school population. A district school was established in nearly every community within a year after its settlement. These pioneer school houses were not always pretentious. Indeed, when funds were scarce or lacking altogether the humble edifice was often built by a community effort with the materials at hand. Those in the eastern counties, where the timber was plentiful were built of logs. In the prairie region, the first school house in the district was sometimes built of sod or turf. In either event such a building served its purpose for the time being.
When the bugle sounded the call to arms for the war with Spain in 1898, many an Oklahoma school boy felt his pulses quicken. One of these, Roy Cashion, who had graduated from the Hennessey High School less than a year before, enlisted in the First U. S. Volunteer Cavalry ("Roosevelt's Rough Riders") and was killed by a Mauser bullet during the charge up San Juan Hill -the first Oklahoma school boy to give his life for his country on foreign soil. His remains were subsequently brought back for burial at his home and a subscription was started for the purpose of erecting a monument to his memory. This was afterward supple- mented by a legislative appropriation. A handsome monument was erected and unveiled in the presence of a large gathering of patriotic citizens.
In the Indian Territory each of the five civilized tribes had its own educational system, with its national superintendent of schools. These schools consisted of two classes, namely, (1) the district schools which, while primitive in type and in character of work done, were somewhat analogous to the district schools now main- tained, and (2) the tribal academies and seminaries, most of which corresponded to the grammar school grades, though there were a few which approximated the high school grade. In addition to these there were a number of mission schools scattered throughout the five civilized tribes and operated by missionaries of some one or other of the various evangelical mission boards. The town of Muskogee was quite an educational center during the larger part of the period between 1890 and 1910. Bacone Indian University, a Baptist institution, Harrell International Institute, a Methodist institution, and Henry Kendall College, which was under the patronage of the Presbyterian Church, were leading institutions of this class. There was also a Catholic College established and main- tained at Muskogee. Willie Halsell College, at Vinita, and Har-
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grove College, at Ardmore, both under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Presbyterian College for Young Women at Durant also flourished in this period.
With the passage of the Curtis act in 1898 the control of the tribal school systems was taken over by a Federal school adminis- tration. The tribal funds were supplemented by Federal appropri- ation which made it possible to furnish schooling to the children of the non-citizen white people who were mostly tenant farmers. The common schools of the five civilized tribes were brought under a uniform system for the first time. To the supervision of this important work John D. Benedict, an Illinois educator of experi- ence and standing, was appointed. He was assisted by four district supervisors. Under his direction the schools of the Indian Terri- tory were radically remodeled and improved. The standard of re- quirements for teachers was raised and normal institutes were regularly held at different points in the territory each year. As far as possible, the facilities afforded by the tribal schools were made available to the children of non-citizens who resided in the territory, the tribal school funds being supplemented as already stated by a Federal appropriation made partly for that purpose. As the various towns and cities were surveyed and incorporated, they were enabled to levy taxes for the building and support of schools. The first school district organization in the Indian Terri- tory was effected at Wagoner, in 1897, that town having been incorporated a short time before. Although each of the local school districts was independent of the Federal Indian school system, the local and Federal school authorities co-operated in maintaining the best standards possible. Superintendent Benedict remained at the head of the Indian school service until after statehood had made possible the organization of a permanent school system.
One of the provisions of the enabling act by which Oklahoma was to be admitted to the Union was an appropriation of $5,000,000 to the permanent school fund of the new state, for the reason that there had been no lands reserved for the benefit of schools in the Indian Territory.
A number of denominational colleges have been developed in the former Territory of Olahoma, including Kingfisher College (Congregational). Phillips Christian University. at Enid, Okla- homa Methodist University at Guthrie and the Oklahoma Baptist University at Shawnee. The Catholic college which was estab- lished at Sacred Heart in 1873 was moved to Shawnee and renamed the Catholic University of Oklahoma.
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When the University of Oklahoma was reorganized in 1908 Rev. A. Grant Evans who was long associated with missionary educa- tion in the Indian Territory and who served for many years as president of Henry Kendall College was installed as president, a position which he held for three years. Rev. Theo. F. Brewer, who had served as president of Harrell Institute, was also connected with the University for a time after its reorganization. Within three years after the organization of the state, the number of state institutions of learning was increased by the addition of a School of Mines, at Wilburton; the College for Girls, at Chickasha; three normal schools, located respectively at Ada, Durant and Tahle- quah ; six district agricultural schools, located respectively at Lawton, Tishomingo, Warner, Broken Arrow, Helena, and Good- well, and one additional university preparatory school at Claremore, thus making eighteen state educational institutions exclusive of the Industrial and Normal School for Colored People at Langston (established in 1897) and those of eleemosynary or reformatory character.
The eighth territorial Legislative Assembly enacted a law in 1905 to authorize the consolidation of rural school districts in the larger communities. People were slow to adopt this system, but the number of consolidated district and township schools in Okla- homa is slowly increasing and good high schools are thus main- tained in a number of rural communities where it was formerly believed that only the old time district school with its meager facilities, low standards and minimum achievements was possible.
The honor of being the first to fill the office of state superin- tendent of public instruction fell to Rev. E. D. Cameron, who had previously served as territorial superintendent of public instruc- tion for one term (1893-7). The first State Legislature enacted a law providing for a uniform system of textbooks throughout the state. Robert H. Wilson, of Chickasha, was elected to the position of state superintendent of public instruction in 1910. The next year, the work of supervising the administration of the affairs of the various state institutions of learning (exclusive of those which are classed as agricultural) was concentrated in the hands of the state board of education. Superintendent Wilson was re-elected for another term of four years, in 1914.
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