USA > Oklahoma > Oklahoma County > Oklahoma City > The story of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : "the biggest little city in the world" > Part 16
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The corner stone of the Baptist Temple at Third Street and Broadway was laid with ceremonies on November 1st, addresses being delivered by Dr. Henry Alford Porter, the pastor, and Dr. M. P. Hunt of Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Porter recalled that the first Baptist Church in the city was organized November 2, 1889, and that Kendall. Elder and L. H. North were elected deacons and I. N. Phillips, F. V. Bran- don and T. M. Richardson, trustees, and that the Rev. W. H. Nichols was the first pastor.
Among other events of the year were these: Edward Overholser resigned as county commissioner and was reap- pointed by Governor Ferguson after a political scramble, dur- ing which J. A. Johnson was named for the place, the governor discovering later that Johnson did not live in the district in which the vacancy occurred; Benedum & Trees of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, through O. A. Mitscher, their local representa- tive, applied for a natural gas franchise; on January 25th Miss Edith Phelps was chosen public librarian ; Graves Leeper on February 1st was chosen chairman of the City Democratic Central Committee: A. C. Root, J. H. Johnston and others prepared a form of city charter, the travail of which in the Legislature caused the resignation of Dr. John Threadgill from the Chamber of Commerce: the city received notice that the MeMaster suit had been dismissed by the United States Supreme Court: Brig .- Gen. Frank Baldwin of Colorado sne- ceeded Maj .- Gen. S. S. Summer as commandant of the South- western District : the Marquette Club, with 200 members, was organized with G. B. Stone, president: J. L. Wilkin, vice president : Will S. Guthrie, secretary, and these and J. S. Lillard, Dennis Flynn, J. H. Wheeler, C. B. Pope, Buran House, John Shartel, Weston Atwood and I. M. Holcomb, directors; the Eighty-Niners Association held a banquet, in which "sooners attacked the grub before the shot was fired," and Col. Samuel Crocker was elected president ; R. S. Bangus, vice president : Sidney Clarke, secretary: John Carey, assis- tant secretary, and J. H. Wheeler, treasurer; the American
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National Bank and the Bank of Commerce were merged under the name of the former and J. H. Wheeler was elected presi- dent ; F. P. Johnson, cashier, and H. B. Carson and Oscar Avey, assistant cashiers; the Pioneer Telephone Company bought two lots at the corner of Broadway and Third Street and announced its intention of erecting a large building; the Rev. George H. Bradford of Kansas City was elected chan- cellor of Epworth University.
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1906-A GOLD PEN AND A QUILL
The years of 1906 and 1907 were so crowded with momen- tous events that it is difficult to classify them in the order of their importance. Nor is it easy to extract from many of these events particles of news that relate exclusively to Okla- homa City. Indeed, it hardly is possible, nor should it be attempted, to separate the history of Oklahoma City from the history of the state. They are inseparably interlinked.
It was in the first of these two years that Oklahoma and Indian Territory were enabled by an act of Congress to write a constitution for Oklahoma, and in the second that the con- stitution was adopted, approved by the President and pro- claimed the law of the new state, and the first state officials elected.
On June 14th the statehood bill as finally passed by the Senate was adopted by the House of Representatives and two days later it was signed by President Roosevelt. The Presi- dent wrote his Christian name with a gold pen that had been presented to him for that purpose and gave the pen to Dele- gate William Andrews of New Mexico, perhaps as a consola- tion and a recompense for the rejection by Congress of that feature of the original statehood bill that provided for admis- sion of New Mexico as a state. The name Roosevelt he signed with an eagle quill, that also had been provided for that pur- pose, and the quill he presented to the Oklahoma Historical Society. The blotter he used was presented in person with the President's compliments to James P. Gandy of Woodward, and a humorist of the day said that Mr. Gandy, having had the matter impressionably in mind, wondered for the instant if the President hadn't "commissioned him to hold some office or other."
President Roosevelt, in spite of his predilection to polities and his superficial sympathy with politicians who doubted the political expedieney of statehood at that moment, un-
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doubtedly, as a devont American and a profound statesman, was in sympathy with the aspirations of the million and a half people in the two Territories. Perhaps this accounted for the characteristic good humor he displayed in signing the statehood bill. The act was witnessed by former Governor C. M. Barnes, Judge J. R. Cottingham, Claude Baker, Judge Robert E. Wood, James Wilks, James P. Gandy, J. F. San- ders, Judge Hanner and representatives of daily newspapers of Oklahoma and elsewhere.
So demonstrative did the people of Oklahoma City become and so contagious was their hilarity when news reached here that the bill had passed the House, that Mayor Messenbaugh issued unpremeditatedly a proclamation warning the people against the use of fire arms or fireworks but joining them in the spirit of their rejoicing. Three thousand persons gath- ered at a hurredly assembled mass meeting, presided over by Dr. J. Hensley. Congratulatory and patriotic speeches were made by Mayor Messenbaugh, O. A. Mitscher, C. G. Jones, E. J. Giddings, D. C. Lewis, Col. J. W. Johnson and others.
Seven days later the demonstration was repeated, the city taking the lead in a statewide thanksgiving event. Ten thou- sand persons assembled. They came from all sections of the Territories and from adjoining states. Among visitors was Governor Hoch of Kansas who delivered one of the principal addresses. Governor Frank Frantz came down from Guthrie accompanied by Adjt .- Gen. Alva Niles and the governor's personal staff, among whom were Maj. John W. Duke, Capt. Hugh Scott and Maj. Harry Pentecost. They were greeted with the greeting extended Governor Hoch, and the reception committee consisted of Capts. Fred W. ITumter and Samuel ' Harralson of the National Guard, Carl Holtzsehe, chairman of the reception committee of the Chamber of Commerce. Senator John Threadgill, Col. William Cross, Anton H. Clas- sen. A. W. MeKeand, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, and others. In addition to the addresses of Governors Hoch and Frantz there were speeches by Seymour Heyman, I. M. Holcomb, E. J. Giddings and Claude Weaver of Pauls Valley.
The statehood bill had passed the Senate on March 9th. R. E. Stafford, who was in Washington as a representative of the city, wired that some doubt existed whether the bill
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would pass the House over objection of Speaker Joe Cannon, who, for reasons chiefly political, was bitterly outspoken against it. On the other hand, Delegate Metinire declared that it would be put through the House within a week. Can- non's attitude left the status of the measure in such doubt that the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce called another of its mummerons statehood mass meetings. It sent letters and telegrams to 1,750 mayors and presidents of town boards in as many cities and towns of the two Territories urging them to communicate to Washington, and Speaker Cannon in par- tieular, the demand of Oklahoma people for passage of the bill. At this meeting the boosters revived a practice of former days and applied the multiplication table to it, that of every man getting in touch with senators and representatives of the state from which he came, if he were not a native. Messages of this character illustrated the cosmopolitanism of the popu- lation, for they were sent into nearly every state of the Union.
Even all this did not quite satisfy the leaders. They had set out to turn heaven and earth, and they feared nothing short of a human thunderbolt would rift the murk in Wash- ington. So they had a call issned for a meeting of the State- hood Executive Committee of the Territories. It was held March 21st in Shawnee, and 1,000 grimly determined dele- gates subscribed to a memorial that apparently would be irresistible to politicians at Washington who were unmoved by other appeals. A similar memorial was adopted and ordered transmitted directly to the President. To strengthen, the cause in the White House the delegates made Capt. Charles Hunter, a Rough Rider veteran, chairman of the convention. Early in the year Capt. Frank Frantz, another Rough Rider whom the President officially remembered, had been inaugu- rated as governor of Oklahoma, and to the appointment of Frantz was attached a political speculation the sum and sub- stance of which was that perhaps the President didn't desire the new governor's term to be unduly abbreviated nor the democrats given soon an opportunity to get hold of the reins of government. Such assumptions may have been unfounded.
The Senate, as Oklahomans viewed it, was in a meddle- some mood while it discussed and emaseulated the bill. Not content with burdening it with a prohibition rider, the Senate
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made provision that the capital of the new state should remain at Guthrie for a term of years. This piqued the population of Oklahoma City as no other modification of the terms of the measure had done, for it was always evident and perfectly clear that one of the important reasons why the city labored so ardently for statehood was that eventually it expected to be the capital. On February 16th President Holcomb of the Chamber of Commerce convoked a mass assembly and it forth -. with named Sidney Clarke, Jolm H. Wright and R. E. Staf- ford a committee to draw a resolution protesting against the capital amendment. It was a dignified resolution with some temperature, profound withal and eloquent of English, de- elaring no precedent existed for such an act, asserting that out of part of the proceeds of lands valued at $5,000,000 the state would be able to erect a capital, and praying that the million and a half people be permitted to determine the capital question for themselves. C. G. Jones and Mr. Holcomb were selected to take the resolution to the Senate and Delegate McGuire.
Pursuant to a provision of the act, Governor Frantz called an election for November 6th to choose delegates to a constitu- tional convention. Democrats of the Territories united their organizations for the campaign, but republican organizations remained separate. J. L. Hamon of Lawton was named cam- paign manager for the Oklahoma republicans.
Oklahoma County contained two constitutional convention districts, the twenty-eighth and the twenty-ninth. In the twenty-eighth a heated controversy arose between J. L. Brown and D. C. Lewis, republican candidates for delegate. Brown advocating constitutional prohibition and Lewis opposing any sort of prohibition. Lewis received the nomination, Hugh McCredie was the nominee in the other. The democratic nominees in the districts respectively were W. C. Hughes and John L. Mitch. The Rev. E. O. Whitwell applied to the court of Judge Burwell for a writ of mandamus to compel the elec- tion board to place his name on the ballot as the candidate of the Independent League in the Twenty-eighth district, but it was denied.
Republicans and democrats alike sought advice and party enthusiasm from stations of high authority outside the state,
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democrats more than republicans perhaps, for the republicans were far from being a unit. Among representative repub- lieans who came this way before the election was Vice Presi- dent Charles W. Fairbanks, who spoke in Oklahoma City on October 22d. He was introduced by Chairman Hamon and was entertained by Chief Justice John II. Burford, Governor Frank Frantz, C. G. Jones and other republican leaders. Mr. Fairbanks toured Indian Territory after leaving Oklahoma Citv.
The democrats elected a large majority of delegates to the convention, including both nominees from Oklahoma County. Mr. Hughes was prominently mentioned for president of the convention, but found on his arrival at Guthrie that William H. Murray of Tishomingo was far in the lead of favorites. The convention assembled November 20th. Mr. Murray was elected president and John M. Young of Lawton, secretary. William A. Durant, who for many years thereafter was a leader in politics and active in public life. was elected sergeant at arms.
With a view of studying conditions in the Territories relative principally to Indian affairs, a committee of five members of the Senate toured the Territories in November and on November 22d was entertained in Oklahoma City. The committee consisted of D. C. Clark of Wyoming. Chester I. Long of Kansas, W. A. Clark of Montana, Henry M. Teller of Colorado and F. P. Brandegee of Comecticut. They were entertained by a committee of citizens consisting of C. G. Jones, A. H. Classen, Sidney Clarke and others.
Early in the session of the constitutional convention Dele- gate Mitch of Oklahoma City submitted a proposition to the convention providing that the people of the state should have the opportunity of voting on the location of a permanent state capital and making provision for the erection of a capitol to cost not over one million dollars and to be completed by January 1, 1914. Delegate G. M. Tucker of Comanche sub- mitted a proposition providing that the capital should be located as near as feasible to the geographical center of the state and that the name of the capital city should be India- homa, the name symbolizing the conjumetion of the Terri-
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tories. Delegate Hughes was the first to approach the subject of prohibition, proposing a local option measure.
Miss Kate Barnard, now inatron of the Provident Associa- tion of Oklahoma City and a member of the Central Trades and Labor Council, being ambitious to advance some cherished reforms and also having political aspirations, came impor- tantly before the public during the convention by advocating measures relating to compulsory education, factory inspection. an eight-hour work day and child labor. In preparation for this work she had made an extensive study of conditions in Chicago and St. Louis.
Charles N. Haskell of Muskogee, who with other Indian Territory leaders had sought to write a constitution for and establish the State of Sequoyah, and who subsequently, as the first governor of the state, ordered the great seal of state moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City, made his first political appearance in Oklahoma City at a Jackson Day banquet held January 8, 1906. Four hundred representative democrats of the Territories attended. It was without doubt the most im- portant gathering of notables of the democratic party, held solely for political purposes, that had assembled in the Terri- tories. S. M. Rutherford of Muskogee presided. A. M. Jack- son of Winfield, Kan., formerly a representative in Congress. was the guest speaker. Mr. Haskell spoke on "How to Organize." The theme of Judge J. L. Carpenter of Mangum was " Party Loyalty, " that of Freeman Miller of Stillwater, "The Power of the Press, " and that of Judge Henry M. Fur- man of Ada, "The Sovereignty of the Citizen." Talks were made by Leslie P. Ross of Lawton, Robert W. Diek of Ard- more, Col. William Zevely of Muskogee, Leslie Niblack of Guthrie, Thomas Doyle of Perry, U. S. Russell of Me Alester, T. P. Gore of Lawton, J. B. A. Robertson of Chandler, Dan Peery of Carnegie, Col. J. J. MeAlester of MeAlester, Jesse J. Dunn of Alva and Charles West of Enid, all of whom after- ward occupied prominent places in publie or political life.
On December 10th of this year J. B. Wheeler, one of the city's representative citizens died, at the age of eighty-one. He had donated Wheeler Park to the city in a former year and since that time had been a member of the park board. In that position he had taken an active part in improving
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and beantifying the park that was to be a memorial to him. He was a native of New York, had been a banker in Michigan and as an Eighty-Niner had established one of the first banks in Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma Railway Company was chartered on De- cember 4th with a capital stock of $5,000,000, with the purpose expressed in the charter of constructing 170 miles of inter- urban lines out of Oklahoma City, reaching Norman, Shaw- nee, Guthrie, El Reno and Purcell. The incorporators were Frank Wells, O. R. Rittenhouse, G. G. Barnes, J. J. Johnson, Carlos Combs, Fred S. Combs and E. L. Lawson.
One of the most eloquent and substantial compliments paid the city and its Chamber of Commerce during these extremely busy years was expressed by Lee Cruce of Ardmore while a guest of the Chamber on an occasion during this year. "Oklahoma City is one of the most wonderful cities on the face of the earth," he said. "I have found here tonight that the Chamber of Commerce is one of the best organizations of the kind west of the Mississippi River. No town can grow without a live organization like this. Your people should be proud of this Chamber of Commerce: it has accomplished wonders."
Other happenings of the year of more or less historical value are these: Trustees of St. Luke's Methodist Church, South, bought from Edward H. Cooke a site for a church at Eighth and Robinson for -$17,500 and announced that plans for a large edifice were being drawn; the Lee Hotel was sold to Joseph Huckins, Joseph Huekins, JJr., L. W. Huekins and Paul Huckins; A. W. MeKeand was elected secretary of the Chamber of Commerce to succeed J. Il. Johnston, and W. E. Campbell, secretary of the Traffic Association, of which Mr. Johnston remained manager; the Eighty-Niners Association held its annual banquet, presided over by Samnel Crocker. and elected Dr. Delos Walker president ; O. A. Mitscher, vice president; W. L. Alexander. secretary, and Oscar Reagan, treasurer; J. B. Taylor was elected superintendent of schools to succeed Edward S. Vaught, and F. C. Jacoby succeeded Mr. Taylor as principal of the high school ; City Assessor Dan P. Wright reported that the total valuation of city property was approximately $26,500,000; the Federated Commercial
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Clubs of the Territories held an annual meeting here and Lee Cruce was elected president : A. W. MeKeand secretary, and I. M. Holcomb, treasurer; the Oklahoma Natural Gas Com- pany, among the directors of which were C. B. Ames and D. T. Flynn, asked for a franchise, promising to pipe gas here within a short time and sell it for domestic consumption at 35 cents per 1,000 cubic feet ; the City Council passed a resolu- tion asking Congress to donate to the city section 16 of town- ship 12 north, range 3 west ; Delegate McGuire introduced a bill in Congress making an appropriation of $450,000 to pur- chase a site for, and construct a Federal building in the city.
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1907-POLITICS, PREJUDICES AND VICTORY
President Roosevelt issued his proclamation on November 16th and statehood was an accomplished fact. The constitu- tion went into effect and under it. the first state officials took the oath of office. Charles N. Haskell, who had been a mem- ber of the constitutional convention from a Muskogee distriet, in the election of September 17th defeated Frank Frantz, re- publican nominee for governor, by an overwhelming major- ity, and was the first to take the official oath.
Fifteen officials constituted the executive department of government and four of these were residents of Oklahoma City, namely: William Cross, secretary of state; T. J. Mc- Comb, insurance commissioner; Miss Kate Barnard, commis- sioner of charities and corrections, and Charles A. Daugherty. labor commissioner. Other officials who afterwards became residents of the city were Charles West. attorney general : M. E. Trapp, auditor, and A. P. Watson, corporation comis- sioner. Samuel W. Hayes, a member of the first Supreme Court and during his term a chief justice, after retirement from the bench, became a resident of the city.
Down nearly to the very week of the issuance of the Presi- dent's proclamation there was doubt of executive approval of the constitution. The instrument had been declared by W. J. Bryan to be one of the greatest of documents of human liberty and self-government, and it had been declared by Wil- liam II. Taft. then secretary of war, to be honeycombed with prejudices and radical doctrines and consequently unfit for adoption. The democrats were virtually solidly united in its support and the republicans were divided. A large element of the latter party took the view expressed by C. G. Jones after its adoption, that Statehood was desired above all else and that if the constitution was found to contain objectionable features he trusted to the good sense of the people to later amend it. Republican speakers condemned it on the stump
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and passionately advocated its rejection. But the instrument was subjected to its severest trials in the courts.
The democrats of the convention drifted far into the legislative field and incorporated in the constitution not a few tenets of the party that were subjects of debate between the parties. Among these were provisions for separate coaches and separate waiting rooms for white and colored persons and the initiative and referendum. These and other provi- sions were held by republican leaders in the campaign to con- stitute violations of the Constitution of the United States. Others of less moment were declared to be in contravention of the Enabling Act. Among the latter were the election pro- visions and those that subdivided counties, established county seats and named temporary county commissioners. Summing up all partisan objections, Charles H. Filson, territorial seere- tary, declined to receive from President Murray the copy of the instrument offered for official registration. Judge Pan- coast held in a case arising in Woods County involving the appointment of county commissioners that the constitution makers made the appointments without anthority. This was appealed to the Territorial Supreme Court and the Pancoast decision reversed.
While this case was pending and while President Murray was carrying the constitution around in his pocket and threat- ening to call an election to submit the constitution, a meeting of statehood advocates, consisting principally of democrats. was held in Oklahoma City and a delegation of lawyers, W. A. Ledbetter, Samuel W. Hayes and Charles Moore, all members of the constitutional convention, was selected to coufer with President Roosevelt. In due time the convention reassembled in Guthrie and made some amendments that overcame the re- publican objections and others that were found necessary after the delegates had been home and listened to expressions of their constituents. The convention recommended Septem- ber 17th as a date for submitting the instrument to the people and the election of state officials and adjourned finally on July 15th. Meantime powerful influences, inside the Territories and out, both of political and commercial shades, were brought to bear, with the result that all legal controversies were ter-
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minated and Governor Frantz and Secretary Filson issued a call for an election to be held on September 17th.
Caneuses, primaries and conventions were held that re- sulted in the selection of democratie and republican tickets. the former headed by Mr. Haskell and the latter by Governor Frantz. Haskell defeated Lee ('ruce of Ardmore for the nomination after a historically acrimonious campaign. T. P. Gore of Lawton defeated M. L. Turner of Oklahoma City and Roy Hoffman of Chandler for the nomination for United States senator for the western division of the state, and Rob- ert L. Owen defeated Judge Henry M. Furman for the nomi- nation in the eastern division. Elmer L. Fulton of Oklahoma City was the democratie nominee for Congress in the Second District. All democratie nominees for state and congressional offices were elected, except that Bird S. McGuire of Pawnee, republican, was elected to Congress from the First District.
Provisions of the Enabling Act relating to elections were so variously interpreted by students of law that it became a serious question early in the year whether city elections should be held prior to adoption of the constitution. Attorney Ed- ward S. Vanght of Oklahoma City filed in the District Court application for an order restraining George Hess, city clerk, from registering voters and preventing the holding of an elec- tion on April 2d. the date fixed by the statutes of the Terri- tory. Mayor Messenbangh already had issued a call for the election. Vaught contended that the call and the registration of voters were in violation of the Enabling Act which pro- vided that persons holding public office should continue to serve until their successors were elected and qualified under laws to be adopted by the new state. The case went to Chief Justice Burford and he ruled that eity elections should be held.
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