USA > Oklahoma > Oklahoma County > Oklahoma City > The story of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : "the biggest little city in the world" > Part 22
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24
It was during this year that politicians relieved the city builders of the state capital issue. Polities had crept into it but once before. That was when Governor Haskell, ambi- tious to succeed Robert L. Owen in the United States Senate, had on divers occasions tossed the issue this way and that for the approval and acclaim of Oklahoma City and her support- ers over the state. Oklahoma City, however, if it felt under obligations to him, did not entirely fulfill them, for in the election of the preceding autumn it gave Mr. Owen a con- siderable majority.
The first measure introduced in the Senate of the Legisla- ture that convened in January of this year was a resolution by T. F. MeMechan of the city providing that the Legislature on behalf of the state accept the land and money that had been offered by the Capitol Building Company. The Senate appointed a committee to investigate titles to the capitol tracts and on February 19th the committee recommended approval. On the following day, United States District Judge W. H. Pope of New Mexico rendered a decision in the contest case of John Burton against the heirs of the estate of the Rev. Henry Howe in which he held that the heirs had legal title to the Henry Howe homestead. Burton had charged in his contest that the preacher was a "'sooner."
A second resolution touching the capital matter was in- troduced by Senator C. F. Barrett of Shawnee, in which he charged the Capitol Building Company with bad faith and breach of contract and anthorized the attorney general to
.
375-376
.
1
1
1
IT
1
FIRST ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH
1
1
٠ ٠جم شك
7
٠٠٠
-
-
اصد.
أباحسين
--
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
:
.
377
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
bring suit on the company's bond. The resolution was de- feated. Senator John H. Burford of Guthrie introduced a measure providing that the state officials should be housed at Guthrie until the capitol was completed, and this was de- feated. On March 6th the Senate passed the MeMechan resolution, and on March 15th it was passed by the House. Senator MeMechan on April 15th introduced a bill creating a capitol commission to be composed of three members and appropriating $1,000,000 for erection of the capitol. On May 2d a bill was passed by the House appropriating $750,000 for building purposes. A compromise bill finally passed the House on May 9th and the Senate on May 16th and was ap- proved by Governor Cruce on May 23d. Under this bill the Senate selected P. J. Goulding of Enid, the House, W. B. Anthony of Marlow, and the governor, Stephen A. Douglas of Ardmore, as a capitol commission.
Representative J. E. Wyand of Muskogee and HI. C. Swearingen of Guthrie filed with the secretary of state a referendum petition praying that the capital bill recently enacted be referred to the people. The bill did not carry an emergency clause and would not become a law until October 3d. On December 9th, Justices R. W. Williams and M. J. Kane announced disqualifications for sitting in the hearing of the case which had been appealed from the secretary of state.
Governor Cruce in January complied with the desire of the Senate and appointed an entirely new State Board of Educa- tion and all appointments were confirmed on February 1st. The appointees were H. M. Duncan of Pauls Valley, HI. C. Potterf of Ardmore, Frank J. Wikoff of Oklahoma City and Dr. F. B. Fite of Muskogee. Attorneys for the original board were granted an injunction by District Judge J. J. Carney forbidding the new board executing new textbook contracts. On behalf of the new board, Charles Moore, assistant attorney general, appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
An unusual incident of the observance of the state's birth- day this year was the placing of what was called a Century Chest in the foundation of the First English Lutheran Church. It was planned by the Ladies' Aid Society of the Lutheran congregation of which Mrs. George G. Sohlberg was presi-
.
378
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
dent, and the conception was that the chest should be opened 100 years from that date. Instructions to that effeet were written on the chest's exterior. In it were placed articles of singular significance. Among them were speeches delivered during the evening program by Governor Lee Cruce and Mayor Whit M. Grant, phonograph records of the voices in song of Mrs. C. B. Ames, Mrs. W. B. Moore and M. K. Ben- nett, a phonograph record of an address by Dr. A. C. Scott, and a manuscript containing instructions to those who open the box on April 22, 2013. This bore a prayer that is to be repeated by those participating in the opening ceremony and it directed that the speech of Governor Cruce should be read to the assemblage by the then governor of the state and the speech of Mayor Grant read by the then mayor of the city.
In his speech Mayor Grant said: "I am conscious that we are making ancestors of ourselves tonight. We are fur- nishing a text and a message from which one hundred years from today descendants will take a measure of their ancestors. This is the first time in history, I suppose, that an evening's program was prepared one hundred years before its perform- ance. It was the thought of a genius and that genins is Mrs. Virginia Tucker Sohlberg. An April evening of 2013 will be athrob with the life of a buried day. Voices and presences will be there from far across the century. We are tonight laying fairy bridgework that will span a century of time. We are forging a bond whose binding power will bring in close communication the lusty living and the distant dead. We, pioneers of Oklahoma City, send our greeting across the cen- tury to men and women of 2013. We, who shall have long been dust before this message falls upon your ears, salute you!"
The incidents of this night were vividly recalled less than ninety days later when Mrs. Sohlberg passed to her reward.
Resolutions favoring Oklahoma taking a conspicuous part in the forthcoming Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Fran- cisco were adopted by the Eighty-Niners Association at its annual meeting. Jak Love, chairman of the Corporation Commission, was elected president of the association. John L. Mitch was elected vice president. Robert Parman, score- tary, and Fred Sutton, treasurer. Representatives of the association a few weeks later took part in a reproduction of
379
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
the "run" of 1889 at Lincoln Park, staged for the camera that the picture might be reproduced in San Francisco.
An association had been formed to take charge of prepara- tion for Oklahoma's part in the exposition, and Justice Jesse Dun of the Supreme Court, then sojourning in California, and Miss Gail Johnson Sipes of Oklahoma City were author- ized by the association to select a site for an Oklahoma build- ing. Many thousands of feet in cinema film were made for the "picture show" of the Oklahoma Building, and these ex- hibited all manner of life, style, architecture, products, thoroughfares, industries and landscapes. A statewide brick- sale campaign was carried on by. which to raise funds for transporting and housing the exhibits. On September 13th, Roy Oakes resigned as secretary of the Exposition Commis- sion and was sneceeded by A. R. Turner of Oklahoma City.
In the April election Guy Blackwelder was reelected com- missioner of public works, defeating Henry M. Scales, a former mayor. J. T. Highley was reelected commissioner of public safety, defeating O. A. Mitscher. The progressive party for the first time nominated candidates for municipal offices. Fred Peckham was its nominee for commissioner of public works and Orin Ashton for commissioner of public safety.
Guy V. Buchanan of Joplin, Mo., was this year elected superintendent of schools to succeed W. A. Brandenburg, who retired to accept the position of president of a state normal college at Pittsburg, Kan.
Patience ceased to be a virtue with the Oklahoma City Terminal Railway Company while it awaited word from offi- cials of the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf Railway Company that it was ready to contract for construction of a road from Henryetta to Oklahoma City, and on September 16th the terminal company advised the railway company that unless the contract was executed at once the latter would forfeit the bonus of $75,000 that had been raised. On November 5th the terminal company announced its readiness to return the money subscribed to the bonus fund, and it was only a few months later that the railway company passed into the hands of a receiver. The terminal company had on deposit in banks nearly forty-four thousand dollars of money received from a
380
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
bond issue, which remained to be disposed of. Officials of the terminal company, which was created to receive and make disposition of the railroad bonus, were George G. Sohlberg. president, R. M. Gardner, secretary, W. V. Hardie, assistant secretary, and O. P. Workman, treasurer.
At a wide awake Incheon of the Chamber of Commerce on October 23d the body heard an illuminating address on the subject of the possibilities of irrigation in Oklahoma, de- livered by H. M. Cottrell, agricultural commissioner of the Rock Island Railway Company. It rekindled the booster fervor of former inspirational gatherings and the body went on record favoring an irrigation project for the vicinity of this city, and President Gloyd appointed a committee to make a survey of the underground water supply. Commissioner Cottrell promised to send his railroad engineers down to assist in the enterprise. The meeting was addressed also by United States Senator Gore. Since a democratic national administration had been installed in March and a vacancy existed, or was about to exist, in the Interstate Commerce Commission. Frank J. Wikoff at this hincheon nominated George Henshaw, a member of the Corporation Commission, for appointment to a seat in the national body. The nomi- nation was seconded by J. H. Johnston.
At the regular annual banquet of the Chamber this year, attended by 500 persons, an address was delivered by Willis L. Moore, chief officer of the United States Weather Bureau. On April 15th, W. B. Moore resigned as secretary-manager and was succeeded by W. V. Hardie, secretary of the Okla- homa Traffic Association.
Three interurban cars were filled with guests of the Okla- homa Railway Company on November 14th on the initial run of cars into Norman. They were met by a large crowd of Norman residents and students of the State University and a welcoming meeting was held in the street. The welcoming address was delivered by Judge W. L. Eagleton, president of the Norman Chamber of Commerce, and the response by Frank J. Wikoff of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Com- merce. Other speeches were made by Dr. Phil C. Baird of the First Presbyterian Church of Oklahoma City, John Shartel, general manager of the railway company, Dr.
.
智転源
-
-
.
--
A
.
.
単一型
-
台灣神
SKIRVIN HOTEL
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY 383
Stratton D. Brooks, president of the State University, and George Henshaw, a member of the corporation commission.
With an appropriation of $75,000, provided by the Legisla- ture, a commission composed of Governor Cruce, Secretary of State Harrison and State Treasurer Dunlop paid for and ac- cepted a silver service that was to be presented next year to the commanding officer of the Battleship Oklahoma, comple- tion of which was to be announced within a few months. The service consisted of sixty-seven pieces weighing 223 pounds sterling. On the handle of one piece was engraved a likeness of Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. On the handle of another was a likeness of David L. Payne, the chief of Oklahoma boomers. On the punch bowl was an engraved reproduction of a picture of the "rum" in 1889, and on another part of it the great seal of state. The front elevation of the capitol soon to be erected was depicted on a large tray that bore the service. Governor Cruce announced that his daughter Lorena would be selected to christen the dreadnaught.
The year was notable for the number of resignations of officials. On February 11th, William Tighhan resigned as chief of police and announced himself a candidate for ap- pointment as United States marshal. He was succeeded by Jerome D. Jones whom Mayor Grant appointed. On Febru- ary 12th, Leo Meyer resigned at state auditor and Governor Crnce appointed JJ. C. MeClelland of Oklahoma City to sue- ceed him. On March 18th, Senator J. B. Thompson of Pauls Valley resigned from the Senate preparatory to taking his seat in Congress, to which he had been elected from the state at large. On April 28th, A. L. Welch of Purcell was appointed by Governor Cruce to succeed P. A. Ballard who had resigned as state insurance commissioner. Justice Jesse J. Dun re- signed from the Supreme Court on August 12th, anomeing that he expected to become a resident of Oakland. Cal., and Governor Cruce appointed Judge R. H. Loofbourrow of Woodward to fill the vacancy.
A reorganization of the Real Estate Dealers Association was perfected this year and steps were taken to carry on a campaign of publicity for the city and to assist the railroads in stinmlating inmigration. L. C. MeChuire was elected presi- dent, and the directors were E. L. Aurelius, Dr. G. A. Nichols,
. .
384
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
J. W. Man, Dr. A. C. Enochs, C. F. Colcord, L. D. Kight. Charles B. Cooke, J. W. Prver, G. H. Brauer and A. R. Nelson.
A mild condenmation of the referendum, vouchsafed by the constitution, as a provision of a city charter was ex- pressed at a meeting of officials of commission-governed cities held here January 15th, in response to a call of Mayor Grant. Objections were found also to the recall provision of charters. This was the first meeting of the kind in the history of the state and it resulted in the election of E. S. Ratliff, mayor of Ada, as president : Guy Blackwelder, commissioner of public works of Oklahoma City, secretary; and P. P. Duffy, mayor of El Reno, vice president. The discussions were timely so far as Mayor Grant was concerned, for twice already efforts had been made to effect his recall. His was a business ad- ministration and approved by business men, but it was in dis- favor with political charter enemies and organizations that complained of lax enforcement of ordinances against liquor and gambling. The Central Hundred, an organization com- posed principally of churchmen and headed by John Embry. formerly United States district attorney, was perfected. and its members were instructed to use their influence for the enforcement of city, county and state laws.
Other events of the year included the following: The House of Representatives of the Legislature, of which J. H. Maxey was speaker, passed a resolution favoring the appoint- ment of Judge R. A. Rogers of Oklahoma City as secretary of the interior; Elmer E. Houghton, an Eighty-Niner, a veteran of the Spanish-American war and the owner of much county and city property, died on June 12: Hubert L. Bolen, a repre- sentative in the Legislature from Oklahoma County and who had managed the campaign for Senator Owen the previous year, received notice of his appointment as internal revenue collector for Oklahoma: Clarke C. Hudson, one of the new members of the board of education, was elected its president : on October 21st announcement was made that the North Canadian Valley Railway Company, of which John Shartel was general manager, had purchased the railway interests of L. E. Patterson and associates and that the purchase meant in effect a consolidation with the Classen railway interests:
-
385
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
on October 24th, Dr. J. Q. Newell was appointed United States marshal of the Western District to succeed Cash M. Cade; J. L. Wilkin was elected president of the State Fair Associa- tion; G. B. Stone, vice president ; J. F. Warren, treasurer, and I. S. Mahan, secretary.
Vol. 1-25
AREA
١٠
يرابـ
OKLAHOMA STATE CAPITOL
386 - 388
ik
1914-THE CENTRAL HUNDRED
Whether law violations were more numerous and more notorious this year than in former years or only appeared to be through revelations made to the public is not ascertainable. It is certain that the public conscience was livelier and public outery for intenser efforts at law enforcement was vastly more evident and much more insistent than formerly. The Central Hundred, an association of churchmen principally, which was organized in the preceding year, wielded a tre- mendons influence in behalf of law and order, public morals and public deceney. While its motives sometimes were doubted in high places and criminations were indulged by its enemies, there is no doubt that a great majority of its members were righteously conscientious and moved by commendable desires. On the other hand, its activities no doubt ran counter to the activities of others whose endeavors were equally well grounded in morals but trended an entirely different route to- ward results. A detailed review of the year's reform move- ments would inevitably force a conclusion in the mind of a nonresident that the city had become unpardonably bad. Doubtless currents of lawlessness in the lower strata of the city's life had been set off from shore by the defeat of the pro- posed repeal of the prohibition article of the constitution. Color was lent to this presumption when advocates of local option, undismaved by defeat, resolved to maintain an organ- ization, hoping that a time would be found opportune to again submit the matter to the people of the state.
A severe criticism of Mayor Grant was contained in the substance of the proceedings of a January meeting of the Central Hundred, and on January 29th, Fred S. Caldwell, counsel for the organization, filed with the city clerk the necessary form of affidavit as a basis for initiating a recall petition. The affidavit charged that the mayor had been
389
..
390
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
derelict in enforcing laws against the sale of intoxicating liquor and gambling. Mayor Grant replied to the charge in a statement addressed "to the people of Oklahoma City," in which he told of the handicaps of the administration. It was difficult, he said, for officers to locate the scenes of operations of law violators because of lookouts being stationed advan- tageously by violators to report the presence of officers. The people had demanded an economical administration, which he was striving earnestly to give them, he said, and he deemed it inadvisable to concentrate his police force against violators of this kind to the exclusion of regular duties that required all of their time. He defended what he termed a commend- able record for law enforcement, expressed a doubt that offi- cials ever would be able to cope successfully with the hip- pocket bootlegger, and recommended that county officials take a lead in enforcing the anti-liquor and anti-gambling laws because of their ability to secure and maintain injunctions against violators and their places of business.
Sentiment created by the Central Hundred's propaganda was in a measure responsible for Mayor Grant's demanding the resignation of Police Chief Jones and the appointment of Shirley Dyer as successor. Jones declined to submit his resignation and both he and Dyer reported for duty. This controversy was terminated ten days later when Dyer resigned and Webb Jones was appointed.
The publie did not impugn the motives of men who, dur- ing this period of the revolt of the churchmen, organized the United Civies Association, but a considerable percentage of the publie condoned what they conceived to be the inoppor- tuneness of the association. And this belief was intensified when the association in a call for a meeting asserted that "there never was a time in history when a display of common sense and courage was more needed, when cheap politicians. and fake reformers were making themselves so conspicuous. to the injury of Oklahoma's material prosperity and ad- vancement." Henry Crosby was president of the association, A. M. Goldstant, vice president, and F. B. Johnson, secretary- treasurer.
When there were signs of the disappearance of clouds of conflict and of an improvement in public morals, "Queenie"
391-392
-
FIRST WEEK BETWEEN CALIFORNIA AND GRAND AVENUES
1
1
393
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
came to town. Queenie was a dancing girl, imported for entertainment of delegates to a cattlemen's convention. It would appear from the rag-tag of street conversation, which was repeated and spread until it encompassed the city, that Queenie performed unethically for the cattlemen and their Oklahoma City host. This was among the reasons for the ereation of the Women's Council of Oklahoma City on March 16. Other reasons were the interest the women had in gen- eral reforms. Its president was Mrs. S. Ditzell, its vice presidents Mrs. John Threadgill and Mrs. C. M. Steffer, its recording secretary, Mrs. Michael Conlan, its corresponding secretary, Mrs. W. P. Cochran, its treasurer, Mrs. Tracy Robinson, and its parliamentarian, Mrs. William Kelley.
Representatives of several law and order organizations conferred with the governor. They discussed conditions gen- erally and in particular protested against race-track gambling being permitted during a forthcoming race meet. The gov- ernor said to them that if necessary he would order out state troops to prevent gambling. Shortly after that the hand of the governor was yisible in clean-up operations, Attorney General Charles West appearing in the District Court to assist the county attorney in the prosecution of two men charged with gambling. John Embry, president of the Cen- tral Hundred, represented that body in the prosecution. In the meantime Sheriff M. C. Binion and his flying squadrons of deputies were diligently pursuing law violators, Mayor Grant and his police department were increasing their activ- ities, and wholesome results were being obtained. Attorney General West, having secured convictions in the gambling cases, continued to harass law violators. He instituted suit for $8,000 against the owners of one of the city's largest office buildings, charging that rooms were leased for law vio- lation purposes.
From the city hall came the next move. It was made by Col. J. W. Johnson, municipal counsellor, who applied to District Judge J. J. Carney for an injunction restraining operation of turf exchanges. It was granted, but later dis- missed, and Attorney General West, taking a hand, joined Colonel Johnson in an application for another hearing. County Attorney D. K. Pope resented the apparent officiousness of
394
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
the attorney general and said in effect that the latter should continue to relieve him of enforeing the anti-liquor and anti- gambling laws, to which Mr. West replied, "It's your duty ; you do it." Whereupon the Central Hundred administered a rebuke to the county attorney.
More stringent laws relating to bootlegging and gambling were approved by the people of the state in the August elec- tion and Governor Cruce on September 16 issued a procla- mation declaring them in effect. During the remainder of the year there was peace and the gradual restoration of good will.
By a breath-taking margin the city escaped another cap- ital campaign this year. A decision of the Supreme Court saved them. Representative J. E. Wyand of Muskogee and Henry Swearingen of Guthrie, it will be recalled, had filed with the secretary of state a petition asking for a referendum to the people of the last act of the Legislature touching the capital issue. The constitution provides that such a petition must be filed within ninety days after the adjournment of the session of the Legislature during which the act was passed. These petitioners, believing that the session had been officially terminated on July 5 timed their filing toward the extreme end of an ensuing ninety-day period. Secretary of State Ben- jamin F. Harrison declined to act upon the petition and the petitioners appealed to the Supreme Court. That tribunal had before it the question of the exact and legal date of the adjournment of the Legislature. The court was shown a rec- ord of the House, having on June 30th adopted a concurrent resolution providing for adjournment until July 5, and a record of the Senate having on July 1 adopted the resolution. The resolution provided that should there not be a quorum present on July 5, the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate should declare the session adjourned without day. The court held that the Legislature was without author- ity to delegate the matter of adjournment to a minority and that the session legally ended on July 1. wherefore the filing of the capital petition fell without the ninety-day period.
Charles F. Colcord, president of the Chamber of Com- merce, issued a public statement on March 17 advising the people that the city was behind over $53,000 in collections
.
45-346
-
1
-
1
f
VIEW OF SKYSCRAPERS FROM THE WHOLESALE DISTRICT
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.