Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 7, No. 2
June, 1929
EDITORIAL
J. Y. B.
Page 137
On the front page of this issue of the magazine, we are running the photograph of those present at the signing of the bill
whereby $500,000 was appropriated for the erection of a building to be used by the Historical Society, and other patriotic
organizations of the State.
J. Y. B.
THE NEW BUILDING
The following named gentlemen, members of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Historical Society, constitute the building
committee for the erection of the Historical building: Judge R. L. Williams, chairman; Judge Thomas H. Doyle, vice-chairman;
Judge Phil D. Brewer, Judge W. A. Ledbetter, Jasper Sipes, W. S. Key, D. W. Peery. The bill passed by the Twelfth Legislature
provides that the State Board of Affairs co-operate with the committee appointed by the Historical Society. The members of
the Board of Affairs are as follows’: C. E. Dudley, chairman; G. C. Woolard, and R. O. Coppock. The above named members of
the committee met in the office of the Board of Affairs in joint meeting, April 25, 1920, and transacted business incident
to the occasion.
Among other things acted upon, Edward P. Boyd Was selected as superintendent to supervise the construction of the building.
A Citizens’ Advisory Committee was appointed as follows: General Roy Hoffman, E. K. Gaylord, Carl Magee, W. C. Dean, and Joseph
Huckins, Jr.
The Board of Affairs, as provided in the bill, selected the following named gentlemen as architects: Layton, Hicks, and Forsyth.
With the construction of the building in the hands of such men as named above, there is no doubt but that the state will get
full value for the monies expended in its erection.
Page 138
The initiatory steps being taken, it is reasonable to conclude that the building will be ready for occupancy in about eighteen
or twenty months.
J. Y. B.
INDIANS INCREASING IN NUMBER AND WEALTH
It is the ordinary expression to-day to speak of the Indian race as a "vanishing race," suggesting that the red-man has, or
is, degenerating into a shadow of his glorious past, but some recent statistics show to the contrary; the truth of the matter
is that the Indians have been increasing in numbers and wealth during the last twenty-five years; for example, in 1900 there
were 270,544 Indians in the United States; at the present date, December 25, 1928, they have increased to 349,876. At the
present time they are increasing at the rate of 1500 per annum. This increase is largely due to the work of the Indian bureau
as it has to do with their health and education.
Reports show that the poultry and livestock interests of the various tribes of Indians have an approximate value of $30,000,000.00;
their livestock consists of 161,000 head of cattle, 300,000 horses and 867,000 sheep. The timber belonging to the different
tribes of Indians is valued at $130,000,000. The per capita wealth of the American Indian is nearly twice that of the per
capita wealth of any of the other citizens of this country. The per capita wealth of the people of the United States is a
little less than $2,500 that of the American Indian is approximately $4,700.
Thousands of Indians are being released from the jurisdiction of the interior department and granted complete freedom of action,
and from this number quite a per cent of them dispose of their lands and other securities, eventually falling back on the
department for aid; yet the greater majority of them are conservative in the disposition of their possessions, and are rapidly
assuming the ways, customs and habits of to-day’s civilization.
J. Y. B.
Return to top
Electronic Publishing Center |
OSU Home |
Search this Site
|
