The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1894-11-03
,uu>cErrrroN RATES
man AL,. IMronrANr ouEsrloN

rHE ALL IMPORTANT QUESTION.
The question Of free homes is the
all-abSurGiug one TO three fourths of
the citizens of Oklahoma, directly,
and To every one Indirectly. The
500, Oo0. 0oO mortgage placed upon this
fair land by the Republican party. il
it must be paid land it will II the Re
publican party should triumph in the
coming eleciion) will be an incubus
that will weight down upon the terri
tory and retard its progress for years
TO come, and in thousands of cases
crush the spirit and energy out of the
honest settlers who came here with
their families hoping to secure claims
and erect permanent homes.
The pioneers of the west, the hardy
settlers who came into this broad
western domain, and by their energy
and perseverance have carved ont and
erected civilization in vast wilde {.
ness, know what it is to undertake to
establish homes in new country ur-
on free lands; how privations must be
endured in order to make necessary
improvements for the shelter and
comfort of the dependant ones, and
how years of toll and exposure must
be suffered in this heroic undertaking.
And knowing all this, they can well
i'm lgin, how mu IN OF added hardship
becomes the portion of those who are
the victims Of the price that put upon
their homes. for no other reason than
20 make good in part the drafts made
upon the treasury to meet the profit
gate waste of the Republican party
while il controlled the government
from 1889 to 1898.
The acts OF the Republican party in
all OF its participation in the matter
OF opening the strip, the Cheyenne
and Arapahoe, and the Sac and FoV
and Pottawatomie countries to settle
ment, constitute shameful record ,
though il is in perfect keeping with
it's policy of discrimination against
the common people in all matters of
legislation. And having adopted the
policy Of selling the public lands TO
homeseekers. il is idle TO suppose that
that party or any of its members
would change it, and certainly not to
the extent OF repeating its own law
aud re-enacting the old Democratic
homestead law, which is the only
means of lifting the debt upon the
homes Of oklahoma's citizens, placed
there by no mismanagement of theirs,
but by the government as an entail
IL Dennis Flyn1 should be elected,
that would be taken by congress and
by the n lministration us conclusive
proof that the people of Oklahoma are
satisfied with the present situation
and are willing that the diseriminatiye
exaction imposed upon them in the
price put upon their homes shall be
enforced. II cannot be otherwise, and
there is no dodging that point. This
question has been the leading one in
this campaign The Democratic party
placed its candidate squarely on that
platform and Hon. Joseph Wisby has
made his canvass of the territory on
that line. The people are fully ad-
vised OF the situation. and the result
of the election must be taken as the
popular conclusion on the subject
The situation resolves itself into this
plain proposition, therefore: Flynu's
election will mean that the go. 900, COZ
must be paid, regardless OF the un
equal and unjust exaction; while the
election of Joe Wisby will be petit
tion from Oklahoma for the removal
Of the burten and a pledge Of the
Democratic party and its every mem
Der in Oklahoma TO aid the delegate
10 congress in securing this great and
universally desired boon
There is this additional point in this
connection that is worthy Of especial
consideration. II, perehanee, the Re
publieans should succeed in the con
troll of the next congress as the result
of next Tuesdays election, (which no
body believes) the election of Joe
Wisby win be none the less expressive
OF the wishes Of the people Of oklaho
ma upon this free homes question, aud
with such petition Mr.. Wisby can g
TO Washington, even though he is not
yet commissioned as the territory's
delegate to congress, and present II
through Democratic friends with good
hope Of securing favorable action by
the present congress which is Demo
cratic, regardless Of what Mr.. Flynr
might do or fail TO DO.