The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1894-11-04
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TUE ALL IMPORTANT QUESTION
The question of free homes is the
all-absorbing one to three fourths Of
the citizens of Oklahoma, dire tlv.
and to every one indirectly. The
s22, ooO, 600 mortgage placed upon IN
fair land by the Republican party. II
II must be paid land it will if the Re
publican party should triumph in the
coming election) will be an incubus
that will weight down upon the terri
tory and retard its progress for years
TO come, and in thousands of eases
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 10y their energy
and perseverance have carved ont and
erected a civilization in a vast w lder
ness, know what it is to undertake to
establish homes in new country up
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
imagine how much Of added hardship
becomes the portion cf those who are
the victims of the price that put upon
their homes. for no other reason than
to make good in part the drafts made
upon the treasury to meet the profli--
gate waste of the Republican party
while it controlled the government
from 1889 to 1898.
The acts Of the Republi an party in
all Of its participation in the matter
of opening the strip, the Cheyenne
and Arapahoe, and the Sac and Fox
and Pottawatomie countries to settle
ment, constitute a shameful record,
though it is in perfect keeping with
its policy of discrimination against
the common people ia 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 it's members
would change it, and certainly not to
the extent of repeating its own law
and 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 10y no mismanagemento of theirs.
but by the government as an entail
If Dennis Flyna should be elected,
that would be taken by congress and
by the lministration as conclusive
proof that the people of Oklahoma are
satisfied with the present situation
and are willing that the discriminatiye
exaction imposed upon them in the
price put upon their homes shall be
enforced. 1t cannot be otherwise, and
there is no lodging that point This
question has been tha leading one in
this campaign. The Democratic party
placed its candidate squarely on thaS
, platform and Hon. Joseph Wisby has
made his canvass of the territory on
that line The people are fully ad-
of the election must be taken as the
popular conclusion on the subject.
The situation resolves itself in9o this
plain proposition. therefore, Fiynn's
, election will mean that the S92, oo0 900
must be paid, regardless of the un-
/. equal and unjust exac,iut; while the
election of Joe W,sby will be a petit
tion from Oklahoma for the removal
OF the buro en- and pledge os the
Democratic party and its every mem
+, Der in Oklahoma to aid the delegate
to congress in securing this great and
univo orsally desired boon.
There is this additional point In this
: connection that is worthy OF especial
consideration. II, perchanee, the Re-
publicans 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 will 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
a yet commissioned as the territory's
: delegate to congress, and present II
$ through Democratic friends with good
I hope of securing favorable action by
the present congress which is Demo
cratic, regardless of what Mr. Flynn
: might do or fail to do.