The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-05


n meeting a few DAYS since and draft
ed strong letter TO members of the
senate condemning the Little juris-
diction billL : copy OF this letter
has been handel the ARDMoREIrE
with request To publish. II Is rs
follows:
PURCELL. l. Il. March 30. '96
To Senators Henry VI. Teller. George
G.. Vest, John r. Morgan and
Orville NJ. Platt. Washington, ID. &.
Gentlemcn-The undersigned. MEM
bers OF the Purcell Bar Association
heartily endorse every statement and
argument made by the Ardmore Bar
Association. in their protest March
/ 2nd 1896 Document No. 173l against
the repeal OF existing law which gives
exclusive jurisdiction To the courts 81
the Indian Territory over all criminal
prosecutions in said territory.
IL requires 4 charity that sufTerdih
long. and i kind. To- even discuss a
system 50 fatuous and expensivc-that
takes the innocent and the guilty
hundreds Of miles away from the
place Of the alleged crime, Ia he tried
ia other states. The Wholesome
American doctrine i that every per-
son charged with "A violation Of the
law shall be tried by au impartial
jury ~ the county in which the crime
was committed.
And the three hundred thousand
United States citizens 81 the Indian
Territory are. in average intelligence
honesty. Sobriety and respect for INV
and order. the equal 81 any citizen
that sits on the jury at Fort Smith.
Ark. Fort Scott. Kan. and Paris
Texas.
We make .as it j. the truth q
vigorous aud positive denial 81 that
Infamous fal>eho0d. charging the
officers of our courts with cnllusiou
with train and express robbers. our
officers are not built that way. Hui
does not this Slander come as neal
home 10 the officers 81 the Paris. Fort
Scott and Fort Smith courts.
But those desiring 10 use uS as 80
much easy log-rolling material say our
courts are little else than robust
police courts. 10 j. sufficient answer
b 10 say that our courts. under thc
Arkansas laws. extended over u by
congress. have jurisdiction uf such
felonic>. To wit: attempt To commit
rape. carnally knowing female child
? under the age of puberty. >0domy,
incest. bigany. enticing females Ia
houses 81 ill-lamc. seduction, erin.
: inal abortion. manning. robbery.
kidnapping. arson. larceny uf stock
, removal of mortgagcd property. Ter.
, jury and forgery; and the records "a
our courts prove that witnesses ar,
; not afraid to testify, nor our juries {,
, convict in such eases.
We protest against this dua
: anomaly. because il makes our pe0pl,
4 pay railroad fares and subsistence fol
! themselves aud fh'ir witnesses .Sav,
in few exceptional cases for long
? distances aud for weeks duration.
r Farmers aud farm hands are takeI
e hundreds uf miles to those fureigr
courts. when their crops depend uloi
! their presence at home aud In thril
, fields. The money and time - cx
e pended are an obstinate and sure wal
= 10 their imp0verishmeut. without :
e single promise of any resulting beuch
any where or in any way. And j
? doesn't require the proverbial acumeI
Z Of Philadelphia lawyer To discern
c the more than wasteful drain up1i
the government.
But we emphasize our protest al
!, higher grounds than dollars au'
cents. We warmly resent the inn
putation which this foreign jurisdic
tiun creates in the mi~chievous ant
4 wholly false notion INDUCED there
T. from. that we are raw aud recen
j. people" not quite good enough. or tu
j. mean aud vicious 10 be accorded IN
n inherent aud everyday privileges an
il rights of American citizens.
L our people are made of the ident
cal fibre. iu degree and kind. tha
j. buildcd the great states 81 the west
and why. may We ask. are they To d
despOilcd of their inestimable right
and nf their substance. for the caps
cious maws of complaining Paris. For
5 Smith and Fort Scott? And 10 thi
r complexion has IL cume at last; 5000
wide-awake. industrious members q
Uncle Sans great family, unheede
II and disregarded, for. and on accouu
of. the inert unreSponsive brick an
stone aud mortar and lumber an
,r nails and some paint. of little Pari
X little Fort Smith aud little Fol
Scott.