The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-18
GREAT Is DENNIS Flynn.

Oklahoma's free homes bill has passed
the house. This bill relieves the settlers
| in the Cherokee Strip and the Cheyenne
| and Arapahoe country of the payment Of
| the purchase price of their homesteads,
| ranging from SIS to $50 per acre, or in
toto s15,OOO,OO0.
This was passed without division and
| with slight amendment bearing on the
status of titles in Greer county, now
part of Oklahoma The amendment in
no way affects the free homes bill. 1t
merely reserves the titles Of the land to
| the people now in Greer county who Sc
cured them from Texas that state having
| long ago falsely assumed that Greer coun-
| ty belonged to it.
The free homes bill has been for months
the sole thought Of the settlers in newer
| Oklahoma They have prayed for its
passage. They have held innumerable
public meetings. They have formed main
and auxiliary leagues. They have sent
| letters far and near to people with in
huence, importuning their aid. They have
sent delegations to Washington; have &C
quainted nearly every newspaper in the
! land with the purport Of the bill and the
benefits to be derived from ii. In Okla
homa, politics TO some extent has been
forgotten in a non-partisan anxiety to see
this bill successfully pushed through con-
gress.
The intense anxiety of the settlers in
this matter is attested by the fact that
the Eagle has received scores of personal
communications requesting that the mat
ter ''be stirred up"
JoIy Croff lp-or he
settlers, has fought the bill at every turn.
So far as known he has had but one as
sistant in his opposition, a Kansas City
paper which is the idolator of the whole
Cleveland administration.
But Notwithstanding the lack of opposi-
ton to its passage in the house, there has
always been great danger of its defeat.
The free homes measure is one of great
benefit to the settlers, and there is just
now in the east prejudice against the
west and a disposition to deny it any
favors. The presidential racket also en-
tered into the success or failure of this
bill. Oklahoma has kept its hands off the
instructed column" for fear of offending
Mr.. Reeds friends in congress and defeat
ing the measure. 1t has also been afraid
to be too favorable to Mr.. Reed for fear
of turning McKinley's friends. headed by
Grosvenor, against them.
All the settlers in newer Oklahoma,
every Free Homes Lacquer, deserves some
credit for the passage of the bill through
the house. But over and above them all,
and paramount to all the advocates of the
measure, superior to the efforts of every
man engaged in the matter, stands the
work of Dennis Flynn, Oklahoma's dele
gate to congress.
Dennis Flynn is a wiry little man, with |
a youthful face and youthful form. But |
never in the history of the west, with the |
possible exception of Preston B. Plumb, |
has there been a man in congress from |
the west whose whole mind, muscle and |
personality was so engrossed with the |
good of his constituency.
Dennis Flynn lives for Oklahoma. He is !
perpetually rushing around, bobbing up, |
squeezing in, looking over and crawling |
under that house of representatives in /
Washington. He is frequently the first |
man up in the house in the morning. He |
says what he has to say quickly and then
shoots out of the house on some errand |
for Oklahoma. He is liked by everyone. |
He never makes a speech unless it is in
regard to something touching on Okla
homa. He has no vote, but he has the
privilege of talking. And yet he never
makes a speech of more than two minutes
length. Speaker Reed never fails to re-
cogniZe the nimble Dennis, for Reed |
knows that Flynn will say what he has
to say in a jiffy and be done with it.
Flynn knows every man in the house He
counts everyone of them as his friend.
He interferes with no mans views unless
those views are antagonistic to Oklahoma.
Oklahoma really has a gem in Dennis
Flynn. Fortunately he is a Republican,
but as a Democrat or Populist he would
be just as valuable. He has the Irish
wit. the nimbleness of foot and mind, the
smile and hearty laugh and
the unfiagging energy to accomplish
everything but the impossible.
The free homes bill must yet pass the
senate and go to the president, but as
Dennis Flynn will follow it to the senate
and perhaps even into the frigid precincts
Of the White House its ultimate success is
assured.