Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-14
OKLAHOMA POPULIsTs WANT FLYNN
TO HAVE NO CREDIT.
ARE WORKING HARD FOR DELAY.
WOULD HAVE THE BILL HELD UP
UNTIL CALLAHAN GETS IN.
Little Done in Territorial Council or
Senate-GOyernOr RenfrOw's BIZ
enninI Message Presented
to the AssembIy-SIHny
Recommendations.

Guthrie. o. T, Jan. 15.-tSpecial) The
Populists in the Legislature began to show
their hands to-day. and by dilatory tactics
and technical objections defeated the pas
sage of memorial to congress asking for
the immediate passage of the Flynn free
homes bill in the senate. OF course. the
Populists want free homes, but they want
the matter delayed until next congress so
Callahan can get the credit of passing the
bill. Callahan himself is here doing all he
can to ke5p the legislature from urging Its
passage at once.
The business session of the assembly was
of little interest to-day. The senate spent
most of the morning in getting q quorum
and the house in electing Rev. James New
NAV, of Lincoln county, chaplain; ]. o.
Blakeney, of Shawnee, reading clerk, and
Judge Cease, of Lexington. doorkeeper. The
absence of a quorum in the council looked
a little ominous, and II is certain that u
combination of the Populist and several
back district Democrats has been formed
to stay out until Chairman Johnson comes
TO time and gives them what they want IN
the committees.
At noon Governor Renfrow submitted his
biennial report TO the assembly in joint
session. The message Was one of the most
voluminous and exhaustive documents yet
evolved from Oklahoma's chief executive
and was listened to with deep interest by
all. The territory has been blessed with
abundant crops and the people are duly
ritory are not, as a rule, wealthy, StatiS-
tics show that smaller percentage of her
people are dependent on public charity
people are frugal and industrious, and the
greatest evil they have to contend with is
high taxes, which are beyond reason and
not in keeping with the condition of the
people, imposing a hardship upon them and
driving capital away. These taxes should
frow, and reasonable Limitation put upon
them. The territorial tax of mills did not
produce funds sufficient to pay the ex-
penses of the territory and should be
slightly raised.
The Indebtedness of the territory con-
sists of $sS 900 In bonds and yl63 900 in war
rant Indebtedness, debt oil less tnan "A
cents per capita. The receipts from the
school land lessees during two years have
been $lIs0O, $lzO,0JO OF which has already
been distributed to the school funds of the
various counties. The territory has in five
years obtained greater returns from her
school lands than any state in the Union,
but law TO collect rent from cattlemen
using lands without lease would still aug
ment the returns.
Governor Renfrow recommends the Gre
alton OF the Office of commissioner of pub
lie lands, and provisions for appraising
lands for lease Considerable revenue is
being derived from the lease of lands re-
served for public institutions and these
FUNDS, says Governor Renfrow, should be
bonds.
There are now $1,000 children of school
age in the territory, IL per cent OF whom
are in the public schools In 1893. the at
tendance was 30 per cent: in IS5, 65 per
cent. The separation of the office of ter
ritcrial superintendent of public instruc-
tion from that of auditor, with which it
IL now confined is recommended. as is
NAL school for colored teachers. the ap-
prCpriation.. OF 5000 for new buildings at
the agricultural college, and a careful re-
vision of the general school laws. Gov
Clnor Renfrow urges the provision of ade-
quate penalties Tor the sale of rejected oils
and for the violation of the territorial
urtfV Las fa f1F lur
ulating the practice of medicine and
liberal appropriation for the education and
care OF the deaf and dumb.
There are lz6 patients in the insane asy
lum at Norman, and the counties, IL is de-
clared, should be compelled to pay for the
transportation of patients. The territory
has 113 prisoners In the Kansas peniten-
tiary under contract.
strong plea is made for free homes
and The passage Of the free homes bill as
the only thing consistent with the past
policy of the government. The reforms
outlined by the Territorial Bar Associa-
tton were brought TO the attention OF the
assembly and the abolishment of township
assessors and creation of office of county
assessor are specially urged.
II Is held that the people of Greer coun-
ty should have relief in the matter of le-
galizing tax assessments. and provision
should be made for supplying new jury
lists and other records in Grant and Custer
counties, where the court houses had re-
Gently burned. Laws should be enacted.
Governor Renfrow says, providing for the
foreign corporations doing business in the
territory. for the compelling of insurance
companies to pay full face values of poll
cies without regard to the twO-third value
clause: TO force railway companies failing
10 fence their right-of-ways TO pay for all
live stock killed without regard to negli-
Eence: to provide against fraud in weigh
ing and shipping cotton, and for the reg
ulation of the extortiOnate charge of eX-
press companies in the territory. All hanks
other than national should be com
PEELED 10 furnish statements at intervals
and be subject to examination by the
lroper officials. Laws should be enacted
defining the rights of citizens and the pow
ers and liabilities of corporations The
election law should be revised and simpli-
ned and stringent provision of law made
against any railway company issuing any
pass or free transportation to any federal
territorial, county or city official of the
territory.
These are the principal recommendations
of the message and synopsis of the parts
of general public interest. After the read
ing of the message, the joint session was
dissolved and both houses adjourned until
tomorrow.