The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-16
FREE HOMES SURE
Admire Says Oklahoma Bill
Will Pass
NO PICK AT BARNES
Everything Lovely and Fairer
Days in Sight

Captain ]. V. Admire, receiver Of the
tlinghsher land office and publisher of
the Free Press, was in town last night
en- route to Chicago on business.
A reporter for the Eagle had chat
with him in which Captain Admire said
he had never known the outlook in Ok
lahona to be so bright before-that the
rains had been unusually copious, that
the acreage sown TO wheat is greater than
ever heretofore, and that there is no rea-
sonable danger of the failure Of that crop
Speaking of the status of the free homes
bill, he said:
Il believe the bill will pass as soon as
the Indian appropriation bill comes be-
fore the house. That may be this week
The bill is in splendid shape. The house
must now pass the bill OF go back on all
party pledges. I do not believe the MEM
bers will do this. The bill passed the
senate unanimously. 1t will be a great
thing for Oklahoma and all the west. The
millions of dollars which the settlers
would have to pay for their lands will be
kept at home. The passage of this bill
will be just like the free distribution of
ten or twelve million dollars among the
homestead farmers of Oklahoma. 1t will
be almost equal TO her last years wheat
crop. You know my platform is that the
passage of this measure is not a matter
of charity or even generosity, but a sim
pie, plain and unquestionabIe act of JUS
tice''
What do you think of the stories to
the effect that prominent citizens of the
territory, for political reasons, are trying
TO defeat the bilI?" he was asked.
THAT is rot of the veriest kind, in my
opinion. Barnes, Flynn and Callahan and
the whole caboodle are doing everything
in their power to secure the passage of
this measure. A man who would say or
do a single thing. for any reason, to
prevent its passage should be tarred and
feathered and drummed out of the ter
ritory. The talk about Barnes and Flynn
trying to defeat this measure now is
merely in retaliation for unbecOming
things of a similar nature that have been
said about Callahan. Nobody believes
any such stuff
'Since the Kingfisher statehood con-
vention you have virtually been charged
that he secured your appointment as re-
ceiver and that you have not shown
proper appreciation of the favor"
yes, I know. Some people forget very
readily. It is well known that my paper
was the only Republican paper of the
West Side that supported Barnes for
governor. and 1 did it against the pre-
conceived notions of 50 per cent of the
people of my county. When Governor
Seay, on account of sickness. withdrew
from the race. he and many of his friends
went to the support of Barnes and stood
by him through thick and thin, until he
was appointed and confirmed. Whether
their work was important or not, it was
solicited and very acceptable and they
did a great deal of it and did it cheer
fully. Before Governor Seay's withdraw
al his friends were confident of his ap-
pointment, and they still believe that he
would have been appointed If he had re-
manned in the race. Governor Barnes
and 1 have had no unfriendly controver-
sy. I differed from Governor Barnes on
the statehood question. That is not
party question. have been an advocate
Of statehood for many years and am still
SO. l believe Oklahoma would be i'm
measurably better off as a state than she
Is as a territory.
ION the other phase of the gossip about
the relations of Governor Barnes and
myself personally. there isn't much to it.
was candidate for secretary of the
territory. He did not oppose me. and. in
fact, nothing formally was done in that
matter. We soon found out that the
president intended to appoint Mr.. Jenkins
to that office, and so acquiesced in it as
cheerfully as men usually do in such
cases. I did not know Mr.. Jenkins ex-
cept by ublic rumor. He is a good man.
and his course so far has shown that the
president exercised good judgment in his