The times., 1899-10-22
STATEHOOD F0R OKLAHOMA.
Opposition to Admission Led ba
FedernI OH.cehoIdcrS.

Federal OBcehoIderS.
GUTHRIE. Okla. Oct. 2I.-Tle voters o.
Oklahoma are fast dividing into two par
ties on the question whether the terri
tory shall apply for admission TO the
Union at the coming session OF Congress.
All agree that 1t has every qualification
requisite or desirable for statehood. There
are already in the Union seven States. each
with smaller population than Oklahoma
ne character of the people here Is lden-
teal with that Of the people Of the older
prairie States. They have prosperous ana
well-established towns. remarkably we'll
developed system of railroad transporta-
ton, a good public school system, churches
Of all denominations. and many thousands
Of comfortable farm homes. and they are as
orderly, competent intelligent. and pros
porous a class as can be found in any new
Western State.
The territorial census of 1898 reported a
population of 81 400 and this viii no
doubt be increased by the census Of 1900
to at least 100000. The return of taxable
property for 1898 was $40 500 GOO. There
are 1879 school districts, each with its
schoolhouse, and the number of children
of school age is so 5S5. The territory has
its university, its agricultural and me
chanical college, three normal schools, sew
eral Indian schools and number Oh de-
nOminatiOnaI colleges. Institutions nave
already been provided for the deat-mutes,
the blind and the insane, and the whole
apparatus Of civil government Is III 1uI
operation but it is not in the last resort
self-government, because the higher OIL
GERS of the Territory and the judges are
named by the President of the United
States.
So far as general progress is concerned,
I =l.I, IL .saw
well with the central and western portions
of Kansas and Nebraska, and with the two
Dakotas. 1t is all settled and nowhere, eX-
cept in the extreme West, where there is
not sufficient rainfall for farming, can any
public land be found subject to homestead
entry.
That the inhabitants are not unani-
nous in the opinion that Oklahoma should
be Immediately put into the column of
States is mainly owing to the relation OF
the Territory to the old Indian Territory
out of which it was carved, and to the at
titude of the Federal officials, who are ac-
tive politicians and leaders of opinion, and
| who naturally want to keep their offices
as long as possible. These officials make a
good argument against admission out of the
situation in the Indian Territory. Public
opinion strongly favors the inclusion Of the
entire Indian Territory in the new State Of
! Oklahoma. This would give a State as
large as Kansas and one which would in
short time become as populous. But the
/ Indian country cannot be taken into any
! State until new treaties are made with the
| tribes and until the allotment of lands in
! severalty which is now going on progresses
much further than it has done up to the
present time. Oklahoma, as at present con-
! stituted, includes number of small Indian
( reservations, and il seems to be the fate OF
! the Territory, from its geographical posi-
/ ton, to take in, as State, the whole
| mass of semi-savagsry now existing in the
! old Indian Territory under treaties and
! tribal laws and customs. Congress would
/ probably not consent to the creation OF a
/ separate State out of what is left of the
/ Indian Territory since the detachment OF
/ Oklahoma.
The opponents of immediate admission
! for Oklahoma admit that il will probably
| take ten years to break up the tribal rela
/ tions and get the mixed population of In
| dian Territory into a condition fitting it
! for Incorporation into a new State. But
! they say there is no need of hurry. It Will
! not matter. they argue. if there should be
| 500 600 or 700, 600 people in Oklahoma with
out any rights OF Federal citizenship, pro-
yided they are prosperous, and are toler-
ably contented with the limited powers Of
government they enjoy in the ter
ritory. The advocates of admission say in
reply to the argument over the serious
| problem of the Indian tribes living between
| here and Arkansas, that it Will be entirely
! practicable to admit Oklahoma with its
! present boundaries. and TO give to the new
! State the right to annex portions of the
! Indian Territory from time to time by
first securing the consent Of Congress and
| Of the Indians and the half breed inhabi-
| tants. This, they say, would be a wiser
plan than at once to absorb all OF the
country Inhabited by the five great tribes
All that would be required would be a
| provision in the act Of admission permit
ting this process to go forward. II Will
| certainly 90 on more rapidly if Oklahoma
becomes a State than if it remains a Ter
ritory AS a State 1t could provide full
representative government to the annexed
districts as fast as they come in Public
! discussion of the question of admission is
only just beginning and viii be pretty
/ sure TO become active during the coming
session of Congress. The Territorial Del
egate Mr. Flynn. is in favor of immediate
statehood, and will introduce a bill for this
purpose. Governor Barnes is opposed TO
admission untn the Indian Territory can
be included in the new State. On his side
are nearly the whole body OF Federal of
6ceholders, who count upon holding on to
their present places for another four years
in case Mckinley is reelected.
The question Of securing the electoral
vote of another new State at the next Pres
idential election is not directly involved
for the politics Of Oklahoma is uncertain.
! and a close fusion between the Democrats
ard PopuIists would be likely 20 defeat the
Republicans The doubt as to how the
State will 20 at the next Presidential elec-
tion will prevent the-Republicans in Con-
gress from making the admission bill a
party measure. That it is a popular meas
ure here in the Territory is certain, in
spite of all that can be said about the in
creased expenses Of State government and
the danger of the Indian Territory stepping
in as separate State.
David Harum.n
From The Hartford Times