Arizona republican., 1900-11-03
THE ONE ISSUE
Arizona Should Not Make the His
 take Oklahoma Did.

T hope" said Mir. George M. Roberts,
 a travcling man, yesterday, that Ariz-
 ona will not make the mistake this year
 Ilat Oklahoma made in 1896. Statehood
 for Ariz5na should have greater weight
 than all political questions, of whatso-
 ever nature"
 The mistake Oklahoma made was In
 permitting her own interests to be ob-
 scured by the discussion of questions
 upon which the people had no vote.
 The real issue before thm in '96 was
 whether they would elect D nnis Flynn, tho republican candidate for delegate.
 and obtain free homes. For years
 Flynn has been trying to get a bill through which would relieve the set . tiers from paying for their claims.
 The' success Of his efforts meant I say
 ing to the settlers of at least twenty
 millions of dollars. Flynn made h;s campaign on that issua, but the demo- ciats claimed that free homes" was not an issue, since they also favored the measure, just as in Arizona -they claim Li,aat statehood is not an issue. Their candidate, a pree II T nI 'nrd Cal
 lahan, cavorted over the territory, abusing Flynn, talking free coinage" and all that, just as though they had lot of hints to b. opened. Speaker Feed came out to Wichita, Kas., and made a speech. Many Oklah crna vot- CTS attendId the meeting. Turning to them MT. Reed said: ''If you want free homes, vote for Dennis Flynn" This friendly advice frcn the speaker was re1- ated a "c-ercic1," just as t-le dccrocr1:tc leaders in A-i- zcEa are trying to tr1at as ''co- erciOn" the advice from Arizona's frienis all over the country to vote for Murphy if they want statehood.
 ''Ths pecr3e of Oklahoma were as- sursd by the democratic speakers that Bryan would ba elec;ed-juzt as the democratic speakers are insisting in Arizona this year that Bryan will win, when they admit privately that they know that Bryan will be defeated even worse than he was four years ago. Well, the result Of all the business was that Flynn was defeated. and Preach CT Callahan posts d off to a republican congress to get free hofne,s for Okla E0ma- Dennis Flynn. defeated but loyal as ever to h's territory, went with Delegate Callahan and begged for free homes. They got the horse laugh lTOlll congress. 1ney were tOHd DN the leaders Your people don't want fres homes. CT they would have elected Flynn'-he made his race on that issue.
 Two years ago the peor.e of Okla EoIna had reccvS red their ser-es. They pitched in and elected Flynn to con- greSs by ten thousand majority, and last winter Flynn got his frs homes bill through and saved millions to his constituents. But meantime hundreds Ce s5'ttlzrS had b en cO1Ips l6u to borrow money, and to do thas they had tee1 forced to make final proof in order to mortgage th ir land: and every settler who proved up b-f5re the free homes bill was passed had to pay tha government from three to five hundred dollars per quarter section, according ta the location of h:s land. The fad of negiecting tE-ir own interests for a lot Of g'auzy theories lad cost the people of Oklahoma hundreds of thousands of dollars. OklaEioma is probably demo- cratic, but this year tha'e territory will roll up a majority of twenty-five thous- | and for Dennis Flynn, because the pep ! pie know that his t.ection will mean l.,ats.:ood for them"