Evening star., 1900-10-18
National Committeeman Mellette Says
Are Republican
If RESIDENTS WERE ALLOWED A Vote
Oklahoma and Indian Territory for
Sound Money and Expansion.
FRUITS OF PROS P E RIT Y
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

their electoral votes would be cast for the
republic an presidential nominees. as In few
districts in the United States Is prosperity
fine crops and general business activity
: more apparent
In Oklahoma Delegate D. T. Flynn.
publican. will without doubt be returned
to Congress for the fourth consecutive time
by an Increase over his last large majority
of over 5000. Mr.. Flynn says he will
answer FOR his territory showing its ap-
proval of Mckinley good times.
William NJ. Meilette. republican national
committee eman for Indian territory, one of
the leading lawyers in this section. is
equally sure of Indian territory could the
Inhabitants vote at a national election In
respondent of The Star he said:
The Cherokees Are Republicans
although the people of the Indian terri
tory have no voice in the coming national
election hey certainly very much in
terested m the campaign, and are thor
oughly informed upon the issues involved.
y Our population numbers probably about
100000. made up of citizens and non-citi-
zens of the country. The number of the
former is not far from 10 coo, including In
dians by blood and adoption.
We are exceedingly prosperous at the
present time Our people are largely en-
gagged In raising cattle and hogs for mar
ket. and in addition produce immense
crops of wheat. corn and cotton. the latter
being raised only in the southern portion
of the country.
Ninety per cent of the full-blood Chero-
KEGS republicans This arises from the
fact that majority of the older ones were
federal soldiers In the civil war. and they
have brought up their children In the same
faith. They do not speak our language.
but by the aid of an interpreter it is easy
to discover where they belong, politically
Their allegiance to the republican party
began when they were soldiers, and no
amount of argument can disturb their faith
making political address at Tahequah
which Is In the center of the full-blood dis
trict. In my audience were many who could
understand little that 1 said but they
seemed deeply interested. Before beginning
my address 1 received a request from a
number of the full -bloods asking that I
talk OF Lincoln. Grant, Sherman and other
great men of the war. l endeavored to do
this, and was much pleased to see the looks
OF approval with which they received the
mention OF these names. 1 followed
by a full-blood who made a red d-hot repub-
ucan speech. so far as I was able to Judge
In the Cherokee language. These people
fought with the republicans in the war Of
the rebellion. and this is the beginning and
ending OF their faith
Two Troops of RooseveIts Men
THE non-citiZens residing in the terri
tory number 100000. and can be
largely credited to the nearby states but
OF course we have many from all parts Of
the United States. They are an intelligent
body of people. and believe are as thor
oughly capable of taking care of them
selves any | have ever known What
they do not know in regard to the political
questions of the day could be printed on a
very small sheet. 1t Is fortunate for The
democracy that its pet issue of imperialism
cannot be submitted to the people of the
Indian territory We furnished two troops
for Roosevelt's Rough Riders, and the
voice of each individual member thereof
fS lIy
raised TO condemn the fiimsy pretexts used
by the democracy in presenting this ques-
ton.
.'Fhc cry Of the enemy that the republi
can party has renounced the Declaration
or independence. ignored the bill OF rights
: and assaulted the principles upon which
our government is founded does not excite
the great mass Of our people in the least
If imperialism is a threatened danger 1t is
too far away to cause any apprehension
The people are looking for an enemy that
Is a present menace to our peace and pros
perity. They want to tackle foe that is
ready to make charge on them right now
They do not feel like chasing the imperial
istic whirlwind which Mr.. Bryan is trying
to raise. as they do not feel that 1t is COM
ing their way
Republican Sentiments of a Texas
Democrat.
"I talked recently with a yery inte,uea,,,
Texas democrat who is now a wealthy
stockman Of this country He said he mad
no faith in the issue of Imperialism rs 1t
was being presented by his party; that he
mad tried hard to become interested but
saw nothing realistic about it. He ex-
piained, however. that there were other
questions which he could understand He
informed me that his hogs were bringing
him four and a half cents a pound at his
pens, which was double what he received
during the last democratic administration
Ills cattle were this year bringing him
more money than they had for fifteen
years: that everything he had TO sell. as
a
MS vicinity. were sought after at good
prices and that he declined to be switched
on by MS party upon an imaginary issue
He closed the conversation by denouncinp
the democracy and declaring that from the
present time he desired to be classed with
the republicans.
Southwest Repudiates imperialism.
I'm my opinion the people Of the south
west VIII not be induced to accept imperial
Ism as serious issue In this campaign
The first impulse of nine -tenths Of them Ia
to indorse everything which has been done
By the administration relative TO our island
Pc sessions. but many will support the
democracy because of old ties
MI Bryan must not depend upon the
west if ne expects to win upon the issue of
imperialism. The people here are intenseIv
practical and not sentimental. They are
willing TO contend long and earnestly for
anything which promises present beneficial
results. but are too busy TO chase the Kan
sas City paramount issue
The old-line democrats are not partfcu
larly we'll plesed to Mr.. Bryan astrida
the democratic war horse They feel that
they can scarcely recognize the cid charger
There Is a deep-seated distrust of the
eastern democracy upon the part OF the
populistic branch Of the party I'm the west
and especially does the feeling exist toward
the followers Of Mr.. Cleveland. IL you de-
sire TO kinde the wrath OF the average
pop-democrat simply endeavor to hold him
TO the tenets of the party promulgated
by the Cleveland administration. 1t is
equivalent to shaking the proverbial red
rag AT the animal that Is always looking
for a fight.
' Aggressive West for the President
Every prominent Cleveland democrat
who announces his conversion to Bryanism
on the issue Of Imperialism drives a hum
dred times that number OF populsts votes
into the free silver camp of some of the
various misfits which have presented presi-
Dental tickets.
THE people OF the west are naturally ag-
gressive- They owe much of their success