The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-28

The eastern press, which has never been too kindly
towards statehood for Oklahoma is coming around to it.
The Eagle finds in many eastern papers hitherto opposed to
the admission Of the territory articles advocating
Facts and figures have brought about this change of
sentiment The Chicago Record-Herald says:
Oklahoma, territory Of comparatively small area had
IN 1900 population of 39S 245 New lands have been
opened to settlement since then and the probabilities are
that the population today exceeds 100000 OF the states
in the following table the first were admitted in 1889
the next twon 1890 the last 1896 and their population
in 1880 was:
North Dakota ........... $50 10
washington "a 900
Wyoming NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. - 60 705
Every Of these states has much larger area than
Oklahoma which exceeds them greatly in the density Of
its population But may push the comparison farther
still with still more remarkable results Colorado which
was admitted in 1876 had population of only 1892 in
1889 Nebraska, which admitted 1867 had pop
ulaon of only 12299S in 1870 Nevada admitted in 1864
reached its maximum population 266 in 1880 Cali.
fornia admitted in 1850 had 92597 inhabitants according
to the census of that In 1S5 Oowa had PEG
pie and it admitted four years before in 1916 Hi
nos which came into the union in 1878 had population
of only 55162 in 1920
All these states, like the first one named have a
greater than Oklahoma California being nearly four
times large Oklahoma is not a wilderness then but
compacrly settled territory, whose people would act
together naturally the members of single common.
wealth No territory since the foundation of the govern
ment ever had such claims statehood on the score Of
numbers and community of interest
1t appears moreover that 90 per cent Of the inhabi-
ants are native born and that Of males Of voting age
only per cent are classified illiterates There are
positively no good reasons for keeping this territory out
while it may demand admission as a positive right
But it IS said its is complicated by the concurrent
demands Of New Mexico and Arizona. New Mexico has
population Of 1880 and 9S per cent of that population
Is native born but the people are largely Of persistent
Spanish type and IS cent Of the possible voters are
iterates Arizonas population of also partly
OF the Spanish type and "a per cent of the males Of
voting age are illiterates
It IS plain however that the case Of Oklahoma should
be judged upon its own merits and also the claims
Of both New Mexico and Arizona satisfy the historical pre-
cedents Their population is sufficient the iuteracy is
less than that Of Of the southern states Since
then there only these three territories left and it has
been the policy OF the govrnmnt from its foundation 10
substitute sesovening states for territories as soon as
there was the promise Of population. it is diacnt to
see Why there should be departure from the policy now
All the harm that could be By it has been done a.
ready and is too late TO insist anything Ike an equal
y of population between the states when the widest dif
ferences prevail in this respect even among the older