Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-10-31
that territory is today ready for state

that territory IS today ready for state |
hood.
From the legal standpoint II is not |
an open question. The supreme court |
of the United States has already de- |
cded in the case OF Thomas against !
Gay, 100 U. s., 264, that congress has
the right TO attach all, or any part. Of
the Indian territory to Oklahoma.
ANY one interested in the legal propo-
sition may pursue the inquiry by eN-
amining that case. There being ne
legal obstacle in the way, the Ques-
ton Immediately arises as to what
are the conditions which would gov
ern congress in granting statehood. In
the first place, there Should be a ter
ritory capable OF supporting and sus-
tanning a population. THIS condition
exists as is known to everybody, the
Indian territory being rich in agri
cultural and mining and timber re-
sources.
In the next place, there should be
a people capable of self-government
The people OF the Indian territory are,
Of course, capable Of self-government
There are about one-haE million peo-
pie living in that territory, of whom
about 425,000 are American citizens.
They come from the same states from
which our PEOPLE come. They have
been raised under American institu-
tions and are familiar with all the
traditions and history and habits of
our people, and are Just as capable Of
self-government as those Of any other
section of the United States. This is
also a proposition that is not open to
argument.
In the third place, there should be
sufficient taxable property in order to
sustain a government without making
the taxation oppressive. Where these
conditions all exist no fair-minded man
can for a minute say that the territory
is not ready for statehood The first
two propositions must necessarily be
admitted by every truthful man. The
third proposition is equally as certain
but the republican politicians are
steadily asserting that there is not
sufficient taxable property in the In
dian territory to sustain state gov
ernment. This is also a matter about
which we do not have to speculate. II
there is sufficient property there, that
territory is ready for stateh. cd.
Mr. Flynn, in his speech at El Reno
the other day. said: They do nos
tell you that they have no taxable
| property whatever except some town
| lots and some personal property. They
/ do not tell you that it would take
seven millions of dollars TO buy pub
| lie roads alone and have no property
/ to tax. That il they come in with us
that the Oklahoma taxpayers vii
have to pay that seven million dol
lars" And again, Il deny the right
of Mr. Cross, or his committee, to say
to the taxpayer CT Oklahoma, you
must pay ten millions of dollars il
order that the people of the Indiar
territory may open up their section o.
their half section lines" We viii
come to that section line proposition
little later on, but now ! want &
say that Mr.. Flynn in saying that th'
people of the Indian territory ''hav'
no property to tax" is either ineXcus
ably ignorant, or wilfully undertak
ing to deceive the people Mr. Flynn
has been a delegate to congress fo
a good many years and the Iresump
tion is that he ought to be famil.a
with the proceedings Of that body
Last spring the committee of the low
er house on territories, OF which com
mittee | believe Mr.. Flynn is a mem
ber, made a report to congress on tn
advisability of organizing a territorla
form of government for the lndial
Territory and naming it jefferson
1 IL, laa
with the question Of taxation AM
used the following language:
1.-The real estate in the Indian Tel
ritory is at present exempt from taN
alton, the title to the whole body q
the lands outside of the towns bein
yet in the Indian, but the taXabl
property is sufficient to support tel
ritorial government. The followin
data obtained from reliable source
give a conservative estimate OF som
of the property subject to taxation
Ninety incorporated towns, includin
only about $4,000 of the population
have an assessed valuation Ct taXabl
property Of twenty millions of do
lars. a conservative estimate of the ia
able value of incorporated towns
/ nN0 ulllllOnS vi hNAt 81
one and one-half million head Of ca
tie; 100000 head of horses; $500
head of mules; about 100000 hos
and $4,000 head of sheep. There
invested in coal mining and coke owe
! properties about four millions CT do
lars. There are 1,415 miles of raj
roads now in operation and about &c
miles now under construction. A COZ
: servative estimate Of the entire Ia
able wealth Of the territory could NJ
be less than sixty million dollars. n
estimate is made on corn, wheat, oat
: and cotton, which are also eXtensive
produced in the territory"
Mr. Flynn being a member OF thu
committee ought certainly to hay
known of that report and II he di
, his effort to make the people Of o
lahoma .elieve that there is no ia
= able property in the Indian Terr.tor
is nothing short Of criminal.
l say, therefore, that the third pro
I ostion, that a territory before beir