The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-10-31
ghs aasita au gagle Friday gorui ooetobsr 81 1902

TO obstruct this particular piece OF leg
islation. and it was then that the SEN
ate set the bill down for hearing on
the third day of December. referring the
matter back to the people Of Oklahoma
! territory, ard it is a proposition on
which we are TO vote in this campaign.
You would have done the same thing
| had you been in the United States SEN
ate. wouldn't you? That was the duty
of those men, and say that every Amer
lean citizen every honest representa-
tive of the American people, would have
been desirous of knowing the true sen
timent OF the people of Oklahoma. Dem
ocrats say it was done for club and
for the purpose of securing votes in
this campaign. 1t was done. gentlemen.
because it was asked TO be done; ii was
done because of the fact that those gem
tlemen who are asking the election of
Mr.. Cross fought the Flynn bill. And 1t
is my opinion, if these men had re-
mained home and silent. that today we
| would have had an enabling act for
! Oklahoma territory. and would have in
a short time, all the privileges enjoyed
| by any other state in this Union But
they did not desire 70 do that; they de-
sired to fight the bill and then they say
that the delay in the passage of the
| Flynn bill is a campaign measure of
| the Republican party.
The other day l was talking over
| southwest of here, in Custer county. I
said TO those persons in that audience
that every Democratic representative and
| senator in the state of Texas was for the
Flynn bill except Mr.. Stevens. and that
| for that matter most Of the Democratic
| representatives throughout the United
| States; that they were for the Flynn bill
and against Cross. and it was down in
that section of the country where many
| OF the people came from the State of
Texas. I stated that if my assertions
were not believed a letter to Texas would
ascertain if Mr.. Mcclure was right.
| gentleman in the audience whom 1 had
never seen handed me this letter. I had
never looked in his face before, and he
said: I wish you would read that, and
L supposed IL was an announcement, and
! the next thing l saw was United States
| Senate, Gainesville, Texas, September o.
| 1902 Mr.. Dfllard S. Hicks. Butler, Okla
homa, Mr.. Hicks was the gentleman
who handed me the letter and represent
ative citizen of Custer county, and l no.
| ticed it read like this: Dear sir: beg 70
acknowledge receipt of yours of the 23rd
Inst, to Senator Bailey and 10 advise you
| that he is absent from home Replying
to the subject matter of your letter. per-
nit me 10 say that Senator Bailey is op-
| posed to the admission OF Oklahoma and
the Indian Territory as one state. and is in
| favor Of the admission OF Oklahoma at
once as a single state and the admission
of the Indian Territory Just as that coun-
try can be brought into proper condition
/ to warrant statehood.
Yours very truly,
w. B. Jaynes, Secretary.
From Senator Bailey's private secretary
said to the gentleman. Is not that what
1 told you? and he said: Yes. that is
what you said and he added: You have
gained votes in my community, because
/ made that investigation 4Applause.)
And so Senator Bailey is not with Mr.
Cross. but he did say in his letter that he
was in favor of statehood for the people
of that country just as soon as they could
be brought into proper condition to war
rant statehood. That means that In his
| judgment thtey are not prepared at this
time. does it not? Furthermore, the gov
| ernment Oh tne Onlleu STATES mas never
given those people even territorial form
of government and in all the history of
this country, with three single exceptions,
there never has been state admitted to
the Union until it was first given a terri
torial form of government. According to
! Mr. Flynn there is a bill pending in the
cengres of the United States providing
1 for territorial form Of government for
the Indian Territory. Mr. Flynn states
that he believes the bill will pass at the
next session of congress. In Woods county
about six weeks ago l met Mr.. Cross and
| we talked from the same platform, and IL
! might not be uninteresting for you 10
! know that at that time, | tried to per-
suade Mr.. Cross TO go with me over the
territory and meet the people. BY this
plan Mr.. Cross could not say anything in
Mc,iuire's absence that he could not say
! in his presence, and MCGUIRE could not
| say anything in Cross absence that he
would not say in his presence. l asked
him to take the documents. the facts and
ngures and give the people of Oklahoma
the benefit Of any information we had.
and let the people give us the benefit. of
any information they had upon any of
these propositions. and see if we could
not reach proper verdict.
Mr. Cross said. No, 1 don't want to
get your audience for you, and I prefer
! to go by myself Laughter) Now l have
10 disposition to criticise Mr.. Cross. This
is free country and he has right to
conduct his campaign in any manner he
may choose, but 1 desire that you know
| that as far as I am concerned. ] desired
that Mr. Cross go into every county with
me- Mr. Cross said where We met in
! Woods county: IF ] am elected to go to
congress I will say to those senators that
the people Of Oklahoma have passed upon
this proposition. and have turned Dir.
| FIynn's bill down. and he continued: I
shall ask that body to pigeonhole that
bill and let il die with the session OF con-
1 eress. Upon the reconveHing Of another
congress viii introduce a bin providing
for the incoming Of Indian Territory 81
rnuItaneous with Oklahoma. in order that
we may have one grand state Now what
Will he meet with in congress? he VIII
meet the Democratic party. he viii meet
/ the Republican party. either party know
ing the condition OF the Indian Territory.
and knowing that the incoming Of the
| people OF that country until prepared
would mean q burden OF taxation to every
{ person in Oklahoma. and those congress
men and senators would say 70 ar. Cross
we have not given these people a terri
torial form OF government Did you
know that the government Of the United
states IS spending nearly million dollars