The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-10-13

accepted resolutions on behalf of the
basiness men of their respective or.
genizations, declaring in favor Of
single statehood and IN favor Of the
simultaneous admission Of both terri
tories as one state
Last spring the territorial Demo.
cratic executive committee in a meet
ing at oklahoma City. passed a reso-
luton declaring for immediate single
statehood and furnished each Dem
ocrat in congress with copy Of this
resolution. placing the party on rec
ord through its committee and in
line with the sentiment of both Re
publicans and Democrats as express
ed in the two statehood conventions
recently held In April the Demo.
cratic territorial convention assembl.
ed at Elid and adopted a platform In
which they declared that the domin.
ant issue of the campaign was the is
sue Of statehood and that the Dem
ocratic party rendered this as the
issue which the Republican party
must meet
Il thus appears that the territorial
Democratic platform was. and Is, in
line with the McAlester convention.
the Muskogee convention. the bust
ne-s mems organizations of the lead
ing cities Of the territory and of tn
nonIartisan patriotic sentiment OF
9th Democrats and Republicans
Wi'h the issue thus supported and
thus tCndere dby the Democratic par
~ Il was hoped by the conser alive
and non. partisan friends of single
statehood that the Republican terri
tor ial convention would fall into line
with the views of such men as Gov
ernor Barnes and Mr.. Greer and c.
G.. Jones and A, IT Classen. and
hundreds of other prominent Repub.
licans an over the territory, and by
declaring for single statehood elm
!aatc THIS important proposition from
the domain of politics so as not 70
jeopardi2e &c in the chances of po-
ltcal struggle But these hopes
were not justified and the Republican
convention in the face Of all the pro.
ceedlngs had up to hat time, remain
ed silent on the question of single
statehood and contented itself by a
single endorsement of the Flynn bill
using the following language; I'VE
endorse the Flynn statehood bill
which has passed the house and Is
now pending in the senate, and we
pledge our honest efforts TO the pas
sage Of this bill at the earliest pos
sible date That bill provide stat
hood for GKlah, ma and 2'vides , chat
Oklahoma shall express is consent 10
the attachment Of the Indian terri
tory after all the lands in the Indian
territory are subject TO taxation
which would not be for twenty or
thirty years. rhe platform stops
with that endorsement; it does moi
express the position Of the Republic
can party upon the question OF
whether this territory shall be at
ached. nor does it express any pur-
pose on the part Of the Republican
Iarty to hasten this attachment ia
aay way, shape or form
In view Of tho fact that the Re
publicans endorse a bill which post
pones single statehood for twenty OF
thirty years. and IN view Of the fact
that they do not express any desire
for single statehood. and in view OF
the fact thar the non-partisan state
hood conventions, the business mems
OF foundations. and the Democratic
party have all taken unequlyocal
stend In favor of single statehood
tho conclusion is irresistible thai the
Republican party is dominated by a
Sc OF leaders who oppose single
tatehood
therefore return TO my original
praposition which is that the Dem
ocratic party stands with the busi-