The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-16
ADVOCATE THE
OMNIBUS BILL
Democratic Senators Stand by
Their Party Platform.
REPORT OF THE MINORITY
ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO
PREPARED FOR STATEHOOD.

Washington. Dec. Ex-senator Bate
/ today presented in the senate the mi
nority report of the committee on ter
/ rltor1es, favoring the immediate pass
age Of the house omnibus statehood
/ bill without amendment. The report
opposed the uniting of Oklahoma and
/ Indian Territory into one state. II
shows infinitely the condition of each
Of the three territories as to popula-
ton, wealth and general features OF
the territories, and says that these are
such as TO call for immediate state
! hood.
1t shows that both the Republican
and Democratic parties in their last
national conventions adopted with
perfect unanimity platform planks
recommending each of the three ter
ritories by name for statehood. Such
expression, the report continues. should
be respected by both parties. It says,
among other things, lit never was in
! tended that congress should bar, by
party objection. admission, when popu-
lation, wealth and institutions were
the same as in the case of other
states
With reference to the qualifications
of the population of the territories, the
report contends that 1T ought to suf-
fee that 95 per. cent of the population
are white in Oklahoma, and the 80, 600
white population in Arizona and the
122, 900 white population in New Mex
leo are quite sufficient TO even all the
foreign born in each OF those terri
tories
The Indian Territory.
Referring TO the proposition to unite
Oklahoma and the Indian Territory as
one state, the report says:
'All legislation for the admission of
new states has been preceded by eX-
preston of desire on the part of the
people for admission to the Union. But
the amendment submitted by the SEN
ate committee on territories incorpo-
rated the Indian Territory with the
state of Oklahoma without expression
of the people of the Indian Territory
to be either a state or a part of Okla
homa. So far as your committee has
information. this alliance may be the
union of an unwilling people and an
undesirable connection. In no case in
the past have the people of any ter
ritory been compelled by the enabling
act to form constitution against
their expressed will. However much
the people of Oklahoma desire state
hood, the Indians have made no ex-
preston of any such desire"
Summing up, the minority report
says: Each of these territories has
complied with every requirement here
tOfore made by the congress for adj
mission to the Union. Each has popu-
lation sufficient for representation in
congress. Each has wealth abundant
to support all the expenses of state
hood. Each has Institutions in har-
mony with republican government as
understood in the Union"
Majority Report Scored.
Liberal quotation is made from the
report of the majority on Che state
hood bill One of the parts quoted is
that referring to a statement made by
a witness that some of the white peo-
pie in the territories are like the riff
raT who follow the construction of
railroads"
Commenting on this statement. the
minority says:
The riff-raff who follow the rail-
reads have been the sturdy Irishmen,
whose pick and shovel and spade and
labor have built the hundreds of thou
sands of miles of American railroad
Why that riff-raf should not be good
citizens in New Mexico, as they are in
every other state and territory, the
report does not advise the senate. Pre-
Stunning that the witness upon whose
testimony this report as to riff-raff
has been made was greatly misin-
formed, We are forced to conclude that
there has been a mistake made some
where between the witness and the
committee, since the testimony has all
the marks Of purpose to convict of
unpreparedness on the part of Ari-
IONA and New Mexico rather than to
enlighted the senate as to their re-
publican form of government"
The report is signed by Senators
=f Do D.
constituting the Democratic member
shin of the committee ON territories