Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-10-28
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-
clde3 in the case OF Thomas against
Gay, 169 U. s., 264, that congress has
the right 10 attach all, or any part, Of
The Indian territory TO Oklahoma.
Any one interested in the legal propo-
sition may pursue the inquiry by ex
amining that case. There being nc
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 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 sef-government
/ There are about one-half 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
/ ceen 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
] -. 10 v..,Ns "a,
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 a state gov
ernment. This is also a matter about
which we do not have to speculate. |!
there is sufficient property there, thai
] ltIIllOIY 10 Iedug lOl oNeiNtll bAAs
Mr.. Flynn, in his speech at FL Rene
the other day. said; "They do no.
tell you that they have no taxable
property whatever except some towr
lots and some personal property. They
do not tell you that it would tallj
seven millions of dollars to buy pub
lie roads alone and have no property
to tax. That if they come in with II!
that the Oklahoma taxpayers viii
have to pay that seven million dol
lars" And again, 81 deny the righ
of Mr.. Cross, or his committee, to say
to the taxpayer Of Oklahoma, yol
must pay ten millions of dollars il
order that the people of the Indiai
territory may open up their section o
their half section lines" We vii
come to that section line proposition
little later on, but now ! want t.
say that Mr.. Flynn in saying that tn
people of the Indian territory "hav
no property to tax" is either ineXcus
ably ignorant, or wilfully undertaB
ing to deceive the people. Mr.. FlynI
has been a delegate to congress 70
good many years and the IresumI
tion is that he ought to be famila
with the proceedings of that body
Last spring the committee of the low
er house on territories, OF which CON
mittee l believe Mr.. Flynn is a mem
ber, made a report to congress on tn
advisablity of organizing a territorial
form of government for the lndial
Territory and naming it Jeffersoi
territory. In that report they deal
with the question of taxation ant
used the following language:
1.-The real estate in the Indian Tel
ritory is at present exempt from ta>
alton, the title to the whole body G
the lands outside of the towns bein
yet in the Indian, but the taxabl
property is sufficient to support a 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
, five millions of dollars. There ar
} one and one-half million head Of ca
: tie; 100000 head of horses; $500
I head of mules; about 100000 hos
and $4,000 head Of sheep. There
t invested in coal mining and coke owe
1 properties about four millions of dc
lars. There are 1,415 miles of raj
: roads now in operation and about 50
t miles now under construction. A CO
: servative estimate Cf the entire ia
1 able wealth of the territory could NJ
g be less than sixty million dollars. \
! estimate is made on corn, wheat, oa
= and cotton, which are also extensive
4 produced in the territory"
Mr.. Flynn being a member OF thi
committee ought certainly to hay
known of that report and II he di
e his effort to make the people Of O
e lahoma -elieve that there is no ia
: able property in the Indian Terr.tor
g is nothing short of criminal.
) say, therefore, that the third pro
I ostion, that a territory before beir
: admitted should have sufficient FRO