The Washington times., 1902-02-17
Residents Make Appeal for
a Better Government.
BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED
Vast Community Is Run by
the Courts.
WITHOUT A GOVERNOR
Population Given at 332,OOO-Me-
mortal Presented Declares Large
Majority 'sire Industrious, InteIIi-
gent and Lav-Abiding."

/ gent and Law-Abiding."
! The residents of Indian Territory are
! putting forth efforts to induce Congress
to enact law giving them Territorial
| form of government. A bill to accomplish
this end has been introduced in the House
by Representative Moon of Tennessee,
and recently a petition asking for the
passage of the measure was presented.
1t was brought to Washington by Col.
Sam Powell, of Wagner. /. T., and Mr..
j. II. Maxey. jr., who were elected dele
gates for that purpose. as a convention
OF the residents of the Territory held in
South McAlester. /. T. on December IS.
Big Population.
The memorial sets forth that the Ter
ritory, which now has neither Governor
nor legislature, comprises an area of 3D.
900 square miles, and contains a popuIa-
tion according to the census of 1900 OF
$4,000 inhabitants. OF these it is esti-
mated that about 5000 are Indians, and
the remaining 81 .O00 are ''non-citizens;"
that is. white and colored persons not
being members of the Indian tribes.
1t then goes on to state that there are
159.125 persons of school age, only 1000
of whom are Indians, and of these 29,-
800 live in incorporated towns and have
the advantages of free school and other
facilities. Public schools are being main
tanned under the Curtis law in ircorpor-
ated towns by a tax levy on personal
property.
The remaining 1925 have no free school
advantages whatever.
Those whom the memorial term mon
citizens. are said to be people from al
most every State in the Union, and it
declares ''are an Industrious. intelligent,
and lawabiding people. who are ac-
customed to live in a different state OF
society, and to participate in the affairs
of local self government. The memorial
reads;
Courts in Control.
''At the present time we are living under
a government wholly administered by the
United States courts, and under a few
laws Of Congress that are applicable to
US. together with certain sections of
Mansfeld's Digest of the Statutes of
arkansas which were extended over the
Indian Territory by various acts of Con-
gress. These laws have never been codi-
fed"
Many of these laws, the memorial saws.
have been repealed by the State of Arkan-
sas. but they still remain in force in In
dian Territory, and are unsuted for the
conditions there.
Tells of Resources.
EnumeratiDg the resources of the Ter
ritory the memorial says:
In the year ended June 80, 1901. there
were mined in said Territory 2,391.6SS
tons of coal, and there were produced in
the same year SO 800 tons of coke. there
being 2SO coke ovens now in operation.
That there are at the present time
S4,00o,C coo invested in coal mining and coke
oven properties.
That as nearly as can be estimated
tfTom records of stockmen's s associations)
there are 1.5O0 900 head OF cattle. 100000
head of horses. $1,000 head of mules, $780,
900 head OF hogs, and 5000 head of sheep.
That there are fifty national banks and
thirty-seyen private and Territorial
banks, with total capital and surplus of
s3.O91 500 and a total deposit OF $685. ,34l.
That there are in operation f,i00 miles
of railway, and 800 miles now under con-
struction. There are 5000 miles Of teIe-
graph and telephone lines in operation.
There was also produced, in 1899, 49,
939 bales OF cotton. and al estimate of the
crop for 1901 shows about 225. 900 bales for
that year"
Expenditures Would Increase.
at has been contended by some, and may
be further contended, that the establish
ment OF territorial government as pro-
vided by the Moon bill, would greatly in
crease the expenditures of the Government
in the Territory. A careful glance ct the
conditions. however. will undoubtedly
prove that the converse Of the proposition
is true. While we admit that under the
new organization, as aforesaid. the Gov
ernment would pay few additional Off
GERS. such as the Governor. the territorial
legislature, and possibly one other. on the
other hand it would dispense with the
necessity of two United States marshals
and two United States attorneys as under
the organized Territory there would be a
sheriff and a county attorney for each
county, and it would. in addition to this.
dispense with the enormous expense of
the Government in the prosecution of
criminals. as all crimes against the peace
OF the State are now prosecuted by the
United States. and under the organized
Territory they would all. except the few
under the penal laws of the United States,
be prosecuted by the Territory.
Compelled to Travel.
THAT in many cases man is compelled
to go sixty miles to a commissioner
court to bring an action at common law.
when the amount involved is small and is
usually taken cosnizance OF by Il tribunal
Of inferior jurisdil lion for redress of his
grievances.
That, in many cases. man is COM
PEELED to send seventy-fve miles to have
a chattel mortgage filed for record: and
mat, II he carries on business so far
from the town in which the clerk happens
10 be located, he is unable 10 inspect the
records as to prior mOrt cages; and if he
deems 1t necessary to know in regard
to 1t. he pays lawyer fee to look it
up. This is not rare case, but very
No Police Protection.
THAT the people who live outsid Ct
the incorporated towns are afforded no
police protection except through the
United States marshaTs Office; and while
the machinery OF this office is entirely
sufficient to execute the law as to felony
and high misdemeanors. ii is inadequate
to enforce it properly as to mere breaches
OF the peace and other minor Inisde
meanors
I'VE have only mentioned a few Of the
many cases wherein the present system
Df government is so very crude aud IN
suited to our conditions. hut believing