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

the other day. said: "They io not
tell you that they have no ia able
property what4ver except some town
lots and some personal properly
'They do not tell you that il wculo
take seven millions of dollars to buy
public roads alone aud have no prQr-
erty to tax That it they come in
with us that the Oklahoma taxpayers
will have to pas that seven million
dollars" And again, 4 deny the
right Of Mr. Cross, or his committee.
to say to the taxpayer OF Oklahoma.
you must pay ten millions OF dollars
in order that the people Of the Indian
territory may open up their section or
their half section lines we viii
come to that section line proposition
little later on, but now I want TO
say that Mr. Flynn in saying
the people OF the Indian territory
have no property to tax is either
inexcusaby ienorant, or wilfully un
deriaking to deceive the people Dir.
Flynn has been delegate TO CON
gress for a good many years and the
presumption Is that he ought to be
familiar With the proceedings OF that
body Last spring the committee OF
the lower house on territories. OF
which committee [ believe Mr. Flynn
1 is member. made report TO con
gre5s on the advisabllity of organizing
the Indian territory and naming It
jefferson territory In Saat report
they dealt with the question Of taxa
tion and used the following language
"The real estate in the Indian terri
tory is at present exempt from taxa.
lion the title TO the whole body Of
the lands outside of the towns being
yet in the Indian. but the taxable
property Is sufficient to support a
territorial government The followeg
data obtained from reliable sources
gives a conservative estimate of some
of The property subject 70 taxation
\ Ninety incorporated towns, including
only about $4,000 Of the population,
have an assessed valuation of taxable
property of twenty millions OF dol
lars A conservative e1timate of the
taxable value of unincorporated
towns Is FIVE millions OF dollars.
There are one and one.han million
head of cattle; 10000 head Of ho ses;
$4,000 head Of mules; about 100000
hogs and 25.OOO head OF sheep. There
is Invested In coal mining anu coke
oven properties about four millions
OF dollars. There are 4,4l5 miles Of
railroads now in operation and about
300 miles now under construction A
conservative estimate Of the entire
taxable wealth Of the territory could
not be less than sixty million dollars
| No estimate is made on corn VIII
oats and cotton which are also ex-
tensively produced in the territory
Mr. Flynu being a member of thar
committee ought certainly to have
known OF that report and lf he did,
his eRcrt 10 make the people Of Ok
lahCma believe hat there Is 10 tax
able property IA the indian territory
Is nothing hort OF criminal
I say. therefore. that the third
proposition that territory before
being admitted should have sufficient
property subject 10 taxation to sup
port lts government IS compiled with
in the ladian territory
1t d also true that supplemental
treaties have iust been concluded
with tn. Cheeo3ees. Choctaws and
Chickasaws, providing for the allot-
ing of their lands The allotment oi
the Creek lands has been about con
cmded. A land office win be estab'
lished al vinita IN the Cherokee ma
lion on the first OF January and thfra
Will probably be a land Office locag
at Ardmorr In the Chlckasaw na'ion
and at South McAlester IN the Choc-
taw nation. at the same time The
recent treaty ratified by the Chick
asaws and Choc avs proyide5 for iha
ale Of their mime al lands at public
auction And OF course. when theso
mineral lands are sold they VIII te
ubiec tc taxation This treaty also
provides for al allotment 10 oath
Chickasaw and Choctaw OF 800 acre
Of land which will leave abou
per cent Of the lands in these two
nations 10 b. sold 70 settlers and oi
course these lands viii be subject te
taxa-iop a, soon a. sold This treat