The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1902-04-17

Q6Sn re QOrIeu IdVOIdD1y ny LAC HOuSO
committee on territories. In regard to
Oklahoma there are no good reasons
for keeping the territory out, but the
territories of Arizona and New Mexico
stand In an entirely different class and
the desirab ility of admitting them is
not so evident.
The country has had experience
enough with sparsely settled states.
Those states already admitted, notica-
bly, Nevada and Montana, with pop
ulation hardly large enough to entitle
them to single representative in the
Senate equal to that of New York.
They are both "rotten boroughs" and
Montana in particular has been un-
b1ushing1y corrupt. To the scandal of
the whole country the senator's from
chat state have openly bought their cleo
ton and the honor n of representing
those states in the United States Sen
ate has been for sale to the highest
bidder. We want no more states where
the same conditions are likely to pre-
vail. If the allegation that combina-
tion has been formed to secure the ad-
mission of all three territories at the
same time by the passage of an onni-
bus bill is true then the members who
have the fortunes of Oklahoma in
charge have hurt the chances of that
territory. Oklahoma alone has
any just claims for admission. In
point of actual population Oklahoma
equals South Dakota and surpasses
Vermont, North Dakota, Montana,
Wyoming, Utah and Idaho and has
practically as many inhabitants as
New Hampshire and Oregon. It has
ten times as many as Nevada and four
times as many as Wyoming. It's pop
ulation has grown rapidly from 81, 1884
IN 1890, just after it had been carved
out of Indian territory, to 3O8,245 in
1900. It is purely agricultural area
and one of the richest in that respect
in the country. 1t already has over 10
Inhabitants to the square mile, or more
or Oregon, almost half as many as
Minnesota and almost as many as Ne
braska. Its population is composed of
families from other states who have
brought with them their political ideas
and experiences. To compel them to
wait longer for statehood would be to
deny them a privilege that has. been
denied to no other population equally
dense in the country, and without any
corresponding gain. There is not IN
all the Western division, which in
cludes Montana, Wyoming, Colorado
and New Mexico and all the section to
the west of them, a single state that
equals Oklahoma in density of popu1a-
ton, and none that has added so many
people during the last decade.
New Mexico, on the other hand, in
fifty years has added less than half the
number of inhabitants to it's popu1a-
that Oklahoma added in ten years, and
has today only 10 persons to the square
mile, while Arizona has grown since
1870 only from 9,658 to 122, 931 inhabi-
tauts, and has only IL to the square
mile, Until there is a more substan-
tial growth there seems to be no good
reasons to class these two territories
with Oklahoma. Furthermore, both
the territories of New Mexico and
Arizona should be compelled to wait
not only until the population increases
In number but until there is a marked
Improvement in the quality of the
people. Their population as whole is
not of kind that will suffer if it has to
wait ten or twenty years before being
admitted to full citizenship. New
Mexico has population of 195, 800, and
90 per cent. of that population is ma
tive born, but the people are largely of
persistent Spanish type and % per
ates. Arizona's population of 122,9
is also partly of the same Spanish type
and d per cent. of the males of voting
age are illiterates.
Tie stock argument of those who
favor the admission of all three of
these territories that all the harm that
can be done has been done already,
and that it is too late to insist on any,
thing like an equality of population
between the states when the widest
differences prevail even among the
older states will not do. In the case of
New Mexico and Arizona it is a ques-
ton of quality and not of quantity.
Previous experience should be warn
ing against hasty action. The pres
ence in the upper house of Senators
from New Mexico and Arizona would
not be likely to add to the credit or
prosperity of the nation.