, 1902-11-25
THREE STATES BILL
FIGHT FOR OKLAHOMA, NEW
MEXICO AND ARIZONA IN THE
SENATE NEXT MONTH.
Contention That the lIliterate Eastern
Half of the Indian Territory and
Oklahoma Would Render a New
State Democratic May Endanser
Passage Of Statehood Measure.

Passage of Statehood Measure.
Washington, Nov. 25.-It is accepted
as a %foregOne CONCLUSION that the in
Quiry Senate Bcveridgo and his fellow
committeeman from the senate COM
mittee on territories are making
through Oklahoma. New Mexico and
Arizona will p~r"Cipitatc a fr~ce-for-all
fight on the statehood question when
Der 10th. Under the agreement that
Senator Quay succeeded in Wrestling
from the majority of the committee the
bill is the Unfiuiahnd business for hat
day. and is to he considered until dis
posed of by a vote. The friends Of the
measure are confossedly in a state of
mind over the curse that Senator
Beveridgc has pu. sued in taking his
subcommittee owe the ground so that
they can state with the effect of eye
witnesses the facts that favor or OBJ
struct the admission of the three ter
ritorios. The tri-state bill was the eff
feet of fine management on the part of
Mr.. Flynn. the delegate from Oklaho-
ma. who has felt so sure of its passage
by the senate that he declined a re-
nomination to the house, with the in
tentiOn of becoming one of the first
senators from the new state. 1t is now
said that Mr.. Flynn is debating wheth-
er the tri-stato arrangement is any
longer of advantage to the people of
Oklahoma. They fear that the com
mittec will have too much use for the
Spanish stcnographcr whom they took
along when they reach New Mexico and
Arizona. and that there will be a tell
ing protest against the admission of
the mass of "greascr'' population in
those two territories. In this event it
would be to the advantage of OklahO-
ma to make her fight alone. Her
claims rest on solid ground. With owe
half a million of people, possessing rich
and varied natural resources and the
promise of rapid development by the
building of railroads, there is no rea-
son outside of politics on which to base
opposition to her admission.
But this is not all of the situation.
The people of h indian territory are
also demanding admission and they
claim that having nearly the same pop
ulation as Oklahoma the latter terri
tory should either pool issues with
them or that n large state should be
made of Oklahoma and Indian terri
tory. To further this proposition there
will be Il "onestate' convention con-
sisting of 900 delegates from both ter
r~itories on December 3rd. n week be
for the senate takes up the tri-state-
hood bill, and it is the plan to send
fifty or more representative citizens
from both territories to Washington to
take a hand in the fight and endeavOr
to get the M big state admitted.
The friends of this idea say that
it is the only way the Indian ter
ritory can gain admission. There were
by the recent census owe 10000 people
in the Indian territory, and it is esti-
mated with the gain made during the
last two years there are now upward
of so, 900 in that territory. Oklahoma
has a larger population. The two COM
bined have about two-thirds of the
population of the great state of Kan
sas. Yet if Oklahoma should be ad-
mitted as a single state, Indian terri
tory would have the prospect of wait
ing many years before congress would
think of admitting it. Notwithstanding
there are more people living in the ter.
ritory thar there are in either South
Dakota, Delaware. Florida. Idaho. Mon
tana. Nevada, Utah, Vermont or Wyo-
ming. The chief reason that would
actuate congress against the admission
of the Indian territory as one state is
that its population is Objectionable on
the score of illiteracy. There are but
Sc. 200 Indians in the territory. The rest
are either colOred persons or white
renters" from other states. There are
Sc 900 colored persons. OF the whites
about $4,000 are of the Pike county sort
from Missouri. a large number are
from Arkansas n there are upward
of 10000 Texans there.
To admit Indian territory as a sin
gle state would be such a proposition
as admitting Arkansas if that state
were now a territory. With such a
mass Of illiterates there could De no
hope of anything like a republican form
of government for many decades. In
dian territory would be an unalterably
democratic state for a century to come
if the democratic party should survive
so long.
The objections that apply to Indian
territory as a single state are nearly
as forcible against the admission of
Oklahoma and the territory as n
state. The new state would be demo-
cratic, and the illiterate eastern half
would be a clog to the more enlighten-
ed and progressive western population.
This is the outline of the fight that is
at hand. The prediction is often heard
that the senate committee will bring
in a new bill proposing the admission
I-A I A. -~-A