The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-12-19
\ ELOQUENT PLEA FOR
SINGLE STATEHOOD
Address Of Colonel Roy Hoffman at
claremore Convention.

Roy Hoffman, delivered the following
address,
For the third time within the Indian
territory, the people Of these twin
territories have assembled in joint
convention to deliberate upon the
best form of statehood. This con
vention represents the people who
are in favor of a single state, one and
indivisible from both It is mag
nidcent and inspiring hing. You are
making history. You are writing an
epoch. You are a state making peo-
pie. cay people,, because | don't
think there il a single politician here.
They wcrtn't asked. The call IS is
sued to the 'people"-and Of course
politician wouldn't go where he was
not invited.
The business interests of both ter
ritories are speaking he.e today You
come with the whispering voices Of
untroddsn forests, the untold riches
of mines. unnumbered herds the un-
awakened wealth of valleys which OUT
vie the Vegas Of the ancient Moors'
pleading single, immediate statehood;
and representing those who this year
have produced and poured into the
lap OF the world 100 million bushels
of corn. 80 million bushels of wheat
ana 300 thousand bal of cotton
from that land where schools and
churches dot evertl LII side, we greet
you and give you God speed in that
hope and prayer
You ought to think mighty well OF
us. For the past few months We
that is a good many of us-have be IN
standing up for you, right manfully'
They told us you were poverty strick-
en-. landless, taxless, Goddess and gen
erallyi worthless. That you had no
-chool funds nor means of raising
any. That you were trying to steal
ou.s and that some Of us had entered
into a conspiracy to help you. One
of our most eminent detractors--a
fguratiye cuas-said YOU had only
two roads, "one leading to ignorance
and the olher to crime the i'm
plication followed that you had indus
trious road supervisors keeping each
in excellent condition for public trav-
el. There was an explanation for il,
all The explanation is that you were
lied about That's the way We ex-
planned it. And while on the face of
uhe returns the liars seem to have had
more believers than the other fellows
Just remember We are not through
counting Yet
The result Of the Oklahoma cleo
tion-whenever it gets TO a result
must not be misunderstood. Ehat 8
the reason / refer to It. While doubie
statehood was talked it was for pc
itieal purposes only, and no one real
Iy wanted It or believed in it, lit
tie coterie of politicians-or coter-
ie of little politicians Git is equally
true aither way you take iD-were
simply trying to get the offices They
we're attempting to get the places
without which they knew they could
never get with you That being ac-
complished they were ready enough
to take you in-and take you in, lit
orally, too.
Hence their support Of the omnibus
statehood bill, now pending. If that
measure becomes a law, and its pro
visions are carried into effect, and
you are absorbed piecemeal-just a
liale at a time as rapidly as you
|, can be assimilated in the sausage ma
chine OF gluttonous politicians--,t
win be a greater blight upon you than
plague. pestilence famina devasta-
tion by insects or the Dawes comm's-
sion. There will be lamentation here
and ,our hearts will bleed like those
in Is -aeI when in all the land the fire.
born lay dead. For, fair and goOdly
to look upon and fun Of promise a.
you are, yoa will be cut into strips
and slices and fed to the sharks and
devil FISH that infest rhe muddy wat
ers Of Oklahoma politics.
Now that bin they say Is sure "a
pass They are really running a bhu
or have really got a pat AS a re
spected friend of mine used to say az
he showed a stack" towards tbs
center. hes either gotten or hs
amt" We propose to "call th'
hand" The people have some chips
in this game themselves. We would
be indeed deserving Of our fate II w
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