The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-02-22
NEW EFFORT At
A COMPROMISE
Republicans Have Hopes Of
Ending Statehood Fight
DEMOCRATS MAY DEFEAT IT
Senators Fear That If Something Is
Not Done at an Early Date an
Extra Session VIII BE
Forced.
DEMOCRATS MAY DEFEAT IT

Washington. February 1.-The state
| hood compromise. which Is expected to
unlock the present tangle in the senate
and remove the blockade. proposes to
admit two states. one to be Oklahoma
according to it's present boundaries, with
a provision that the Indian Territory shall
be added to Oklahoma in 1906. when the
| treaty obligations with the Indians will
not be in the way. The other state is to
| be composed of New Mexico and Arizona
under the name of Montezuma, with a
proviso that when the present territory
| of Arizona has population of 100000
people it shall become separate state.
providing that the people of the terri
| tory affected vote In favor of being di-
vided from Montezuma or New Mexico.
Senator Spooner has been entrusted
with the legal question involved especial
ly insregard to the rights of the tribes in
the Indian Territory The Wisconsin
senator has been In consultation with the
attorney-general and law officers of the
government familiar with the subject and
the bill when drawn will be based upon
information which Senator Spooner OBJ
tains.
Doubt About Democrats.
While this compromise will be accept
able to the republicans there is yet con-
siderable doubts about the democrats.
and so far as can be learned, they will
oppose 1t with vigor, which means defeat
at this stage of the session. 1t has been
suggested that when the compromise plan
| is formulated the democrats may hold a
| conference and If majority should agree
to accept the bill, the minority viii Yield.
| I5wever, thu is only conjecture. but the
men who are managing the situation ex.
| press the hope that some agreement can
| be reached.
The effect upon the canal treaty will at
once be. felt as Senator Quay and other
statehood men will not try 10 prolong the
debateton this measure.
At the same time senator's served notice
| yesterday upon those who are pressing
| the treaty that Senator Morgan should
| nave full opportunity to present his views
and amendments to the treaty In an or
Derry manner and without undue pres-
sure. Senators Teller, Dubois and Raw Z.
Inns were especially emphatic when maxi
ing the declarations, saying that even IL
the treaty had to go over until after
March T. the Alabama senator should not
be subjected to undue pressure and
strain.
conferrine on Compromise.
The republican leaders conferred all
day upon the subject of the statehood
compromise and most of the democrats
were informed of the general terms of
the proposition. To all questions as to
| whether they would accept such compro-
mise, they said that they wanted to see
a definite proposition and to know from
whom 1t came, then they would be in
| position to confer and decide.
| I'm ba N Q Ia hat
| two republican senators, Beverldge and
| Nelson, both members of the committee
| on territories, are very 10th TO accept
any compromise save that which the ma
| jority originally presented. Their posi-
/ tion Is that the omnibus bill is defeated
| and that Senator Quay who has been so
| persstently pressing Il. has lost strength
by his course in support of Senator Nor
| gans position during the latters tight
| against the canal treaty Senator Spoon
| er reported TO his committee colleagues
| that there were no legal difficulties in the
way of admitting Oklahoma and after
wards attaching Indian Territory to the
state.
! Trust School Fund.
In this same connection there is a
proposition to have included in the con-
stitution provision for trust school
fund for Indian Territory to be provided
| by the government. This Is to meet the
| objection raised by Indian Territory that
| 1t has no school lands and no grants can
be made for public schools. The division
| of New Mexico and Arizona is 10 be made
upon a proclamation by the President
when there is a population of 100000 in
| Arizona, but objection has been raised by
| the democrats to this tion, as 1t
now stands, that no provision Is made
| for census and It would he at least
| 1910 before any test could be made. Dur
| ing the day efforts were made to find
n 10 NJ C...ttE % Att
certain what his views would be to
the proposed compromise, but he was not
at the capitol. He has been decidedly op-
posed to any such move all along. and
| today Senator Blackburn told some of his
colleagues that the joining of the two
| territories would not be acceptable, and
| said II would cause strong opposition.
| The democratic position Oh the proposed
| compromise Is interesting feature of
| the situation for ii Is generally under
stood that unless there is practically
unanimous agreement it could not pass.
| Another feature Of the democratic posi-
| tion that developed today was that many
| democrats are Indifferent as to an extra
legislative session Of congress. while
| some think 1t would not be bad policy to
| have such a session and have the sub
| ject of trust legislation and revision OF
/ the tariff revived. This was communicated
| to some Of the republican leaders today
| and caused considerable uneasiness It Is
realized that with the present business
pending in the senate very few men
could force enough appropriation bills
| over to cause an extra session of il>e
! Fifty-eighth congress-
At the same time the most experienced
senators claim that before the coming
week has passed the blockade will be
raised and all necessary legislation dis
| posed Of by March 4.
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