The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22
.HOWTHE DEMOCRATS
STAND REGARDING
STATEHOOD
Element Of Doubt That En-
ters Negotiations for a
Compromise to UntangIe
the Senate-DemOcrats Not
Afraid of a Special Session.


WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 21.-The
statehood compromise which is ex-
pected to unlock the .tangIe in> the sem
ate proposes to admit two states, one
to be Oklahoma according to It's pres
ent boundaries, with proviso that In
dian Territory shall be added to- Okla
homa in 1906 when the treaty obliga-
lions 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
proviso that when Arizona has a pop
ulation of 800, 900 it shall become a
separate state, providing that the peo-
pie of the territory vote in favor of be-
ing divided from Montezuma or New
Mexico.
Senator Spooner has been intrusted
with the legal questions involved, es-
pecially IN regard to the rights Of the
Indian tribes in Indian Territory
Doubt as to the Democrats.
While this compromise will be &C
ceptable to the Republicans, there is
yet considerable doubt about the Dem
ocrats, and so far as can be learned
they will oppose it with vigor, which
means defeat at this stage of the ses-
sion.
1t has been suggested that when the
compromise plan is formulated the
Democrats may hold a conference and
If a majority should agree to accept
the bill, the minority will yield. How
ever, this IS only conjecture, but the
men who are managing the situation
express 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 to
prolong the debate on this measure.
At the Same time, senators served no.
tice yesterday upon those who are
pressing the treaty that Senator Nor
gan should have opportunity to pre-
sent his views and amendments to the
treaty in an orderly manner and with
out undue pressure.
Conferred All Day.
The Republican leaders conferred all
day upon the subject of compromise,
and most of the Democrats were in
formed of the general terms of the
proposition. To all questions as to
whether they would accept such
compromise they said that they want
ed TO see a definite proposition and to
know from whom it came, then they
would be in a position to confer and
decide. On the Republican side 1T is
found that two Republican senator's
Beveridge and Nelson, both members
of the committee on territories
very 10th to accept any compromise
save that which the majority original
Iy presented. Their position is that
the omnibus bill is defeated and that
Senator Quay, who has been SO per-
sistently pressing it, has lost strength
by his course n supporting Senator
Morgan during the Iatters fight against
the canal treaty.
Senator Spooner reported to his COM
mittee colleagues that there was NO
legal difficulty in the way of admit
ting Oklahoma and afterward attach
ing Indian Territory to the state. In
this same connection there is a propo-
sition to have included in the 1egis-
-lation a provision for a trust school
fund for Indian Territory to be pro-
vided by the government This Is to
meet the objections made against In
dian Territory that it has no school
lands and no grants can be made for
public schools.
Indifferent as to Extra Session.
Another feature of the Democratic
position developed today, was that
many Democrats are Indifferent as to
an extra session, while some think that
1T would not lie bad party politics to
have such a session and have the sub