The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-11-01
.GiddingS' Warm
ROAST OF McGUIRE'S
STATEHOOD BILL
Charges the Author with
Rank Duplicity and Par
tisan Bias.

mo Of the greatest speeches Of tho
campaign in the Estes building on
North broadway to a fai- sized audi.
cnce rhe baud was present ard
furnished music for the occasion. IA.
meeting vas callcd to order by Attor-
ney Fred reilly, who IN a few wcll
chosen wor Is. introduced Mr. Giddings
as one Of the most logical and enter
tanning speakers in Oklehoma The
brilliant young orator from Oklahoma
city then took the platform and made
one Of the most forcible and sensible
speeches ever heard in Shawnee. He
gave the history Of the statehood
question in Oklahoma. saying that the
Democrats had always favored single
statehood ard that the Republicans
haze been on both sides Of the state
hood question and. having changed
before It would transpre perhaps that
IN the future the Republicans would
again assume double statehood po-
sition, Il Mcclure we're elected by
such a majority as would indicate
that Oklahoma is Republican.
Mr Giidlngs quoted from a pam
phlet issued by the Republican COM
miisee. In Which plea was made for
statehood for Oklahoma alone upon
the proposition that Oklahoma Itself
was Republican. nut that united with
the Indian territory the new state
would be Democratic He answered
Nj. McGuigo's argument that he (Mc.
Guire) must be elected Ia order to
convince the Democratic minority that
Oklahoma is Republican SO that minor
ity would favor single statehood hy
saying that the same conditions would
convince the Democratic minority that
this ,er7iioy was Republican would
con, ince the hepuhican majority that
oklahoma was Republican, and that
Bf Republican majority "a congress
could become SO convinced they would
admit Oklahoma as. "a STATE ty itself
lie also answered McGmros are'.
ment in detail showing .hat the rca
son why the democrats had voted
against the Hamilton bin was on ac-
count Of the fact that in that oill Ari-
znna and New Mexico were united as
slnsle state, over the objections OF
he citizens ot both Of these terrltor'
les: that there were other reasons for
the Democratic vote or the Hamilton
bill among which be mentioned the
capital provision, the gorrymander OF
the congressional districts and The
mixed schools provision.
Mr. Giddings then took up the cap
ital question ana how II affected the
city oi Shawnee He reHd IN edi-
torial from the Shawnee Herald
which ne said epitomixed the capital
question. lie called attention to Nc
Cures duplicity on the capital propo-
sition. and showed that no other en-
abting act for Oklahoma ever contain
ed snch an infamous provision. He
showed that by the wording OF the bill
the capital could never be removed
from Guthrie, and called attention to
conditions n Kansas where the state
constitution contained a similar pro
vision locatine the capital a. Topeka
temporarily, and that the people in
Kansas had tried several times to re-
move the capital but without success.
He further called attention TO the
fact hat MS provision, so it had been
reported wus drafted by a prominent
lawyer in Guthrie and 20 worded as
"a absolutely preclude the removal of
lho capital lle answered McGuira's
statement in Shawnee in reference
TO the capital being placee in Guthrie
by others than himself by saying that
the most Inconsistent thing in Nc
Cures appeals for support was that
for az the popular provisions Of the
Hamilton bin he claimed credit, and
ior as unpopular provisions in certain
sections ne disclaimed credit
MIR Giddings Hghtfully argued that
81 Mr. Mcclure hai intended 10 be
fair. be could al least have seen to il
that a plurality vote was sufficient &c
remove the capital or he could have
reen "a IL that II The majority proyi
sion must be inserted that another
provision was also Inserted that in
the event no CITY had a majority vote
az the first election, that then another
election he held between the two
cities having the highest vote 10 de
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Your heart heats 100