Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1905-12-23
Mcclure And Hamilton SfafehsOd Bills
Are Compared.
MATTER OF CAPITAL LOCATION.
Made No Reference to Preference
Rights of School Land Lessees =
Division of School Land Mcclure
Doubles Indemnify Fund.

Guthrie, o. T., Dec. 19.-The specu-
which Oklahoma will get statehood
this winter. if either of the bills now
before the house should be passed,
makes it of interest to compare the
prominent features of these two bills
and the Hamilton omnibus bill, pass
ed by the last congress, but ultimate
ly defeated on account of the Calm
ger amendment. Of course. both the
Hamilton bills united the fortunes of
Arizona and New Mexico with those
of Oklahoma and Indian Territory,
but in the Oklahoma part there are
radical differences between the
various bills.
In the matter of the capital lOca-
ton, the first Hamilton bill placed the
capital at Guthrie until 1870 the pres
ent Hamilton bill until 1915, giving
the legislature power to provide for
it's location thereafter; the Mcclure
bill until 1910, with provision that it's
location thereafter shall be decided by
a majority vote of the people.
For the expense OF the constitution
al convention the first Hamilton bill
appropriated $4,000, as does the Nc
CURE bill. while the present Hamil-
ton bill provides 100000. The in
crease is said by Mr.. Hamilton to
have been made on estimates from
the secretary of Oklahoma.
A clause for the restriction of the
sale OF intoxicating liquors in the In
dian country for ten years appeared
in the first Hamilton bill. This clause
was not, however, a part of the orig
inal bill, but was inserted as an
amendment, as was the Gallinger
amendment, providing for prohibition
for twenty-one years. The Mcguire
bill provides for the cession to the
federal government of the powers to
control the sale of liquor to Indians.
The new Hamilton bill makes no men
ton Of the liquor question.
The Sulphur reservation was not
mentioned in the first Hamilton act
and bill, as the act creating the re-
servation had not been passed at that
time. Both the present bills cede jur-
isdiction over the reservation to the
United States.
Preference rights to the lessees for
the purchase of school lands were not
mentioned in the first Hamilton bill,
but provision of that sort is made in
both of the new bills. A memorial
adopted by the last Oklahoma legis-
lature asked Mr.. Hamilton to make
this change Of his bill.
In the disposition of school lands
the first Hamilton bill provided that
they should be divided among the
state university. university prepare
tory, normal schools, A & M. college
and negro university, as the state leg
isIature might provide. Both the new
bills give one-third to the university
and university preparatory school,
one-third to the normal school and
one-third to the A. & NJ. college and
the negro university.
In public grants the first Hamilton
bill gave 100000 acres as an endow-
ment to the state university, and $780,
900 acres to the A. & NJ. college. Both
Of the present bills give 100000 acres
to each of these schools, 100, 900 acres
each to the preparatory school and
the negro university, and the same
amount to each of the three normal
schools.