The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-06-18
HOW TERRITORIES MUST
PROCEED UNDER EN-
ABLING ACT
DIVIDED INTO DISTRICTS
First Election Win Occur
About February First,

The nrst state election in the new state
Of Oklahoma probably viii be about Feb
rmry l. At this election viii be chosen
the state Officers from governor down,
members Of the legislature and five
members IN the national House OF Rep
rcsentatiyes
The first step towards the formation
Of the state constitution viii be taken BY
the President. who will designate two
\ Judges In the Indian Territory who with
/ the commissioner OF the five civilized
tribes will constitute the election board
that Will apportion the indian Territory
into districts which viii send Delegates
10 the convention. Oklahoma VIII be so
apporticned b. board consisting Of the
/ governor the chief justice and the secre
i tary OF that territory These two boards
/ viii divide the territories into liz dis
tricts. nfty-hve in oklahoma. two in the
Usage nation and flfty five In the Indian
/ Territory,
! II IS estimated tnat the work OF these
boards will not Dc completed before
1 August l and that the election will
not be before october l. The convention
will then form constitution under
which the state election will be held.
/ Delegate Mcguire has estimated that the
( work OF the convention probably viii be
prolonged and that the election will not
take place before February l. The con-
stitutional convention Will be In Guthrie.
When the election returns have been
compiled they will be sent to Washing
| tor with copy Of the constitution for
tha pDroyai Of the President. II the
President decides that the constitution
Is Republican In form and that none
OF it's fr5visions are repuguant to the
/ constitutl2a of the United States and the
declaration cf independence, he will is
sue a proclamation declaring oklahoma
and the Indian Tcrvtory state
/ This proclamation must be issued
! within twenty days from the receipt OF
the election returns and the copy Of the
constitution.
| Some discussion has been heard hero
4 IN regard to the probable date upon
which the new state viii be admitted.
Il has been suggested that the President
may decide to issue his proclamation
March 1 next. At noon on that date the
Fifty-ninth Congress will come to an
end and the Sixtieth Congress viii be-
/ gin.
As originally drawn, the Hamilton
statehood bill provided that the FIVE rep
resentatives. OF the new state should be
elected TO the sixtleth Congress. This
provision was adopted by the House,
but when II reached the Senate Delegate
Mcclure called the attention OF Senator
Beveridge, chairman Of the committee on
territories, to the fact that the new state
might come into the Union somet time be-
fore the expiration OF the Fifty-ninth
Congress In that event. under the pro-
vision referred TO the state would tenn
2orariy be without representation. Ac-
cordngly the words TO the Sixtieth
! Congress were stricken from the bill in
! tie Senate. That section also provided
/ that the present territorial officials
should continue TO discharge their duties
until the new state was admitted
Although this provision was adopted by
/ both House and Senate. Il was decided
that is would not completely cover
the ground Attention was called 10 the
fact that the legislative appropriation
| bill, PASSED at this session OF Congress,
contained an appropriation to defray the
expenses OF the territorial legislature To
nullify completely all OF the legislation
relating to Oklahoma elections. Delegate
HcGuire prepared "A resolution which
was offered in the House by Chairman
Tawney. OF the committee on approprla-
tiOns II is as follows
That the appropriation for the ex-
penses OF legislative assembly for the
/ territory OF Oklahoma contained In the
legislative appropriation bill passed at
the first session OF the Fifty-ninth Con-
gress shall not be available, but shall be
covered back into the treasury OF the
| United States and no election shall be
held in the territory Of Oklahoma in
November 1906, for legislative assembly
or other officers to be elected under the
lawq Of said territory or delegate to con-
l gress. But such state. county and muni-
cipal officers as the state constitution
may prescribe and members OF congress
shall be elected az the election TO vote
on the adoption Of the constitution of
! said state and various officers elected
or serving In such territory shall hold
their respective offices until such offices
are abolished under the laws OF the state
Of Oklahoma or their successors are
elected aud qualified as provided by the
constitution of such state OF such laws.
And the governor and other officers OF
said territory who are now charged with
such duties by the laws OF said terri
tory are D., eby authorized and directed
TO carry on an contracts with the terri
tory of Okl loma for the care and main
tenance OF charitable and penal institu-
tions and mike payments therefor out OF
the several funds OF said territory ana
10 property 'aintain the various terri
torial institr IONS untn such time as the
! constitution "a laws OF Oklahoma shall
provide thel or"
| Constinatior ,,,k.s .h. oh, 49,. .,o.,.