The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-01-07
EQUAL VOTING
STRENGTH
,ENATE COMMITTEE DECLARES
SHALL BE EQUAL.
indian Territory will have Equal Rep
resentation with oklahoma-com-
mittee Making Careful Review
OF the Hamilton Bill.

Washington. Jan. 6.-ln forming a
constitutional convention Oklahoma
and Indian Territory will be given the
same number of delegates. Former
statehood bills have given Oklahoma
an advantage of a larger represen'
tation in the proposed convention, but
the senate committee on territories
has decided that the two territories
were so nearly equal In population
that fair treatment of the Indian Ter
ritory required II should have just
the same voting strength when the
constitution was made as Oklahoma.
In the Mcclure bill il is provided
that the governor and chief justice
of Oklahoma and the judge senior in
service In Indian Territory and the
commissioners of the five civilized
tribes shall apportion Oklahoma and
Indian Territory into 110 districts, as
nearly equal in population as can be
ascertained. The Hamilton bill as 1t
will be reported provides that Okla
homa shall have ffty-two delegates
Indian Territory fifty-two, and the
Usage nation two. The senate commit
tee on territories met this afternoon
and began a careful review of the
Hamilton bill.
The section of the bill relating to
the representatives in the constitu-
tional convention was the only one in
which important changes were made.
The committee will sit from day to
day and will have its report and
amendments to the Hamilton bin
ready for submission to the senate
by the time the bill has been passed
by the house. The siXty-five "insur-
gents who refused to support the
Hamilton bill in the republican house
conference have not yet abandoned
their fight. Just how many will vote
with the democrats cannot be ascer-
tanned, as the recalcitrants refuse to
commit themselves.
Some of them have notified the or
ganization leaders they will make no
further objection but majority of
the siXty-hve are still on the war path.
1t would require fifty-eight republi-
cans voting with the democrats to de-
feat the committee on rules.
"The statehood bill will be present
ed to the house early next week,
said Chairman Hamilton of the house
committee on territories today. THE
house bill has been practically com
pleted and the report prepared. All
of the republican members of the com.
mittee will have returned to Wash
ington by next Monday and the bill
and report will then be submitted to
them for adoption. shall introduce
the new bill as II substitute for the
one ! introduced at the opening of the
session. The most important provi-
sion that remains unsettled Is that
relating TO the number of congress
ional districts for Oklahoma and In.
dian Territory. The bill introduced
provides for FIVE; Delegate Mcclure
wants seven. have an idea five will
be the number finally agreed upon.
An agreement has been reached by
which the sale of liquor will be pro-
hibited in the Indian Territory and
the Usage nation. The people of okla
homa must decide what they want to
do about prohibition in that part of
the new state. | do not know just
when the statehood bill will come be-
fore the house, That will be decided
later"