The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-13
Bill Passes for the Admission
Of Oklahoma
JOINS TWO TERRITORIES
Provisions Relating to Arizona and
New Mexico Stricken Out

Motion to Strike Out Was Passed by
the Close Vote of 81 to 35-As Pass
ed the Bill Provides for the Admis-
sion of Oklahoma to be composed
of Oklahoma and the Indian Terri
tory-On Motion of Tillman the
Railroad Rate Bill Was Made the
Unfinished Business - Consideration
of This Measure Will Begin Monday.
Washington, d. c., March 9.-Today
at 5:35 p. m. the senate passed a bill
for the admission of a new state 20 be
called Oklahoma, and to be composed
of the territory of Oklahoma and m
dian Territory. 1t was the house joint
statehood bill. with all the provisions
relating to Arizona and New Mexico
stricken out. Motion to strike out was
made by Mr.. Burrows, and it was
carried by the close vote of 81 20 20
after having been lost by the still
closer vote of So to sc.
The final vote on Mr.. Burrows mo-
ton was as foilOwsi
Yeas-Alger, Bacon, Blackburn,
Buckley, Burrows, Carter, Clark Mon
tana), Clay, Culbertson, Daniel, Dubois,
Flint, Foraker, Foster, Frasier, CALM
ger, Gearin, H~ansbrough, Hepburn,
Latimer, McCreary, Mallory, Martin,
Morgan, Newlands, Overman, Patter-
son, Perkins, Pettus, Rayner, Scott,
Simmons, Spooner, Stone, Taliaferro,
Teller, Tillman-37.
Nays-Allee, Allison, Ankeny, Bev-
eridge, Brandegee, Burnham, Clapp,
Clark CWis.) Crane, Cullom, Dick,
Dillingham;, Dolliver, Dryden, Fulton,
Gamble, Hale, Hemenway, Hopkins,
Kean, Knox, LaFollette, Lodge, Long,
McCumber, Willard, Nelson, Nixon,
Penrose, Piles, Proctor, Smoot, Suth-
erland, Warner. Wetmore-35.
Immediately after the disposal of the
statehood bill, the house railroad rate
bill. on motion of Mr.. Tillman, was
made the unfinished business, but as
the senate adjourned over Saturday
and Sunday, the actual consideration OF
the measure will not begin until Mon
day,
The vote on statehood anne as the
CllndX Ol d udy uCNOlOu ~
that bill. Most of the time was given
to discussion, but the voting on the
bill and amendments consumed n
hour and a half. The speech-making
excited comparatively little interest,
bnt there was pronounced excitement
throughout the voting period, and 1t
eliminated when the success Of the
motion to eliminate Arizona and New
lHo-:o r,or ornnnnnpH after the Sec
ond vote on that proposition. The test
vote. upon which the opponents of
Joint statehood showed their greatest
strength, was on the Foraker amend
ment. which provided that Arizona n
New Mexico should have an o%pportunl-
" to vote separately on the PROPOSE
tion of Joint statehood. This was
carried by a vote of ~ to 20. Previous
to this action, provision for increased
-appropr>ations in the bill was stricken
out in order to afford an opportunity
for q motion to concur in the senate
amendments when the bill is sent to
the house.
The speech making began at II
o'clock and Mas first hodf About a
dom speeches were made, but the
notable ones were made by Messrs.
Dubois and Burrows, In denunciatlon
of polygamy in Arizona and New Mex
leo. Mr.. Dubois secured the incorpo-
ration of an anti-polgamy amendment,
but the elimination Of Arizona from
the measure detracted somewhat from
the Importance of the accomplishment,
Mr.. Dubois followed with a speech in
support of an amendment offered by
him prohibiting p~olygamists and Nor
$1,000 p ~ tho nrnnnCaH
state of Arizona as was originally pro-
yided bv the Idaho test oath. He said
he had seen a list of from fifty to n
hundred polygamists living in Arlzo-
ma and that there also were many in
New Mexico. Mr.. Burrows advocated
the elimination of Arizona and New
Mexico from the bill, and presented an
amendment to that end. He based his
opposition on the ground that there
were many polygamists in the two -er-
ritQries, and spoke of polygamy as IAN
offense against the civilization of the
age" He said the real offense was
mo- in plural marriages, but in polyg-
anus cohabitation p7acticed after mar
riage elsewhere. He quoted from let
tiers to show that there were many
Mormons living in polygamy in 10Th
Arizona and New Mexico, and said
that there had been 81 convictions un-
der the Edmunds act, a majority OF
which were for unlawful cohabitation.
AS amended by the senate the bill
provides for the creation of b state
of Oklahoma out of Oklahoma and In
dian Territory, upon the adoption OF
a constitution. The state is allowed
the usual quota of executive, judicial
and Legislative officers, two United
States senator's, and five members of
the national house of representatives.
a. constitutional convention with 11C
members, 55 of which are o be chosen
by each of the territories, comprising
the state is provided for. The sale