Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-06-23

stately virginian would doubtless
have accepted the statement as polite
ly as was consistent with the firm be
lief that the prophet had something
wrong with his upper story. The
original states reached to the Ale
gheny mountains. The first pioneers
were then seizing the lands beyond
those mountains fo- the young Amer
lean nation The congress of the feder-
alton had less than two years before
enacted the great Northwest Ordi-
nance,'' which forever barred slavery
from the Middle West. The widest
dreamer had not yet conceived the
possibility of the nations occupying
the lands beyond the Mississippi
lands then ruled by a foreign power.
A prediction that Washington's gath
successor would be president of TWEEN
ty states lying west of that river, as
we'll as twenty-six between it and the
Atlantic, would have been reason.
ably sure passport to the insane asyl-
um.
The signature of President Roose-
velt to the statehood bill admitting
Oklahoma and Indian Territory as one
state, under the name of the former,
is belated measure of justice that
would doubtless have passed congress
several years ago had it not been
coupled with the proposition to admit
New Mexico and Arizona also as one
at the same time. 1t brings into the
union great state, full of energetic |
Americans, who are already we'll ad- |
vanced in the work of home building |
and COMMUNICATING. Its develop
ment has been without a parallel in
the wonderful history of this country,
for even California, with far larger
area, and with all her gold, had less
population 200 years after her settle
nent and thirty years after her ad-
mission as a state than has this agri-
cultural commonwealth which can look
pack to the first white settlement in
Oklahoma Territory only seventeen
years ago.
1t was in 1889 that congress threw
pen to settlement the western half of
indian Territory, comprising the
Cherokee Outlet,'' and the "publie
and strip" The next year Okla
oma territory was organized. Other
editions to it's area were made in
S91 and 1896, until the territory
anne to embrace 39,O3O square miles.
he census of 1900 found population
( 39S,O00. A year ago the govern
rent estimated the inhabitants at
100000 There are many more at
resent. The agricultural investment,
xclusive of crops, improvements or
took, equals $232, 100000. The pres,
mt population is twenty to the square
lille, only 5.5 per cent of the inhabi
ants over ten years of age being illit-
rate. Thirty-one of our states have
greater illiteracy than that of Ok
ahoma proper.
To the totals of old Oklahoma, the o
ndian Territory adds $1,000 square
liles and an estimated population of
$4,000. Outside the jurisdiction of
he federal courts and of the govern
lent provided by congress for cities
nd towns, these people have been
'ithout other government than the
indian tribal system, which now ex.
Tres. This chaotic condition has left
10000 rural population without the
chools and proper methods fo, main
aiming law and order-a condition
Thich it was high time to end.
The new state is rich in minerals,
he coal deposit alone being thought
quail to those of Pennsylvania. With
population of approximately 1,6OO,.
90, or nearly the average for the
ther forty4ive states, and wealth
ar in excess of their average, it is
worthy addition to the sisterhood of
elf-governing commonwealths.- Ta ,
Oma LEDGER