The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-11-23
(By Ira E. Bennetr)

; ~ Se0AC d CsCE OSCu dOlAllLEA II
to the Union with more of the attri-
butes Of greatness than Oklahoma.
On November 9Th in accordance with
an act of congress of June 16, 1906,
the Territory of Oklahoma and In
dian Territory voted in favor of ad-
mission into the Union as a single
state. Delegates to a constitutional
convention were elected, and, at the
proper time, the constitution will be
submitted to the people for their rati-
fication. The constitutional conven-
ton is composed of men of high char
acter and ability, and it is reasonable
to expect them to draft a constitution
that will meet the approval of the
people.
Upon the ratification Of the constitu-
ton and the certification Of the vote,
the President will issue a proclamation
announcing the result, and ~"thereupCn
the proposed state of Oklahoma shall
be deemed admitted by congress into
the Union, under and by virtue of this
act, on an equal footing with the orr
ginal states"
The j%ointure of Oklahoma and the
Indian Territory brings together two
communities of distinct character. One
might be called the finished product,
and the other, the Indian Territory, is
in the rough. Conditions are crude
and the struggle of the white man for
existence has been almost intolerable.
Ever since the right vas given to the
Indians, ten years ago, to lease Ger
tain lands for grazing, farming, min
ing, etc, the white man has been in
the Territory solely by sufferance. 1t
affords a remarkable instance of that
~forbearance that characterizes the
American and his determination to
stick doggedly to a thing until he
works out success, no matter how adj
verse may be the surroundings or how
discOuraging the prospect.
These lessons gave the white man
simply the right to farm, or otherwise
| develop the lands he held; beyond that
he secured no rights that belong to the
farmer elsewhere. There are no
schools for the white children. except
such as are maintained by private
subscription; nc ROADS, for if roads
were made an obstinate Indian could
| fence them up, and there was no au-
thority to invoke against him; no
courts except those of United States
commissioners, and these officials are
widely scattered, and their authority
in many cases exceedingly doubtful;
no hospitals, asylums, or other institu-
tons for the are of paupers or others
! who might become a public charge.
Under such conditions, 500, 900 Amer
lean citizens have moved into the In
dian Territory, leased lands, and en-
deavored to build up the country. In
this territory there are 80, 900 Indians,
each with an allotment Of 500 acres of
land, making 40, 900, 900 acres Of the
most fertile land in all the country,
tied up so that no white man car Sc
cure title to a foot of it. If the agri-
cultural lands and the hich mineral re-
sources of the territory have been de-
veloped largely under such uninviting
conditions, what may be expected when
the benefits bestowed by the enabling
act become a reality?
Under the provisions of the last In
dian bill and the act providing for the
admission of the two Territories as a
state, the titles to the greater part of
these Indian lands may change hands.
The Indians, by the legislation, are
permitted to ALLEVIATE their allotments
with the exception OF forty acres, which
they must hold as their own home
stead for twenty-One years. This pro-
vision was intended to prevent the
Indian from dispOsing off all his hold
ings and making himself a public
charge, on the general theory that il
permitted, he would convert all his
property into ready cash, thinking
only of the JOYS of today and forgetting
the necessities of the future. These
two acts, therefore, throw open to
American citizens through purchase
from the Indians. sc, 900 acres, and
endow the Territory with the legisla'
ton that will at nee lead to the es.
t~ablishrent Of those conveniences and
legal institutions that work to the sat.
isfactory development Of a state.
The Indian territory and Oklahoma
are about the same size. Indian Terri
tory is far richer in agricultural an6
mineral resources. There are immense
areas of coal lands, particularly in the
territory of the Choctows and Chick.
asaws. Oil is found in abundance in the
Creek and Cherokee nations. There
are extensive timber lands and as
phalt deposits, marble, etc. All kinds
Of crops are raised, among them cot
ton, corn, and wheat. Nature has dealt
generously in bestowing her bountiei
on the lands of these wards of the
nation.
Under the provision Of Legislation
enacted a few years ago, the white mar
was permitted to hold property in town
sites. and a number of these towns
were laid out in suitable portions of the
Territory. Muskogee is a fair sample
of these Indian Territory towns. More
Indians may be seer in the streets OF
Washington than in the streets OF this
town. 1t has electric lights and power
electric street railways, waterworks
and every other necessity of modern
civilization, while without its boun-