Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-11-05
INDIAN TERRITORY POLITICS.
Indians are Said to Be All of the
 Democratic Faith.

Washington. D. C., Nov 5.-Strange
 as it may seem. it is declared that
 the old Indian Territory. which soon
 Is to become a part of the new state
 Of Oklahoma. Is solidly democratic.
 Indians have from time immemorial
 been accused of many bad things, but
 1t has remained until the present
 time for them to be said to really
 possess any interest in politics, one
 way or the other. Time has been for
 years past. before the foot of the early white settlers disturbed the
 quiet peace of the forests and homes of the red men, when the Indians of
 the far western country took no in-
 terest in the business of civilized
 man, but now conditions have changed. They are fighting for their men at the polls just as Is done un- der the shadow of Tammany hall.
 George L. Cook. one of the best known men in Oklahoma, and a prominent banker of Oklahoma City. is one of the men in that state who believes firmly that the Indians are going to make the very best kind of democrats and that they will help to send a democratic delegation to congress from their part of the new state of Oklahoma.
 My belief is that the new state of Oklahoma will be democratic" is the way Mir Cook sizes up the situa- ton at this time. T think 1t can be predicted" he says. that the first legislature will be democratic. and that means. of course. the sending of two United States senators of that party to Washington. Of the five congressmen to which the new state is entitled. the republicans may get two. but the probability is that they will have only one. The old Indian Territory. which becomes part of the new state. is almost solidly demo- cratic. The Indians are inclined to be strong partisans. anyway. and their democracy has been fortified by their resentment against the In- dian policy that has been pursued in Washington. Yes. strange as ft may seem. the Indians are going to make first-class democrats-a large part of them at least.
 The government under repub- iican administration. has taken away thousands of acres of their land without paving them adequately for it. and has driven them farther and farther from their old methods of life. That has naturally tended to efectually kill ell the love and ad- miration any of them might have had for the republican party.
 "Of course the republicans believe that they are going to send their men to congress. but this is the way they figure it out: Tn the past republican delegates have been elected to con- rress. A moments reflection will show this was so The allimportant thing in Oklahoma for six years or more. vas to be admitted to state hood. All democrats naturally did .Ii they could to win Republicans having a better show in Washington than democrats. were voted for. with the result that D- T. Flynn and Bird Nrf,uIre received the democratic votes. the members of that party knoxinx that these men were in sympathy with the administration and would naturally secure better results than . democrat would under the came circumstances That is the situation The Irdisns VIII vote with the democrats and you watch and you vilI see the nev state win be dsnocntic- watch okiphoma -