The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-06-15
THIRTY BILLS
INTRODUCED
~ cones rEss cr VARIOUS KINDS
FoR STATEHOOD.
= ts.sriy e T-s5s We're fs- Ola.
-s~s Eis-s-i~7 Tsrritcry Els
Ers g Three ists.t-c.
H-s e. ys-lc-s Measures


rr separate admission f0 statehcr8 oi
Oaafr1- a-l i-s.s1 Te-r.;5-ier a
--s-t majority of those bills provided
Statehood f1- Oklahoma alone. 90 -1t.
s-elce being made t9 the Iad.aa Ter.
r.ors This yes due t5 the unsettled
c1l-.ol o. t5e I-iia1s afa.ra and
. The generally accepted opinion that
The work 60 tte Dawes commission
must Ua veu under way 1ith the
end a sight before that territory
would t1 prepared i0r statehood.
The records ot The house show that
the Ill.a1 Territory bills are of three
classes Those admitting the Terri.
tory az a state. those admitting p0r.
tons of g. from time 70 time az a part
% the state 81 Oklahoma and those
providing % with a territorial form
o. government similar . that nov IN
operation in Oklahoma. Arizona and
New Mexico. One OF these bills al.
rected that the Indian Territory be
called Jefferson territory II was not
until the last congress that any Official
recognition was made % the Indian
Territory's claims 70 statehood In
that congress the proposition 20 give
all the territories statehood became
the issue and II has continued In that
form since.
Oklahoma has been demanding
statehood almost since rs creation as
a territory The first Oklahoma state
hood bin was introduced In the house
uy Colonel D. A. Harvey. the first del.
egate that territory sent 10 congress.
% was introduced iu the first session
~ the Fifty.second congress. II had
been prepared by Sidney VI. Clark
row of Oklahoma City. a former mem.
Der of the house from KanEas. Mr
Clark had been chairman Of the state
hood executive committee appointed
by the first statehood convention held
in Guthrie In 1891. Il provided state
hood for Oklahoma alone. II at.
trscted little attention in congress
and no serious effort was made to
pass a.
Il served the purpose. however.
which was u launch the statehood
proposition upon its legislative yoy
age. The speaker Icferred IL 70 the
committee on territories which barely
considered IL and never reported II
4 statehood bin was not introduced
in the senate az that session, but IN
the following session the Harvey bill
was introduced by Senator Perkins Of
Kansas. u proceeded no further than
.he committee on territories. ln the
next congress the people Of Oklahoma
received some announcement from
the fact that a statehood bin was fav'
1rably acted upon by the committee
on territories, which reported % the
house measure introduced by Fight
ing Joe" Wheeler Of Alabama chair
man Of the committee The hsht for
statehood was then started vigorously
by Dennis Flynn. who had come 10
the house as Oklahoma's delegate, the
Kansas senators and other members
Of congress who had become familiar
with the wonderful progress made
by that territory
The first decided action on state
hood was taken In 1901 when the
house passed "a bin introduced by Rep
rgseatatiye Knox. Of Massachusetts,
chairman Of the committee on terri
tories Hearings had been held by
that committee at which delegations
from Oklahoma and the Indian Terri
tory had made statements presenting
th, resources OF the two territories,
ueIr population and other facts sup
porting their contention for recogni'
zion. The impression In congress at
tha, time was that Oklahoma wanted
statehood and that the Indian Terri
tory vented some kind ot govern
meat other than that Of the interior
department and the courts. The Knox
BIN WAS killed in the senate. Since
then the house has been committed
10 the statehood proposition and the
real struggle for recognition Of the
territories has been In the senate.
Six years ago the Gsht for the ad-
mission OF Oklahoma as state be
came complicated By the contest over
the admission Of Arizona and New
Mexico At that time the public was
not familiar with the splendid prepar'
odness OF Oklahoma for statehood and
there were advocates for statehood
for theo ther territories than for Ok
lahoma. The fate u the territories
from this time on we're indissolubly
associated. Combinations for and
against admission we're formed and