Evening star., 1907-08-25
REVIEWS STATEHOODISSUES
Framers of the New Constitution
Hypocritical.
ADVISES PEOPLE TO TRY AGAIN
Says That Congress Certainly Would
Pass a New Enabling Act-Re-
grets the "Solid South"

OKLAHOMA CITY. Okla. August "a
Secretary of War William II. Taft tonight
In Convention Hall advised 10000 auditors
and all citizens of Oklahoma and Indian
Territory to reject the constitution recently
adopted by the convention at Guthrie for
the proposed new state Of Oklahoma He
declared that the next session of Congress
would pass new enabling act.
Secretary Taft explained that he was not
here the representative of President
Roosevelt, and that the views he expressed
were entirely hts own, and in no sense
ident. Secretary Taft discussed national is
sues along the same lines as in the Column
bus Ohio. speech.
Mr.. Taft began by defining the issues of
the Oklahoma and Indian Territory state
election twofold First, the acceptance
rejection of the constitution, and second
the election of a republican or democrat
state and legislative ticket and United
States senators. He explained his attitude
as that of republican putting himself in
the place of citizen of Oklahoma and
advising the republicans of Oklahoma in
respect to the wisdom, or otherwise, of
adopting the constitution. He disclaimed
entirely any authority to speak for the
President the subject of the validity or
invalidity of the constitution. for the rea-
son that the function which the President
performed was judicial one as to whether
the proposed constitution conformed to the
enabling act and the Constitution of the
United States. 1t was not the function
OF the President to reject the constitution
merely because he did not approve it's wis
dom and did not Ike it's provisions from a
political standpoint
Virtues of Injunction.
Mr.. Taft commented at length on the
necessity for maintaining the power of the
courts and condemned the requirements
that jury trial should intervene between
order of injunction and punishment
for its violation. He said that the writ
OF Injunction WAS one of the most bene-
fcial writs that a court could have and
that it is just as useful in defense of the
poor as In defense of the rich and any
weakening of il az an instrument for reme-
dying wrongs would operate in favor of the
rich malefactor. He spoke at length on the
hypocrisy Of the trainers of the Oklahoma
constitution in purporting to make in
strument by which the will of the people
should be sustained pure and undeied and
then. by the nerest political trickery and
chicanery. adopting a plan by which there
might be majority OF 10 0O for the re-
publican ticket in the state and yet there
would be a democratic legislature and two
democratic senators. This itself showed
what "A moCkery attempt by initiative
and referendum 10 ascertain the viii!
of the people was. and how empty their
declaration. Let the people rule
Need a Fresh Constitution.
The Secretary commented the heavy
expenses which the state would be sub
jected to in the unnecessary number of Of
fees and also upon the severe Impairment
OF the system of education by limitations
upon taxation for educational purposes.
which in the Indian Territory, 1t was said
by those who knew. would probably not af-
ford more than two months education in a
year. The constitution provided for sepa-
rate schools. white and negro, and yet made
provision by taxation for carrying out
any such system. For these reasons the
Secretary said that II he were a citizen of
Oklahoma he would certainly vote for the
rejection of the constitution, because he be-
Heved that IL was a great deal easier TO
reject the constitution than to amend il so
To eliminate its defects; and he would
be confident as citizen that the next Con
gTess would come to the aid of the people
OF Oklahoma by a new enabling act and a
new convention.
National Issues.
Secretary Taft then took up again the
national issues. the tariff and the disastrous
effect of revision OF IL. the policy with
respect to the dependencies in the Philip
pines the question of whether we should
have government owners ship or railway reg