Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1907-09-19

Which, IT Accepted, Will
Admit These Communities
to the Union as the State
of Oklahoma.
Guthrie, OKLA, Sept. 16.-Tomorrow
the people of Oklahoma and Indian
Territory will vote to accept or reject
the constitution which, if accepted,
will admit these communities to the
Union as the State of Oklahoma. At
the same time the people will vote for
State officers, members Of Congress-,
legislative and county officers. and will
also ballot on the question of prohibit
ton.
The campaign now closed has been
one of unusual interest and has attract
ed the attention of the entire country.
If Oklahoma Statehood becomes an ac-
complished fact before the Presiden-
tial election next year the result may
have an important bearing on that
! contest. This, combined with &other
! circumstances, has caused the political
leaders of Doth parties to take a keen
interest in the campaign leading up to
the voting tomorrow. Both parties
have sent some of their best campaigns
into the twin territories, the list OF Re-
publican speakers being headed by
Secretary OF War Taft and that of the
Democrats by William J. Bryan.
The indications are that the constitu-
+;o~ Till ho ro+ifo1 INV tho noon1o
Ever since it's final adoption by the
constitutional convention the docu-
ment has been a subject of much dis
cussion, chiefly ecaus of the politi-
cal controversy over the question OF
its approval by the President, whose
approval and proclamation are neces-
sary before Oklahoma can be placed on
the Statehood roll.
While partisan bias has caused con-
siderable criticism of the constitution
it has many features which are likely
to commend themselves to the public
without distinction as to political
creed. Among these are the provis-
ions against child labor, those prohib-
ting the issuance of watered stocks
and making the books Of quasi public
corporations subject at all times to in
spection, the employers liability law,
the eight-hour law for State, county
and municipal work and the provis-
ions for stringent regulation of rail-
roads and other large corporations.
The constitution contains several
features kthat embody the latest ideas
on the subject of government by the
lpeople-namely, the initiative and re-
ferendum and nomination of officers
by direct primary instead of through
the party convention system. The in
itiatiV 9 and referendum clause was pat
termed after the Oregon law.
1t the constitution goes through Ok
lahoma will be a prohibition State. the
most stringent liquor law in existence,
introduction of liquor into the State,
being provided for. The enabling act
provided that Indian Territory must
acceptprohibition for twenty-one years.
The convention provided that the
whole State shall vote on the question
~A0 t"SA 40 SoAN ~ NJ ooOOb Cdos
the terms of the enabling act will be
made uniform over the whole State.
The recent action of Georgia in prohib-
iting the sale of liquor is expected to
help the prohibition issue in Oklaho-
ma.
The constitution is about three times
as long as the average document of its
kind. This unusual length is in part
explained by the fact that about one
third Of the document is taken up with
fixing county boundaries, another
large section is devoted to defining
how he question of prohibition shall
be submitted to the vote of the people,
while another long section relates to
the principles of the initiative and re-
ferendum.
Among the more or less interesting
provisions contained in the remainder
of the document are the following:
The legal rate of interest is fixed at
per cent. and the contract rate at 1C
per cent. A compulsory and separate
school system is established. Com.
missions are created on labor and ar.
= bitration, charities, insurance., rail
roads, agriculture. oil, gas and mines,
= The State seal adopted is a combina-
ton of the present seal Of Oklahoma
and the seals of the nations of the Five
: Civilized Tribes.
While the vote of the constitution Ii
naturally regarded as Of most import.
ance, the contests for State officers and
members of Congress have been of q