The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-02
WILL nr A STATE.

| vers blow to some of the rabid Republi- lc. of the two Territories who hoped the state would not be admitted. their objections being purely political. Un- der fhr enabling act the President has no veto power" in the premises. as some have contended. If. In his 5udg- ment. the new Consultation conforms to the conditions of the enabling act. there gre but two courses open to him: he mast issue his proclamation deciar- ing the state entitled to be admitted into the Union, or he could refuse to Issue the proclamation and turn the matter ever to Congress-
 This last course was what the lead 1 ,'RJntican politicians hoped would be adopted. They believe that a par tisan Congress could be depended on to keep out a State that will give seven elc, toral votes to the Democratic cam dicate next year. As late as septem- Der 2e The Oklahoma State Capital declared in positive language, "Presi- dent Roosevelt will not sign." and giving string of reasons why he could not approve the instrument without vioiat- ing his oath of office It concluded It's editorial with the words: Hence he will either turn it down or turn it over to the tender mercies of Congress. :" The view taken of the matter by con- servative newspapers Is shown by this extract from an editorial in a recent issue of The St. Louis Republic:
 The pretense that the seven electoral l votes of the new State will not be con- sidered blythe President or Congress in | deciding the Statehood question Is hol- low and hypocrtticalr A presidential l election is always counted as close, at least until after the. platforms are The Republicans have by no means. a sure thing of next years contest. On the contrary, the Democrats have an excellent chance to win and are going
 Neither the President nor the Re- publican Congress wants the seven s in the next uo1er presidentiaI ~ election. % This decision is likely to turn upon the l question whether the exclusion of Ok lahoma would cost them more votes than would offset the exclusion of these l seven.
 Evidently the President and his At torney-Generai decided that 1t would be carrying partisanship too far for even this partisan administration to refuse statehood to Oklahoma merely to gratify the pretudices of those Re- publicans who don't want another Dem ocratic State to get into the family at least until after the next election. If he had withheld his approval-if he should change his mind and refuse to issue his prociamation-we do not be- lieve Congress would admit the new State at the coming session. It could 1 find plenty of ways to stave off action at the demands of leading Republicans. It will be both g surprise and a blow to them if Roosevelt does approve 1t.
 By the way. we notice that The Mus kogee Phenix, a Republican paper, fedstsd by coL Clarence B, Douglas, is fsquareIy for admission at once. 'The result of the election" it says. '1s not what we desired, but as 1t is. 1t is the result and by it we abide. The peo- pie have spoken" it adds. land their voice Is and should be supreme. In no way does the election change or alter the fact that the two Territories should be immediately admitted into the Union as the State of Oklahoma, and to this end The Phoenix hopes Presi- dent Roosevelt will promptly issue the Statehood proclamation"
 That is a much better position than tthat taken by some of it's Republican brethren. The Phoenix wanted a Re- publican State, but, above all. it wanted Statehood, and it Is right. The people of the two Territories have been kept out of the Union long enough. They were entitled to admission by all the rules of fairness and justice. and they are entitled to it by their voice at the polls. To keep them out for partisan TSdSOus WOulu pS dh Ah0SASAS1olS OuI- rage. .r
 And, by the way. most people have so little Knowledge of the new States possibilities that we cannot better con- clude than by copying some things The Phoenix sets forth. It says: The oil and gas fields of the Creek and Chero- kee Nations are not even prospected yet and as for coal lands. the Choctaw. Cherokee and Creek Nations have thou sands of acres yet untouched by the pick and drill. The limestone hills of the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee Nations will produce millions of barrels of the finest lime in the market and the asphalt beds of the Chickasaw Ma tion will furnish all the paving mate rial needed in this country for the next half century. The cement beds. near Marlow and further west, when de- veloped. will furnish the mason and the plasterer with material unexcsUed, and the clays found in all the five nations are the best on the continent for tile and brick manufacturing. Hardwood abounds along all the many streams