The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-16
ACCEPT OR REJECT
OKLAHOMA TO VOTE ON ITS NEW
 CONSTITUTION.
if the COnstitntion Goes Through, Ok iahoma VIII Re Prohibition State Democrats are COnn-
 dent of Victory.

Guthrie. Ok, Sept. 15.--Tuesday 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 prohi- bition.
 The campaign now closed has been one of unusual interest and has at- tracted the attention of the entire country. If Oklahoma Statehood be- comes an accomplished fact before the Presidential election next year, the result may have an important bearing on that contest. This, combined with other circumstances, has caused the po- litical leaders of both parties to take keen interest in the campaign lead Ing up to4the voting tomorrow. Both parties have sent some of their best campaigners into the twin territories. the list of Republican speakers being headed by Secretary of War Taft and that of the Democrats by William J. Bryan.
 The indications are that the Consti- tuition will be ratified by the people. Ever since its final adoption by the Constitutional Convention the docu- IuCnL ud6 DtSA d 6uDlbCt Ol IuuCH us cussion. chiefly because of the polit- ical 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 1t has many features which are likely to- commend themselves to the public without distinction as to political creed. Among these are the provisions against child labor. those prohibiting the issuance of watered stocks and making the books of quasi-public cor porations subject at all times to in- | spection, the employers liability law, the eight-hour law for State, county and municipal work and the provisions for stringent regulation of railroads and other large corporations.
 The Constitution contains several features that embody the latest ideas on the subject of government by the people--namely. the initiative and ref- erendum and nomination of officers by
 direct primary instead of through the party convention system. The initia- tive and referendum clause was pat termed after the Oregon law.
 If the Constitution goes through. Ok lahoma will be prohibition State. the | most stringent liquor law in existence, prohibiting not only the sale, but the | introduction of liquor into the State, | being provided for. The enabling act provided that Indian Territory must accept prohibition for twenty-one years. The convention provided that the whole State shall vote on the dues- 1 tion and there is said to be little doubt | that the terms of the enabling act will | be made uniform over the whole State.
 The recent action of Georgia in prohib- ting the sale of liquor is expected to
 help the prohibition issue in Okla | homa.
 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 the question of prohibition shall | be submitted to the vote of the people
 while another long section relates to | the principle of the initiative and ref | erendum.
 Among the more or less interesting I 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 10 per cent. compulsory and | separate school system is established | Commissions are created on labor and arbitration, charities, insurance, rail-
 roads, agriculture, oil. gas and mines. | The State seal adopted is combina- | ton of the present seal of Oklahoma and the seals of the nations of the | Five Civilized Tribes.
 While the vote on the Constitution | is naturally regarded as of most im- portance, the contests for State ofi- | cers and members of Congress have | heen of a spfrited character and are attracting much attention on the eve | of the election. The Democratic gu-
 bernatoriaI candidate, whose follow CTS are confident will be elected to-
 morrow by a handsome plurality, is c.
 N. Haskell, a newspaper publisher of
 Muskogee The Republican standard
 bearer Is Frank Frantz, who is at pres-
 ent Governor of Oklahoma Territory
 under appointment of President Roose-