The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-04-19

Second. want to secl
but one quarter section TO
any man The idea Of pref
crcncc right in the constitution or in
the enabling act what is prefer.
cncc right% \ preference right. What
Is It? You can put your own con.
struction that 1t means all the right
TO all the land the man occupies. but
want to say that that preference
right Is the right to have the value
Of mans improvements placed
thereon, nothing more, aud
the endllbling act and the
constitution simply usese the
words preference right" without that
explanation. leaving ii to the legisla-
tuurc to determine and as far as my
influence or vote is concerned | am
going to leave that idea of a prefer
ence right and resolve II In favor OF
the lessee to the right to his i'm
provements i'm the matter of break
ing the land, clearing the forests, the
value Of his horses. his cattle, his
house. his barns, wells. and all that
Give him the right to buy 1t II he will
pay what the land Us worth, or to
have his value paid back 10 him. That
and nothing more. We could say, so
as to enable that class Of lessees
who have more than quarter sections,
and who have valuable improvements
We could say that any member of
his family who is of age or who is
over eighteen years of age. that the
member OF that family might home.
stead II and have a right TO buy II II
he pays as much as anybody else.
When you do that, you will separate
family, and give the son an oppor-
tunity. That son of the lessee has rs
much right to establish him a home
on that land where the improvements
exist as has the son Of any other
man But the lessee that lives in
1
Texas, Cmarron. Beaver the land
where we have as high as twenty
sections, and | have been over the
country and seen It, that have as
high as twenty sections. some with
wire fence around IL and some with
no fence at all. | say to you that
that man has no preference right
whatever. and should not even have
/ "A right to transfer It. He should not
be permitted to say to the farmer:
| Give me five hundred dollars for this
| quarter, and ! will let you go on IL
SO that you may have the prefer
ence right. Let the home owners set.
tie upon that land, and on all unset.
| tied lands, and put upon these lands
such improvements looking to the
making of homes All of that class
| OF lands left the law says the citizen
shall go upon II and live continuous
| ly for three years or he cannot have
right to buy It, want to say to
| YOU just here that one OF the bene'
/ try is in the multiplicity OF homes
and home owners. when we under
stand that We are great in popula'
| ton in the American union, that 30
! per cent of our population are ten
ants, when we understand that mil
! lions of acres I'm the states that sur
round us are occupied by aliens and
corporations, when we understand the
| tendency to concentrate the land into
| the hands of few we can shudder
! shcn and say that home owner
ship is fading from this great repub.
lie OF ours. and eventually, when all
the lands are owned by a few and all
| farmers are tenants then We can say:
Good bye, farewell forever" to our
republican institutions, and whatever
can be done In the way of law. what
ever can be done in the light and
restricted authority of the constitu'
| tion OF the United States that will
limit that great tendency to evil, any
thing that | can do, shall do it
it makes no difference whom II
hurts
MY third proposition is to sell
these lands from ten to fifteen OF
| forty years time at the rate OF three
TO five per cent interest, giving the
lessee or occupant an opportunity tc
pay out at the end Of the first mini
mum period of ten years, but not
before, and | would do that more fol
| this reason; | apprehend that ouI
present policy of loaning money on
] farms-this school fund Is not going
10 be satisfactory to the people OF
the state II may prove a Jonah oi
expense. The necessity for strict ef