The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-05-14
OPPOSE
REPEAL
OF SEC. 9
Crawford and LaDGStOn
Argue Against Pro-
posed Amendment

AiluOuBH uHdnuOuHccu until NeSter-
day afternoon w J. Crawford, state
A president Of the Farmers Union. and
/ y Luther Iangston, secretary Of the
State Federation OF Labor spoke to a
comfortably filled house at the court
house last night, upon the issues to be
voted upon next June II, both speak
ers discussing, mainly, Article 9, Sec
tion O.
State Senator =, X, Taylor intro
duced first w J Crawford, who, with
out preliminaries went direct to the
/ point he meant to emphasize. He
said in part
The people Of Oklahoma are not
aware, perhaps, chat the two ques.
tions. particularly the one question to
be voted upon. next June are by far
The most important that have ever
been put UP to them
"You who lived here IN Oklahoma
In the territorial days know what rail
road domination means. know that 50
far as rates were concerned and the
matter Of procuring cars, the railroads
were the complete boss Of the situa-
tion.
Such condition as this made peo-
pie anxious for statehood and as early
as 1895 the Farmers Union was dis
cussing the constitution. Again in
1886, with the Federation Of Labor
and the Associated Railway Train
men the Farmers Union met in shaw
nee, appointed a committee Of three
from each body to draft constitu
tion. Twenty-four articles were draft
ed by this joint committee, among
them Article 8, and every one Of these
articles We're forced into the constl-
tuition by the laboring people Of the
state Of Oklahoma
The railroads fought it then. and
now this Article 8, Section 8. is the
one that the railroads want repealed. |
All there is to this Article O. Sec.
tion =, Is that it prevents foreign cor
porations from acquiring any more
railroads in the state unless they In
corporate under the laws Of Oklaho-
ma and subject themselves to the
state commission on corporations and
become domesticated
"The railroads are sending out
good many circulars, and claiming that
under the present laws they can make !
no money that such laws would in the
end confiscate their property. But
here is their object Let Hooks in
junction decision be warning 10 YOU.
They want the power Of decision talk
en- from the elected judges in the state
and handed to federal judges.
Il tell YOU that II it were possible
to have embodied the ten command
ments in the state constitution, the
railroads would want It repealed, es
peeially because Of the part where it
said Thou shat not steal
"All we ask Of the railroads is that
they file copy Of their charter with
the state Of Oklahoma and keep their
records IN the state, so they will be
under the jurisdiction Of the corpor-
alton commission
"The repeal of Article g. Section
8, allows the records to be kept out
side Of The state and removes the
power Of the corporation commission.
Luther Langston made only
short talk He denounced several
newspapers as corporation tools. ana
said that II he had have written the
10 Article 3. Section 8. he
would simply have written, THE pow
n Of the corporation commission is
hereby annulled. lie denounced
Judge Hook and The federal courts.
They'll grab me up some Of these
lays and sling ME in Jail but III rot
before III ask for pardon he said (
Speaking of the commercial clubs.
le said: = don't believe that this al !
eyed State Federation Of Commercial !
Hubs which are working for the re- !.
zeal OF Article 8, Section 3. are the
Of this state We are not
against the developing Of the state, y
iut we are agains the fellows who I
ire continually trying to keep the peo 4
Die ia the federal courts 4,