The Chandler News (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 7, 1905 Page: 1 of 16
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The Official Paper of County and City.
The Chandler News
VOL. 15—No. 10.
first Paper Published In Lincoln County. Gilstrap tnd Zimmerman Publishers.
CHANDLER, OKLAHOMA. DECEMBER 7, 1905. '
$1.00 A YEAR-
*
Some Important Features of the McGuire Statehood Bill
• SSBBM ■ .
a $10,000,000 School Fund.—Provisions Relating to School Lands and Drainage Questions.
The complete and official
text of -Delegate McGuire*s state-
hood bill was published in last Sun-
day's papers for the first time. On
the same day there appeared the
announcement from Washington that
the republican leaders had deter-
mined to start in with the omnibus*
bill which was considered in the
last Congress, and that this bill
would be introduced in the senate by
Beveridge and in the house by Ham-
ilton this week. While this report
indicates an adherence to the old
program, Delegate McGuire and
other friends of Oklahoma and In-
dian Territory express confidence
that the Arizona-New Mexico feat-
ure will be eliminated by agreement
and that the McGuire bill will then
form the basis of the measure which
will finally become a law. The Mc-
Guire bill differs from the Oklaho-
ma-Indian Territory portion of the
Hamilton omnibus bill mainly in the
matter of congressional districts,
federal courts and other matters of
detail. The Sequoyah two-state
bill will be introduced by Congress-
man Murphy of Missouri and will
probably not be reported back by
the committee on territories. The
following are some of the more in-
teresting and important provisions
of the McGuire statehood bill:
number of delegates.
There shall be 110 delegates to
the constitutional convention, the
districts to be apportioned by the
governor and chief justice of Okla-
homa and the senior judge and com-
missioner to the five civilized tribes
in the Indian Territory.
election of delegates.
Within sixty days after the ap-
proval of the act the governor of
Oklahoma and the senior judge of
the Indian territory shall by procla-
mation order the election cf consti-
tutional convention delegates. The
proclamation must be issued at least
sixty days prior to the election.
The United States judges in the
Indian Territory are made the elec-
tion and canvassing boards.
capitol at guthrie.
The capitol remains at Guthrie
until 1910 when it may be moved at
an election to be provided by the
legislalore.
.CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
The constitutional convention del-
egates must meet the first Tuesday
after their election.
separate schools.
There is an express provision per-
mitting the maintenance of separate
schools.
The territorial officers shall con-
tinue in charge until the ratification
of the constitution and .the election
of state officers and representative?
to congress.
school fund.
As the Indian Territory has no
school lands, provision is made for
the appropriation of $10,000,000 as
an addition t« Oklahoma's school
fund.'
land grants.
Section thirteen is reserved for
the use of the higher territorial
schools, the university and univer-
sity preparatory school getting one-
third, the agricultural and mechani-
cal and colored agricultural normal
university one-ihird, and the normal
schools established or hereafter to
be established one-third. Further
(.division of the funds derived from
these lands is left to the legislature.
Further land grants are made to
the Oklahoma schools as follows:
university 250,000 acres, university
preparatory school 150.000 acres,
A. and M. college 250,000 acres,
colored A. and N.university 100,000
acres, the normal schools 350,000
acres.
restrictions removed.
Restrictions upon th alienation of
surplus Indian lands are removed.
three judicial districts.
Three judicial districts are pro-
vided for, the court towns being:
Eastern district. Muskogee, Tulsa
and South McAlester ; Southern dis-
trict, Oklahoma City, Ardmore and
Lawton ; Northern district, Guthrie.
Enid and Alva.
indian legislation.
In the taxation of lands and the
sale of liquors and other affairs per-
taining to Indians, the state cf Ok-
lahoma shall make no law or regula-
tion which it would have been com-
petent for the United States to
make, should this act not pass.
seven congressional districts.
Delegate McGuire increased the
. number of congressional districts
from five, as originally in the Ham-
ilton bill, to seven. The republican
party could undoubtedly elect three
i members of congress and by fight-
ing hard might carry five districts,
j there being the First, Third, Sixth,
| Second and Fourth in the order of
j their strength. The seven districts
are :
boundaries of districts.
1. The counties of Grant, Kay,
Garfield, Noble. Pawnee, Kingfisher,
Logan, Payne, Lincoln and the ter-
ritory comprising'the Osage and
Kansas Indian, reservations. Ex-
clusive of the Indian reservations
named, the congressional vote of
these counties in 1904 was 4,667 in
favor of the republicans.
2. The counties of Oklahoma,
Canadian, Blaine, Caddo, Custer
and Washita. In 1904 McGuire
lacked 150 votes in having as many
as his democratic opponent in these
counties.
3. All the territory now consti-
tuting recording districts numbered
one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, hine, ten and eleven in
Indian territory. This district em-
braces practically all that portion of
of Indian territory north of the
North Canadian river and north of
the Arkansas after the latter had
been joined by the North Canadian.
There is little doubt of the republi-
canism of this district.
4. Recording districts twelve,
thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, twenty-
three, twenty-four and twenty-five
of Indian territory, except the Semi-
nole Nation. This district embraces
the coal mining region of Indian
territory. The claim is made that
the democratic majority can be over-
come by controlling the mining vote.
5. The counties of Greer, Roger
Mills, Kiowa and Camanche. This
district is overwhelmingly demo
cratic.
6. The counties of Woods,
Woodward, Dewey, Day and Beaver.
Last year these counties went 2,229
in favor of the republican candidate
for congress.
7. Recording districts sixteen,
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twen-
ty. twenty-one, twenty-two and
twenty-six, the Seminole Nation and
the counties of Cleveland and Pot-
tawatomie in Oklahoma. This dis-
trict is a democratic stronghold.
in regard to school lands.
The sale of the school lands of
Oklahoma territory is contemplated,
but there is no mandatory provision.
The bill says that when sold, the
lands shall be appraised and sold
undgr such rules and regulations as
the state legislature may prescribe,
preference right to purchase being
given to the lessee at the time of
such sale. There has been senti-
ment in favor of having the enabling
act provide that . the question of
whether or not the lands should be
retained or sold by the state be sub-
mitted to the people at the special
election, to avoid the danger of the
lessees' controlling the legislature.
The lands, if leased shall not be
leased for a period longer than five
years. The lessee is entitled to his |
improvements. Congress is asked
to appropriate the sum of ten mil-
lion dollars for the use and benefit
of the common schools of the state
in lieu of sections 16 and 36 and
other lands in Indian territory.
The proceeds of section 13, .from
sale or leasing, are to be appor-
tioned, one-third to the university
and the Tonkawa preparatory school,
one-third to the Agricultural and
Mechanical college and the colored
Agricultural Normal university and
one-third to . the normal schools.
Section 33, for charitable, penal and
public institutions, "shall be appro-
priated," in the words of the bill,
"and disposed of as the legislature
may prescribe."
drainage provisions.
O
The drainage reclamation of over-
flow'lands in the state, is given aid
by the provision that the proceeds
from the sale of all public lands in
the state not otherwise disposed of
shall constitute a reclamation fund,
to be expended under the direction
of the secretary of the interior. The
actual cost of the construction of
any drainage works shall be appor-
tioned and assessed against the
property directly benefited, to be
paid by the owners thereof in equal
installments, which shall not ex-
ceed ten in number, and such
amounts so apportioned and assessed
shall be a perpetual lien against
said respective tracts or holdings
until the same shall have been paid.
Indian lands drained and reclaimed
from overflow shall bear their pro-
portionate share of the expense of
such reclamation work.
Newspaper Circulation.
During the past few months'there
seems to have been some confusion
as to the proper papers in which sa-
loon licenses should be published.
All along this paper has been per-
fectly willing to have a notary pub-
lic or any other official or person
who will do the matter justice, make
a thorough investigation of affairs
and then have the commissioners
take the matter up and settle this
question without the saloon men of
the county annually contributing
several hundred dollars to news-
papers which by law are not entitled
to the support or patronage. The
News has a sworn circulation of
1850 subscribers. The Publicist
has 1700 and the Tribune has 1250.
'The law plainly declares that the
| applications for saloon licenses are
to be published in the paper having
'the largest general circulation. In
that event it will be plainly seen
where the business should go. Fur-
ther than that to settle all disputes
in the minds of many Judge Burford
held at the last term of court that
the News and Publicist were the
i two papers of largest genenl circ-
ulation and this alone is sufficient
until undisputed evidence to the
contrary is plainly established. And
to go a little farther the -&EWS has
done the press work for both papers
andean speak authoritively. The
saloon men need not contribute to
other papers whose circulation is
beyond question far below that
which might give a reasonable ex-
cuse for pretence to first rank in the
matter of circulation.
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The Chandler News (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 7, 1905, newspaper, December 7, 1905; Chandler, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc160399/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.