Volume 18 , Issue 11

1905 - Oklahoma & Indian Territory Should Be Admitted As One State

It was in The Salina Evening Journal, Salina, Kansas, dated 4 September 1905, Monday, page 2, we found this reported news article concerning Indian and Oklahoma Territory, "Should Be Admitted As One State."

Found on Newspapers.com

There was a convention held back then in the Indian Territory, advocating independent statehood and old Fort Gibson was selected as the temporary capital. Oklahoma and the Indian Territory should have been given statehood last winter (1904). There was absolutely no reason assigned by the house or senate for not making a state of these two territories. They had a population which would give them at least four members of congress and probably five. They had wealth and a stable and intelligent population. All of the requirements that had been necessary for the admission of territories to statehood were fully complied with. Yet because a majority of the senate was opposed to uniting New Mexico and Arizona, and admitting them as one state, statehood was refused to the Indian Territory and Oklahoma, though the delegate in congress from Oklahoma, Mr. McGuire, and practically all of the official representatives of the Indian Territory were in Washington and strongly pleaded for admission as a single state.

Public sentiment of the country would never consent to their admission as two states. because the original thirteen colonies were composed of small tracts of land was not the slightest argument for the admission of states of small area at this time. Oklahoma and the Indian Territory combined would not be as large as Kansas, Missouri or Nebraska, no larger than Arkansas, and would not contain a third of the area of Texas, and to make two little insignificant states out of these territories would be ridiculous.

If the people of both territories would set harmoniously and ask for admission as one state, the chances were greatly in favor of their succeeding during the next session congress, but if they divide and had contending delegations asking some for two states and other for one they would probably remain indefinitely as two territories.
  |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---