Volume 9 , Issue 20

OkieLegacy Centennial Moment

While in Alva, Oklahoma this week NW Okie did some searching in the NWOSU college library's newspaper archives for more Centennial Moments for Oklahoma statehood. What we found for this week is taken from The Alva Pioneer, dated December 29, 1905, Alva, O.T., under the heading of "Oklahoma News."

Dec. 29, 1905 - "Statehood Bills Compared" -- "The speculation as to the conditions under which Oklahoma will get statehood this winter, if either of the bills now before the house should be passed, makes it of interest to compare the prominent features of these two bills and the Hamilton Omnibus bill passed by the last congress, but ultimately defeated on account of the Gallinger amendment. Of course, both the Hamilton bills united the fortunes of Arizona and New Mexico with those of Oklahoma and Indian Territory, but in the Oklahoma part there are radical differences between the various bills."

"In the matter of the capital location, the first Hamilton bill placed the capital at Guthrie until 1910; the present Hamilton bill until 1915, giving the legislature power to provide for its location thereafter; the McGuire bill until 1910, with provision that its location thereafter shall be decided by a majority vote of the people."

"For the expense of the constitutional convention the first Hamilton bill appropriated $75,000, as does the McGuire bill, while the present Hamilton bill provides $100,000. The increase is said by Mr. Hamilton to have been made on estimates from the secretary of Oklahoma."

"A clause for the restriction of the sale of intoxicating liquors in the Indian country for ten years appeared in the first Hamilton bill. This clause was not, however, a part of the original bill, but was inserted as an amendment, as was the Gallinger amendment, providing for prohibition for twenty-one years. The McGuire bill provides for the cession to the federal government of the power to control the sale of liquor to Indians. The new Hamilton bill makes no mention of the liquor question."

"The Suphur Springs reservation was not mentioned in the first Hamilton act and bill, as the act creating the reservation had not been passed at that time. Both the present bills cede jurisdiction over the reservation to the United States."

"Preference rights to the lessees for the purchase of school lands were not mentioned in the first Hamilton bill, but provision of that sort is made in both of the new bills. A memorial adopted by the last Oklahoma legislature asked Mr. Hamilton to make this change in his bill."

"In the disposition of school lands, the first Hamilton bill provided that they should be divided among the state university, university preparatory, normal schools, A. & M. college, the negro university, as the state legislature might provide. Both the new bills give one-third to the university and university preparatory school, one-third to the A. & M. college and the negro university."

"In public grants the first Hamilton bill gave 200,000 acres as an endowment to the state university, and 150,000 acres to the A. & M. college. Both of the present bills give 250,000 acres to each of these schools, 100,000 acres each to the preparatory school and the negro university, and the same amount to each of the three normal schools."

"In the assignment of federal court districts, the first Hamilton bill provided for two districts, with Muskogee, Guthrie and Oklahoma City as court towns. The new Hamilton bill also had two districts, with Muskogee, Vinita, South McAlester, Ardmore, Guthrie, Oklahoma City and Enid as court towns. The McGuire bill provides for three districts, with Muskogee, Tulsa, South McAlester, Ardmore, Lawton, Oklahoma City, Guthrie, Enid and Alva as court towns."

"Five congressional districts are provided in each of the Hamilton Bills, and seven in the McGuire bill. Each of the Hamilton bills provides a $5,000,000 indemnity fund for Indian Territory, to offset the school lands in Oklahoma. The McGuire bill raises this to $10,000,000."

"The McGuire bill provides for the removal of restrictions to the sale of Indian lands, and for a drainage reclamation fund, both of which are entirely absent from both of the Hamilton bills."
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