Volume 17 , Issue 47

October 1900 - Free Homes Not All

In The Wichita Daily Eagle, Wichita, Kansas, 28 October 1900, Sunday, page 10, we found the following headlines: "Free Homes Not All," "Other Things in Which Oklahoma Needs Flynn," Land Questions Many," and "No Man So Able to Handle Them As Present Delegate." - written by R. H. Faxon.

Found on Newspapers.com

Caldwell, Kan., Oct 27 (1900) -- There were very many reasons why Dennis Flynn should have the greatest vote this year every given him; why his majority should be 15,000 or greater; it ought to be unanimous, but that was an impossibility, of course, since the opposition must make some sort of a showing.

In the first place, no man ever did more for his constituents than Dennis Flynn had done for his. No man ever devoted himself more assiduously to the wants and deeds of the people he represented than the little giant for eight years had sought to accomplish for the citizens of Oklahoma. If he had never done anything but pass the free homes bill, that one thing should be sufficient to endear him for years to come in the hearts of the people of the territory. But there had been other things - very many other things.

The passage of the Kiowa-Comanche bill was one of the greatest acts he had accomplished. The numerous smaller bills passed by him at the last session of congress - more bills than any one man passed at that session, and each one in the interest of some citizen of Oklahoma, should, with free homes and Kiowa-Comanche, show to Oklahomans that they should show to the world their faith in the little delegate who does things.

In the first place, the people of Oklahoma should recognize the fact that if such a thing be possible as securing the refunding of the money paid out by homesteaders before the passage of free homes, that man to accomplish it was Dennis Flynn. Of course it may never be possible to secure it, but if it could be done, there is only one man who can bring it about.

The fact that a man who cannot come under the provisions of free homes still had the right to take an additional 160 acres should be an issue in this campaign. With many other things to think about, Flynn had time still to put in this provision.

The fact that man who has filed but relinquished, can take 160 acres in the Kiowa country was a good thing that Flynn had looked after and should be considered in this campaign.

The above was something no one ever expected to be able to do, and now that Flynn had made it possible, it should be such an issue in this campaign that every man in Oklahoma to whom the provision was applicable should not let any henchman of Neff put any argument up to him against the little delegate.

The feeling of pride in a leader and a man who was always doing things was or ought to be present one very constituency. It was something to have a man in congress who was one of the men who does things. It was something to know that you have a tireless worker in that great body where every man was struggling for something, and to know that your representative, generally gets what he goes after. It was something to know that if you make known a want, little or big, that the man who represents you is willing to give it careful attention. If the people of Oklahoma will stop to think of this, they would see that they had just such a man i the little delegate who represented them.

If the people of Oklahoma want statehood - and of course they did, they know who was best capable of procuring it for them. They know who won in the free homes fight, against the bitterest of opposition, when it was contended in the territory and out it that no such piece of legislation ever could be enacted. They were familiar with the manner in which the battle was won. They knew there was nothing in the cry of the opposition about "duty" and "cost."

As far as the cry of Flynn only doing his "duty" was concerned, it was folly to talk about. of course if by doing his "duty" was meant sacrificing all that a man can sacrifice; making the only end in life, the passage of an important piece of legislation that his associates told him it was folly to attempt; if struggling here and there, night and day making friends that these friends might help him, working for others that they might be won over; lining up opposition wherever he found it; sacrificing personal comfort and political friends - if doing all these things was a mere performance of duty, then Flynn only did his "duty" in passing free homes. But it was not thought the people of Oklahoma would so look at it. They knew something of the cost of the labor performed, and they knew it was folly to refuse to return the man who did the work.

There was every reason to believe that Flynn would have a tremendous majority; he ought to have it, and every Oklahoman knew it. Every homesteader benefited by free homes; every man who was the beneficiary of all the many little bills passed by Flynn; every man who expected to go into the Kiowa-Comanche country; every man who had failed to perfect title and thanks to Flynn could have another chance; every man who was proud of the achievements of the representative who had fought and worked for eight years to make the name of Oklahoma famous and to get good things for its people, should take it upon himself to work now for the the man who had worked for them. If this was done, so complete would be the victory, so overwhelmingly would the people say to the world that they had faith in their delegate, that for years to come, when Flynn asked for thins, the people he asked of; the American congress, would know that Oklahoma appreciates its servant, and would give to him what he requests and demands.

Among the bills he had introduced and caused to be passed were selected the following most important ones:

1. A bill giving settlers in the Cheyenne and Arapahoe country an extension of twelve months in which to make payment on their lands, and also the right of commutation.
2. A bill allowing the settlers in Beaver county the right to commute homestead entries.
3. A bill authorizing settlers on the Deep Fork to fill out their claims to 160 acres.
4. A bill authorizing the people of the Cherokee Strip to vote.
5. A bill allowing settlers on the Pottawatomie lands twelve months extension on the payment for their lands and the right to commute.
6. A bill donating sections 13 and 33 to the territory.
7. A bill delegating the power to the Oklahoma legislature to provide a system for the leasing of school lands, and transferring the business from the secretary of the interior at Washington to parties in Oklahoma authorized by the legislature.
8. Passed a bill for the relief of Jesse F. Morrison, Arapahoe, Oklahoma territory.
9. A bill giving to the settlers of the Cherokee sTrip the privilege of making final proof in fourteen months.
10. A bill authorizing the Pottawatomie Indians to sell their lands.
11. Passed a bill providing for the reappointment of the territory and allowing the Cherokee strip its representation.
Passed a bill paving the Kiowa Indians $24000 in cash instead of agricultural implements.
12. Passed a bill authorizing fourth-class postmasters to administer oaths on pen on pension vouchers.
13. A bill authorizing the Noble Bridge company to build a bridge across the Canadian river at Lexington, Oklahoma.
14. A bill giving Oklahoma two more United States judges.
15. A bill extending certain laws, which were applicable to other parts of Oklahoma.
16. A bill granting local government to Greer county, and confirming in office the officers that were elected by the people of that county.
17. A bill donating a condemned cannon to McDowell Post, G. A. R., of Enid.
18. A bill right-of-way to Sapulpua, Chandler & Oklahoma railroad. This bill was vetoed by President Cleveland in the fifty-third congress, but again passed by the Fifty-fourth and was then a law.
19. A bill granting right-of-way of railway Coffeyville via Stillwater, Guthrie and El Reno to the Gulf.
20. A bill authorizing settlers in the Kickapoo lands to commute in fourteen months.
21. A bill granting pension to Geo. W. Taylor.
22. A bill to again extend the time of payment on the Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Pottawatomie lands.
23. A bill authorizing the cancellation of double Indian allotments and right given settlers to homestead the same.
24. A bill making clerk of United States court the register of deeds of Miami, Indian Territory.
25. A bill establishing a United States court at Purcell, Indian Territory.
26. A bill providing for the payment to parties who published lists of lands in Cheyenne and Arapahoe country.
27. A bill for the relief of postmasters of Guthrie, Oklahoma and Kingfisher.
28. A bill providing for the opening of the Wichita lands.
29. A bill reducing Untied States land office fees in the interest of the settlers. This passed both houses and would have saved the settlers of Oklahoma $100,000, but was vetoed by the president.
30. A bill incorporating the grand lodge of the A. F. & A. M., of the Indian Territory.
31. A bill providing for the payment of certain deputy marshals while engaged in police duty during the year 1889.
32. A bill giving to settlers in Greer county 160 acres at one dollar per acre, payable in five equal annual installments, without interest, and allowing residence to begin at date of settlement upon the land in making final proof.
33. A bill to establish United States and office in Greer county.
34. A bill granting Cleveland Bridge company of Pawnee county, right to build bridge across Arkansas river at or near Cleveland, Oklahoma.
    
    
35. A bill providing for the opening of the Indian Territory.
36. A bill providing for the opening of the Kiowa and Comanche reservation.
37. A bill confirming title to lots sold by the school board to citizens of Shawnee.
38. A bill allowing all settlers who had taken less than 160 acres to make entry on enough to fill out a complete homestead.
39. On May, 1900, the free homes bill, giving to the settlers of Oklahoma $16,000,000.
40. A bill appropriating Fort Still for school purposes.
41. A number of private pension bills.
42. A number of bills granting to various towns in the territory tracts of land for cemetery purposes.
43. A bill delegating to cities of the two territories of over ten thousand inhabitants the right to vote bonds.
44. Several bills granting charters and right-of-way to railroads through the Indian Territory and Oklahoma.
45. A bill creating the county of Osage and annexing the same to the Territory of Oklahoma for judicial purposes.
46. A Bill providing for special appraisers for various Indian lands.
47. There was still pending the statehood bill together with thirteen other bills, introduced by Delegate Flynn.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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