750 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (OKLAHOMA.) 



" We demand that representation in Congress 

 and in the electoral college shall be based on the 

 actual voting population, as provided in the Con- 

 stitution, proportionate reduction being made tor 

 any State in which the right of suffrage is denied, 

 except for crime." 



A series of resolutions approved the course of 

 the national administration in regard to China, 

 Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii, and the Philippine 

 Islands, and approved also the State administra- 

 tion of Gov. Mash. The platform then proceeds 

 to say: 



" We favor such revision of the tax laws of the 

 State as will require all classes of property to 

 bear their equal and just share of taxation. 



" During the last ten years the General Assem- 

 bly has increased the revenue of the State by 

 forms of taxation other than by levies upon real 

 and personal property. We favor further legisla- 

 tion in this direction, to the end that the burden 

 of taxation upon property may be lessened, and 

 we denounce as unjust any scheme which aims 

 to cast the entire burden of taxation upon real 

 estate.'' 



The Democratic State Convention was held in 

 Columbus, July 10. The ticket nominated was 

 as follows: For Governor, James Kilbourne; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Anthony Howells; Supreme 

 Court Judge, Joseph Hidy; Clerk of Supreme 

 Court, Harry R. Young; Attorney-General, M. B. 

 McCarthy; State Treasurer, R. Page Aleshire; 

 Member of Board of Public Works, James B. 

 Holman. The platform makes a declaration of 

 principles and policies, in which it says the gov- 

 ernment of municipalities of the State should be 

 radically reformed, and wise general laws be enact- 

 ed to correct abuses and prevent their recurrence. 



" The Democratic party therefore calls upon 

 the people to unite with it in placing the conduct 

 of municipal affairs upon a business basis, that 

 they may be administered by the people in the 

 interest of all the people on the principle of home 

 rule. No franchise, extension, or renewal thereof 

 ever to be granted by any city or village without 

 first submitting the same to a vote of the people. 



" All public service corporations shall be re- 

 quired by law to make sworn public reports, and 

 the power and duty of visitation and public report 

 shall be conferred upon the proper State and local 

 auditing officers to the end that the true value 

 of the privileges held by these corporations shall 

 be made plain to the people. 



" Steam and electric railroads and other cor- 

 porations possessing public franchises shall be 

 assessed in the same proportion to their salable 

 value as are farms and city real estate. 



" The Republican majority of the General As- 

 sembly deserves the condemnation of the people 

 for its reckless extravagance and the creation of 

 useless offices, while it enacted no legislation for 

 the benefit of the people. 



" The reserved rights of the States and people 

 to be upheld. Centralization which would de- 

 stroy them to be condemned. A strict construc- 

 tion of the Constitution. The greatest individual 

 liberty consistent with public order and welfare. 



" The abolition of the so-called protective sys- 

 tem and the substitution in its place of the tradi- 

 tional Democratic policy of a tariff for revenue, 

 so levied as not to burden one industry for the 

 benefit of another. 



" We demand the suppression of all trusts and 

 a return to industrial freedom. As a means to 

 that end, all trust products should be placed on 

 the free list and the Government should exercise 

 a more rigid supervision of transportation lines 

 and abolish, in fact, all discrimination in rates. 



" Our merchant marine to be restored to its. 

 former greatness and made the ally of the people 

 against monopoly by the repeal of antiquated and 

 restricted navigation laws. But no subsidies for 

 favored ship owners. 



" The Democratic party has never favored, and 

 now opposes any extension of the national bound- 

 aries not meant to carry speedily to all inhab- 

 itants full equal rights with ourselves. If these 

 are unfitted by location, face, or character to be 

 formed into self-governing territories and then 

 incorportaed into the Union of States in accord- 

 ance with the historic policy of the republic, they 

 should be permitted to work out their own des- 

 tiny." 



Other resolutions expressed sympathy for the 

 Boers; upheld the Monroe doctrine; favored a 

 navy commensurate with the international im- 

 portance of the United States; demanded the 

 faithful observance and wider application of civil- 

 service principles, especially as regards our diplo- 

 matic and consular representatives; favored a 

 constitutional amendment requiring the election 

 of United States Senators by the direct vote of 

 the people; and upheld the right of labor to com- 

 bine for the assertion of its rights and the pro- 

 tection of its interests. 



The Prohibition convention was held in Akron, 

 May 16, nominated a full ticket, and adopted the 

 usual platform. The only point of special inter- 

 est in the proceedings was a contest over a plank 

 advocating woman suffrage. Finally all refer- 

 ence to this matter was struck out, and for the 

 first time since 1885 the Prohibition platform 

 contained no plank on that subject. Union-Ret 

 form, Social-Labor, and Socialist tickets were 

 also put in nomination. 



The election was held Nov. 5, and resulted in 

 the choice of the Republican candidates by plu- 

 ralities varying from 67,567 for Gov. Nash to 

 84,663 for Justice Price. 



In the election of the Legislature for 1902 the 

 Senate stands Republicans 21, Democrats 12; 

 House Republicans 68, Democrats 54. 



OKLAHOMA, a Territory of the United 

 States, organized in 1890; area, 38,715 square 

 miles. The population in 1890 was 61,834; in 

 1900 it was 398,331. Capital, Guthrie. 



Government. The following were the Terri- 

 torial officers in 1901 : Governor, Cassius M. 

 Barnes (Jan. 1 to May 13), William M. Jenkins 

 (May 14 to Nov. 30), Thompson B. Ferguson 

 (Dec. 9-31); Secretary, William M. Jenkins 

 (Jan. 1 to May 13), William Grimes (May 14 

 to Dec. 31) ; Treasurer, Frank M. Thompson (Jan. 

 1 to Sept. 30), Cassius M. Rambo (Oct. 1 to Dec. 

 31) ; Attorney-General, J. C. Strang; Auditor and 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, L. W. Bax- 

 ter; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, J. H. 

 Burford; Associate Justices, B. F. Burwell, B. T. 

 Hainer, John L. McAtee, and C. F. Irwin. All are 

 Republicans except Justice McAtee, who is a Gold 

 Democrat. 



The chief executive officers of the Territory are* 

 appointed by the President. A Territorial elec- 

 tion is held in November of the even-numbered 

 years, when the voters elect a Delegate to Con- 

 gress and members of the Legislature, which holds- 

 biennial sessions, beginning in January of odd- 

 numbered years. 



Finances. The special committee to investi- 

 gate the Treasurer's office reported that the 

 amount in the hands of the Treasurer Feb. 28, 

 1901, was $316,752.88. The Treasurer's report 

 showed that on March 30 the cash on hand was 

 $282.815.46. The total bonded and warrant in- 

 debtedness of the Territory was $412,000. Terri- 



