OKLAHOMA. 



697 



torial election, and for the meeting of the first Legis- 

 lature, which shall be held at Guthrie. Certain laws 

 of the State of Nebraska are declared to be in force 

 until after the adjournment of the first session of the 

 Legislature. At the first election the people of each 

 county shall vote for a name for the county, the name 

 having the highest number of votes being adopted. 



First Election. The first official act of Gov. 

 Steele was to issue a proclamation on May 24 

 defining the boundaries of the counties. Sev- 

 eral weeks elapsed before a reliable census of 

 the population could be obtained, and his proc- 

 lamation establishing the election districts and 

 apportioning among them the members of the 

 Legislature was not issued till early in July. In 

 the apportionment then made it was provided 

 that one member of the Lower House should be 

 elected from the Territory at large. Aug. 5 was 

 fixed as the date of the first election. Territo- 

 rial conventions were called by the political par- 

 ties, at which candidates for the office of Repre- 

 sentative-at-Large were nominated. The Demo- 

 cratic Convention declared strongly in favor of 

 separate schools for colored children, while the 

 Republican platform was silent on this question. 

 The election resulted in the choice of Milton W. 

 Reynolds, the Republican candidate, over the 

 Democratic and Farmers' Alliance nominees. 

 Members of the Legislature were chosen as fol- 

 low : Council, Republican 6, Democrats 5, Farm- 

 ers' Alliance 2 ; House, Republicans 13, Demo- 

 crats 8, Farmers' Alliance 4. Including the Repre- 

 sentative-at-Large, the total Republican strength 

 in the Lower House was therefore 14. At the 

 same election the following names were selected 

 by the people for the seven counties established 

 by the organic act : Beaver, Canadian, Cleve- 

 land, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne. 



On Aug. 9 Representative-at-Large Reynolds 

 died from the effects of overexertion in the can- 

 vass. A special election was at once ordered 

 and the Republican candidate was again suc- 

 cessful. A vacancy in one of the legislative dis- 

 tricts, caused by the death of the member-elect, 

 was also filled by a special election. 



Legislative Session. The day appointed 

 by Gov. Steele for the meeting of the first Leg- 

 islature was Aug. 27. Both Houses were organ- 

 ized by the Democrats and Alliance members, 

 aided by the Republicans from Oklahoma City. 

 George W. Gardenhire (Alliance) was elected 

 President of the Council, and H. A. Daniels (Al- 

 liance) was chosen Speaker of the House. The 

 Oklahoma City Republicans who deserted their 

 party on this occasion were induced to do so, as 

 they claimed, by promises of the Alliance mem- 

 bers to favor that city as the Territorial capital 

 in return for their vote for the Alliance candi- 

 dates. The capital removal question occupied 

 the attention of the Legislature for nearly three 

 months, and its discussion caused numerous 

 scenes of disorder and aroused bitter hostility 

 between the factions. A bill locating the capi- 

 tal at Oklahoma City was passed in the early 

 part of October, but under such circumstances 

 of intrigue and disorder as to lead the Governor 

 to interpose his veto. Another bill, locating the 

 capital at Kingfisher City, passed both Houses on 

 Nov. 10, but this was also vetoed. The strife 

 then ceased, as the Governor was known to be 

 opposed to any change, and no factions could 



pass any bill over his veto. In the remaining 

 days of the session a large number of important 

 measures passed, including a code of laws for 

 the Territory which is a compilation from the 

 Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, and Illinois statutes. 

 An agricultural college was established in Payne 

 County, and a normal school was located in the 

 city of Edmond, on condition that the people of 

 that vicinity should give $5,000 and 40 acres of 

 land to the institution. A stringent libel law 

 was enacted. Murder was made a capital crime. 

 Foreign insurance companies doing business in 

 the Territory were required to pay a heavy license 

 fee. A school law was enacted which leaves 

 to each district the determination of the ques- 

 tion whether mixed or separate schools for white 

 and colored pupils shall be maintained. Nearly 

 every district has voted for separate schools. A 

 license law was passed which imposes a fee of 

 $200. An additional fee may be charged by the 

 city, which shall not be less than $100 nor more 

 than $500. The session adjourned on Dec. 24. 



Delegate to Congress. On Nov. 4 an elec- 

 tion was held for Delegate to Congress. A 

 convention of the Republican party nominated 

 David A. Harvey, a Democratic convention nom- 

 inated J. G. McCoy, and the Farmers' Alliance 

 supported Samuel Crocker. The Republican 

 candidate was elected by the following vote : 

 Harvey, 4,478 ; McCoy, 2,446 ; Crocker, 1,529. 



Belief Measures. The Governor, on reach- 

 ing the Territory, found much distress prevailing 

 among the settlers, many of whom had expended 

 everything in their efforts to reach the Territory. 

 Moreover, by reason of the drought, the crop 

 prospects for the season were unfavorable, and 

 in many places the crops had already been ruined. 

 In view of" the certainty of greater suffering dur- 

 ing the autumn and winter, the Governor ad- 

 dressed a letter to the President, asking imme- 

 diate relief from Congress. On Aug. 8 the 

 President transmitted this letter to Congress 

 and recommended relief measures. A bill was 

 promptly passed appropriating the unused bal- 

 ance of the appropriation to the Mississippi flood 

 sufferers, amounting to about $47,000, for aid 

 to destitute people of the Territory. Early in 

 November Gov. Steele sent a message to the 

 Territorial Legislature saying that large inroads 

 had already been made on the appropriation of 

 Congress, and that, as cases of destitution were 

 daily increasing, the fund would be exhausted 

 in a few weeks. Pursuant to the Governor's rec- 

 ommendation, the Legislature passed a memorial 

 to Congress praying for further immediate re- 

 lief. This memorial was laid before Congress 

 early in January, 1891. Late in 1890 the Santa 

 Fe and Rock Island Railroad Companies ren- 

 dered timely aid by bringing about 25,000 bush- 

 els of seed wheat into the Territory and loaning 

 it to needy farmers without interest. 



The Cherokee Outlet On Feb. 17 President 

 Harrison issued a proclamation reciting that the 

 portion of Indian Territory known as the Chero- 

 kee Strip or Outlet had been occupied for some 

 time by certain persons for grazing under con- 

 tracts or leases with the Cherokee nation of In- 

 dians, and declaring that, as it was held by the 

 Attorney-General of the United States, that the 

 Cherokee nation, whatever its right to the strip 

 might be, had no right to make such grazing 



