OKLAHOMA. 



629 



consists of 4 professors and 1 instructor. A 

 commodious building was erected in 1894. 



The first Legislative Assembly established the 

 Normal School at Edmond and provided for a 

 half-mill tax for its support. During the year 

 a fine building was erected. There was an en- 

 rollment of 116 students, and the faculty con- 

 sisted of 5 members. 



The Agricultural and Mechanical College, at 

 Stillwater, is on a tract of 200 acres adjoining that 

 town. This institution is the beneficiary under 

 the act of Congress known as the new Morrill 

 act, and is entitled to receive from the United 

 States funds that now amount to $20,000 an- 

 nually. The provisions of this act were accept- 

 ed by the Territorial Legislature in March, 1893. 

 An act of the same Legislature, approved in the 

 same month, appropriated $15,000 for a college 

 building. This, with the contribution made by 

 the citizens of Stillwater, enabled the board of 

 regents to erect and furnish a substantial build- 

 ing of brick and stone, which was ready for oc- 

 cupation in September of this year. The total 

 income of the college, including that of the ex- 

 periment station, was $34.000 during the year 

 ending June 30, 1894. The faculty consisted of 

 a president and 6 professors. There were over 

 100 students, organized into 2 college and 2 pre- 

 paratory classes. No tuition fee is required. 



School Lands. By act of Congress approved 

 March 3, 1891, the Governor of Oklahoma was 

 authorized to lease sections 16 and 36, reserved 

 for the benefit of the common schools, under 

 rules and regulations to be prescribed by the 

 Secretary of the Interior. In April, 1891, the 

 lands of Oklahoma proper were offered for lease. 

 Gov. Steele, in his report for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 30, 1891, said that out of 656 quarters, 

 leases had been made on 584 quarters, and that 

 he had realized in cash $4,536.82 and in notes 

 $47,642.85. As each successive reservation was 

 opened the school lands have been leased. 

 Prices have steadily -advanced, and while many 

 quarters leased in 1891 did not lease for more 

 than $16 a year, the same quarters will now 

 bring $50 a year. In February, 1894, the school 

 lands in the Cherokee Outlet were offered for 

 lease. There were more than 18,000 bids, and 

 about 1,000 awards were made. The receipts in 

 cash from leasing in the Cherokee Outlet were 

 in round numbers $25,000, and in notes $100,- 

 000, due in December, 1894. 1895, and 1896. 



The leases executed by Gov. Steele in 1891 ex- 

 pired in April and July of this year. It seemed 

 unjust to offer all these lands to the highest 

 bidder, thereby practically compelling every 

 lessee to bid against his own improvements. 

 The matter was therefore delayed in the hope 

 that a more equitable law could be secured. 

 This was obtained under an act of Congress ap- 

 proved May 4, 1894, by which the leasing of 

 school lands was intrusted to a board consisting 

 of the Governor, Secretary, and Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction. Pursuant to this act, the 

 board ordered the lands upon which leases would 

 expire in 1894 to be released for a term ending 

 Feb. 1, 1895, at a price to be agreed upon by the 

 board. By the same act of Congress, the Terri- 

 torial Legislature was authorized to make rules 

 and regulations for the leasing of these lands, 

 and consequently the new leases were made to 



run only a short time after the meeting of the 

 next Legislature. The rent on the new leases 

 was raised on an average 50 per cent. 



By the act of May 4, 1894, the reservation by 

 the President of sections 13 and 33 in each con- 

 gressional township for the use of colleges and 

 public buildings was confirmed, and the board 

 for leasing school lands was authorized to lease 

 them for three years. This increases the land 

 under the control of the school land office to 

 about 1,250,000 acres. 



Political. A Republican Territorial Conven- 

 tion was held in Oklahoma City on May 15.. 

 The platform contained the following resolu- 

 tions : 



"We believe that it would promote the interests of 

 both whites and Indians in Oklahoma if Congress 

 should pass a law authorizing the Indians to sell a 

 part of their allotted lands, or so amend the leasing 

 laws as to authorize the leasing for periods of at least 

 ten years, or both. 



We demand the repeal of all laws which by con- 

 struction or implication require payment of any kind 

 or character, from the bonafide settler upon the public 

 lands. 



We denounce the carpetbag policy thrust upon- 

 this Territory in the face of a demonstrated capacity 

 for self-government, and we denounce the method of 

 opening the Cherokee strip as an evidence of Demo- 

 cratic incompetency and disregard for the best wel- 

 fare of the people. 



We demand statehood for Oklahoma in the quick- 

 est and best way it can he obtained, submitting that 

 a Territory containing 250,000 stalwart, intelligent 

 people and $100,000,000 of taxable wealth, is entitled 

 to immediate self-government. 



The convention named Dennis T. Flynn as 

 its Territorial Delegate to Congress. 



The Populists met in El Reno on July 13, and 

 named Ralph Beaumont as candidate for Dele- 

 gate to Congress. 



The Democratic Convention met in El Reno 

 on Aug. 2. nominated Joseph W. Wisby for Dele- 

 gate to Congress, and adopted a platform con- 

 taining the following resolutions : 



We believe that all lands in the Cherokee strip and 

 other additions to Oklahoma should be free to honest 

 settlers. 



We favor the immediate opening to settlement 

 and entry of the Kickapoo, Kiowa, Comanche, and 

 Wichita Indian reservations. 



We favor the modification of the rules of practice 

 in the land department so that contest cases may be^ 

 heard upon the land in controversy, that the cost of 

 hearing the same may be reduced. 



We demand such legislation as will require all 

 railway companies to afford proper transportation fa- 

 cilities in all county-seat towns through which they 

 pass in this Territory. 



We respectfully recommend and request that our 

 national Administration remove all hold-over Kepub- 

 lican officeholders in this Territory and appoint 

 Democrats in their stead. 



In consequence of the law passed by Congress 

 authorizing the apportionment of the Territory 

 into council and legislative districts, Gov. Ren- 

 frow named as commissioners for that purpose 

 Allen Hall, Democrat, W. T. Walker, Republican, 

 and S. B. Oberlander, Populist. The Republican 

 and Populist commissioners acted largely to- 

 gether, and prepared a report, which was sub- 

 mitted to the Governor on the evening of the 

 day on which the expiration of the commission 

 occurred. Ten minutes before the filing of the 



