'J'tlli TULSA 1'tUHUNE, TULSA, OKLAHOMA 7 Territory folks ... Continued from page 6 schools were not open to noncitizen children, and non­ citizens bad no voice in government. ·until 1906. A shrewd political leader he reduced the bitter factionalism among territoriai'Republicans. The start of the avalanche which would destroy the Indian governments came in 1871 when Congr~ss . Al_though_supported by Flynn's group, he was impar­ passed a bill which stated: " Hereafter, no Indtan bal m makt!lg app<;~intments and in party contests. nation or tribe within the territory of the United States . At one pomt, be 1S quoted as saying to Flynn: "I am shall be acknowledged or recognized as an independent tired of the whole muddle ... It seems to me that there nation, tribe or power, with whom the United States is not a commonwealth in the United States so com­ may contract by treaty." pletely filled with envious, designing 2 x 4 politicians In other words, the tribes were subject to U.S. laws as is the Territory of Oklahoma." ' and their actions to congressional control. He ~meq~ed a strong leader and by his capable Then, through an act passed in 1889, federal courts admlntstrabon assured Congress that Oklahoma Terri­ were introduced in Indian Territory and the laws of tory was ready for statehood. Arkansas were extended over the territory in all except Indian courts, which dealt exclusively with Indians. V_EN Ferguson could not escape the party infight-. E mg. In 1905, anti-Flynn Republicans launched a HE FATAL blow fell in 1898 when Congress, over rumor-filled campaign to block his reappointment. T the strenuous objection of Indian leaders, passed Roosevelt, with a close eye on Oklahoma political an act introduced by Rep. Charles Curtis of Kansas, a events, passed over Ferguson in favor of Frank Frantz, , Kaw Indian. a member of Roosevelt's Rough Riders at the Battle of It authorized the allotment of tribal lands, provided San_ Juan Hill, whom he had previously appointed for the survey and incorporation of towns, gave <~:ll lndtan agent to clean up graft in the Osage Nation. residents the right to vote, authorized free pubhc Fort Smith and Western train makes Guthrie stop In 1907. Frantz would be the last territorial governor. His schools, prohibited tribal funds from being paid to term would be brief, but long enough for members of tribal governments or officers, and abolished all tribal had no school land available, "indemnity lands" total­ In politics, the delegates. adopted the prima~y elec­ the Flynn faction to open up on him. courts. ing about 130,000 acres were set aside in other areas to tion to select party candtdates, thus reducmg the With the Indian governments effectively aboli~hed , compensate. · power of party conventions and machines. They charged that while an Indian agent he had been the next step was to do away with tribal ownersbtp of A school-land board administered the leasing of drunk in public, had visited a bouse of prostitution, bad lands. This was accomplished by a rider to the 1893 these lands. Because of the dollars involved, this "Probably more than any other state constitu:.. taken a bribe from an oil company and had solicited Indian Appropriations Bill which let. the presi~ent ap­ board became very powerful. Its policies were often tion the constitution of Oklahoma attempted. to loans from the Indians which he did not repay. point a commission to negotiate wstb the tnbes for criticized, both then and now. r en-{ove a ll a rbitrary power, to keep politicaL Roosevelt investigated the charges and found Frantz allotment of their lands. power in the hands of the people, and to break down the adv antage possessed by corporations in innocent. But the intraparty feud hurt Frantz politi­ The commission, known as the Dawes Commission HE ACT also authorized a constitutional convention cally. When he ran as the Republican candidate to be to meet in Guthrie with 55 delegates from each of the action of public business," historian Harlow after its senior member, Sen. Henry L. Dawes of Mas­ T noted. the new state's first governor, he was defeated. sachusetts, began its work in 1894 but was rebuffed the territories and two from the Osa~e Nation. by the tribes. It was not until after Congress gave the Within two months, the 112 conventiOn districts were established and the delegate election set for Nov. LL WAS not rosy, however. Two burnin~ i~ commission authority in 1896 to survey and allot the caused dissension and would carry over mto the Statehood land with or without tribal authority that progress 4. Candidates campaigned primarily as Republicans A and Democrats, but special interest groups played a first state election. These were discrimination ~4 Agitation for statehood had begun almost before the began to be made. prohibition. first settlers turned their first sod. Statehood conven­ big role. They included railroads, corpor-ations, saloon tions were held yearly in towns within the territory, Even then, allotment was fiercely r esisted by interests, prohibitionists and - most active of all - The enabling act stipulated Indian Territory and and statehood bills were regularly introduced in Con­ some Indian leaders and it was not until after the the Farmers Union and organized labor. the Osage Nation would be dry. But after bard lobbying gress by territorial delegates. turn of the century that the last tribes came to When the dust settled, the Republicans were shocked. by the Anti-Saloon League and other prohibitionist terms. Democrats had captured 99 of the 112 seats and thus groups, delegates finally decided to extend prohibition Different statehood proposals evolved during this would control the convention. time, but mainly they boiled down to the question Of the 19.5 million acres comprising the land of the statewide. of whether Oklahoma Territory should be admitted to Five Civilized Tribes, 15.7 million were alloted to the the Union separately or be jomed with Indian Terri­ Fearing if such a clause were written into the consti­ approximately 100,000 on tribal rolls. The remainder tution itself a combination of saloon interests and tory. went for townsites, schools and other public pur­ The convention The constitutional convention ran from Nov. 21, Republicans would vote it down, it was decided to The support for these plans did not follow party poses. Some coal and timber lands were sold at auction offer prohibition as an amendment to be voted bn Jines. and the money credited to the tribes. There was no 1906, until the following spring. Delegates hammered separately from the constitution. surplus for homesteaders. out ope of the most progressive constitutions ever Concerning race, many delegates were from the • Many prominent people, both Democrats and Repub­ enacted by a new state. South and sought "Jim Crow" provisions in the consti­ l1cans, wished to join the two territories. Fusion But first, the convention bad to get organized. It was tution which would discriminate against blacks. Has­ would nearly double the size of the future state, cut Sequoyah Afoventent clear the Sequoyab Convention and Farmers Union kell objected, as did territorial Gov. Frantz, who expenses by having one state government instead of As early as 1902, Indian leaders, fearful of being groups (almost half the delegates were farmers) ~o.uld warned Roosevelt would not approve a discriminatory two and give the future 'state a balanced economy by swallowed by Oklahoma Territory, bad been laying control tbe session and that the convention pres1dent constitution. combining Indian Territory minerals and timber with would need both groups' support. Oklahoma Territory farm and range land. plans to obtain separate statehood for Indian Territory. BLack Leaders aLso fought them, and in the enct Policy meetings were held, the first at Eufaula in 1902, The plan for double statehood also was supported by Haskell, a popular figure, could get the Sequoyah they were not included. • • certain Republicans and Democrats, both in the terri­ but little was accomplished until 1905, when chiefs group's backing. But his association with the railroads, tories and in Washington. W.C. Rogers of the Cherokees, Pleasant Porter of the Another sticky problem was the establishment of Creeks and Green McCurtain of the Choctaws called which were strongly resented by the settlers because of counties and county seats. Considering the intense ' for a convention at Muskogee to draft a constitution for what they felt were high rates, abusive practices and local interests, this was one of the most difficult iss.ues: WO-STATE Democrats felt that as Indian Territory a proposed new Indian state. general disregard of the public interest, cost him the T already was Democratic, it would give their party support of the Farmers Union. before the convention. In all, 75 counties were estab­ The chiefs were prompted to act by Charles N. Murray, also known as "Cocklebur," had for years lished (two more were added later through legal ac­ two certain Senate seats to help offset new Republican Haskell, a lawyer and railroad builder from Muskogee tion). states in ~he Northwest, and with a weakening Republi­ been active in the Farmers Union in both territories can Party in Oklahoma Territory they might gain two who, according to historian ViCtor E. Harlow in his and could get support from · both groups. Haskell of­ The Republican minority strenuously objected to !h'e more. book, Harlow's Oklahoma History, convinced the fered his support to Murray, and Murray was elected Democratic programs and wrote a constitution of its Indian leaders they should act before losing control of own which left out all but the basic elements of govertl~· · ·· Their Republican counterparts felt they could keep the statehood movement.