Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/650

 528 UNITED STATES: — OKLAHOMA

Books of Reference.

The Annual Report of the State Auditor and Reports of the various Executive Departments.

Farrand (M.), Editor, A Journey to Ohio in 1810. As recorded in the Journal of Margaret van Horn Durght. Yale and London, 1912.

Hotvells (W.C.), Recollections of Life in Ohio, 1S13-1840. Cincinnati, 1895.

K^in^ (R. ), Ohio. In * American Cominoiiwealtlis' Series. Boston, Mass.

Ryan (D. J.), History of Ohio. Columbus, 1888.

Siebert(W. n.) Government of Ohio. New York. 1904.

Taylor (W. M.), Ohio and its People. Columbus, 1910.

OKLAHOMA (INCLUDING INDIAN TERRITORY)

The State of Oklahoma, comprising the former Territory of Oklahoma and Indian Territory, was constituted on November 16, 1907, by Pro- clamation made by the United States President under the enabling act of June 16, 1906. The constitution provides for the initiative and the referendum, 8 per cent, of the legal voters having the right to propose any legislative measure and 15 per cent, to propose amendments to the constitution by petition. The referendnm may be ordered (except as to laws necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety) either by petition signed by 5 per cent, of the legal voters or by the Legislature. The referendum applies to municipalities as well as to the State. The control of railways and other public service cor- porations is vested in a commission of 3 members elected for six-year periods, from whose decision an appeal lies only to the Supreme Court, no other court having power to interfere with its duties.

The Legislature consists of a Senate the members of which are elected for 4 years, and a House of Representatives elected for 2 years. Qualified as electors are (with necessary exceptions) all citizens resident six months in the State, 60 days in the county or town, 30 days in the precinct. Indians, to be qualified as voters, must have severed tribal relations.

Governor. — Lee Cruce, 1911-15 (4,500 dollars).

Secretary. — B. F. Harrison.

The State is represented in Congress by 2 Senators and 5 members of the House of Representatives. The State capital shall be the city of Guthrie until 1913, after which period a new capital may be selected.

Area and Population.— Area, 70,470 square miles (Oklahoma 39,030, Indian Territory 31,440), of which 600 square miles is water, and the population on July 1, 1907, was 1,414,179 (Oklahoma 733,064, Indian Territory 681,115). The population on the present area Avas, in 1890, 242,016 ; in 1900, 790,391 ; in 1906, 1,109,435 ; in 1910, 1,657,155 (881,573 males and 775,582 females). In 1910 the population included 137,612 negroes, and on Indian reservations there were 74,825 Indians.

[For the history of the relations between the Indians and the Federal Government see Statesman's Year Book for 1907, p. 593.]

The most important cities are Oklahoma City (population 64,205), Muscogee (25,278), Guthrie (11,654), Shawnee (12,474), Enid (13,799), Ardmore (8,618), McAlester (12,594), Chickasha (10,320), Tulsa (18,182).

Relig'ion, Education, Charity.— The chief religious bodies are Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic Disciples (Christians), and Pres- byterians. The State has a school system embracing elementary and high public schools, normal schools, and also colleges for superior in- struction. Separate schools have to be provided for whites and negroes, all children not negroes beintc classed as white. In 1910 there Avere