Show IRON HAND AND VELVET GLOVE Secretary Taft raft aft in a speech at Okla Okia Oklahoma Oklahoma homa City departed from his set ad address address address I dress on national issues long enough to advise the voters of at the new state to i I reject the constitution adopted by the constitutional convention for the new newstate newstate newstate state and depend upon the next con congress congress congress gress to pass a new enabling act Ordinarily the outsider who butts Into a local political situation Is a lit little little littIe tle tIe tactful about Interference with lo 10 local local cal affairs but the secretary seemed to have a mission on his mind and delivered ered himself with remarkable freedom The burden of his plaint was that the constitutional convention had so ar arranged arranged arranged ranged things that It if the constitution were adopted by the people It would make it possible for the Democrats to have the legislature and two United States senators even if I the state itself were Republican by a large majority After he had given this reason for opposition no other explanation of his attitude was necessary but it I comes with remarkably poor grace from an administration that tried to couple Arizona with New Mexico in order that the Republicans might have havo a chance to submerge the Democratic majority of Arizona If It anybody ever Ignored the equities of representation in order to gain partisan advantage the Republican Republican Republican lican party has done it and waiving that bar to complaint from Taft it is none of ot his business in Oklahoma what hat the requirements of or the constitution are so long as they represent the wishes of the tha majority and comply with the law of the land He was extremely careful in his talk to disclaim any authority to sPeak for Roosevelt but the disclaimer cuts lit little little littIe tle tIe figure in view of the presidents known hostility to the Oklahoma con constitution constitution constitution and the unofficial threat that the state would be denied admission by b withholding the presidential approval unless some modifications were made to suit the executives views That Is Isto Isto isto to say a whole people are to be re refused refused refused fused admission to statehood in spite of congressional action solely because the president does not approve of their charter law drawn In conformity to the enabling act ac and containing nothing that is not entirely within the grant Logically the president has as IlS much right to draw up a constitution himself for a new state as he has to suspend admission in a case like His only duty under the law Is to see that the charter complies with the act of congress providing admission right there his power ends and right there Mr Tafts interference becomes ob obnoxious obnoxioUs obnoxious noxious As the next friend end of the president and heir apparent to the throne his speech contains more than the advice of a partisan It is a threat that if I the constitution Is adopted the hope of statehood will be deferred by bythe bythe bythe the chief chiet executive And a threat un under under under der such circumstances Is little less leas than a cowardly attempt to coerce a people deemed worthy worth of admission to statehood I |