In the meantime negotiations were begun for acquiring a clear title to the unoccupied portion of the Cherokee Outlet for indi vidual allotments to the members of the several small tribes who had received tribal allotments since 1866, and for the pur chase of what remained after such individual allotments had been made. As these negotiations were successful most of the land between the tract first opened and that of the Creeks was opened to settlement in 1891, a large tract to the west of the centre was opened in 1892, a tract south of the Canadian river and west of the Chickasaws was opened in 1901, and by the entire Territory had been opened to settlement with the exception of a tract in the north-east which was occupied by the Osages, Kaws, Poncas and Otoes. By the treaties with the five southern tribes they were to be permitted to make their own laws so long as they preserved their tribal relations, but since the Civil War many whites had mingled with these Indians, gained control for their own selfish ends of such government as there was, and made the country a refuge for fugitives from justice. Consequently, in 1893, Congress appointed the Dawes Commis sion to induce the tribes to consent to individual allotments as well as to a government administered from Washington, and in 1898 the Curtis Act was passed for making such allotments and for the establishment of a Territorial Government. When the allotments were nearly all made Congress in 1906 authorized Oklahoma and Indian Territories to qualify for admission to the Union as one State. As both Territories approved, a constitu
tional convention (composed of ioo Democrats and 12 Republi cans) met at Guthrie on Nov. 20, 1906. The Constitution framed by this body was approved by the electorate on Sept. 17, 1907, and the State was admitted to the Union on Nov. 16.
In politics Oklahoma has been consistently Democratic, but with a strong Republican minority. In the election of 192o the Republican Party gained control of the house of representatives, while the senate, with half of its members holding over, remained Democratic. The Republicans were also successful in electing their candidate to the U.S. Senate. Governor Walton's excessive use of martial law in 1923 in suppressing alleged activities of the Ku Klux Klan brought about a movement for his impeachment. He was found guilty and removed from office after having served only a few months of the four year term. Governor Johnston was similarly impeached and removed in 1929. The spectacular Gov ernor W. H. ("Alfalfa Bill") Murray, inaugurated in 1931, also showed an addiction to the use of militia in his attempt to force the opening of a free bridge over the Red River and later in com pelling oil operators to restrict their production. In the national election of 1928, the State went Republican; but it resumed its normal Democratic position in 1932 with a popular ratio of 3 to 1, and again in 1936.