The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-03-13
Cbe Daily Hromoeette.
is ,NcoRpeRArlON ADvlz .sLr'
To the ARDMoRaIrE.

To the ARDMoREITE.
There were . great many people |
who heard the practical talks made |
by Messrs. Ledbetter and Eddleman
at the mass meetings a short while |
since, and do not feel that this dis |
cussion. OF. the question.is needed, so
far as those hearers are concerned. |
but there are many persons living in
Ardfnore who-were notpresent, and
among this number there are some |
who are undecided as to the matter
of incorporation. 1t is my purpose
to look at the question from a prac-
tical standpoint, viewing briefly both
advantagesagd disadvantages.
1. Its.diaadvantsges. 1t will cost
something. There is no need to
dodge that issue. / do not favor
saddling incorporation on the pco-
pie under the mistaken impression
that no burdens will be assumed by
them, II we eiucorporate, if We have
s.city government. .ifs we grade our
streets, if we clean up, If we aid in
the prevention of street fights and
rowdyism, in short, If we get the
many benefits arising under incor-
poration, we must expect to pay
something for it. And now really,
this is the only objection know to
offer against this move. 1t is the
only one have heard offered, and
say right here that l do not censure
the men who thus object. They,
many of them, have lived in towns
which were hopelessly in debt they
were burdened with heavy taxation,
they know that everything is to be
done-that we are to start at the
bottom,. and that there will of neces-
sity be expefIse attached to all this.
With all such men desire to reason,
and if the ideas herein presented are
Objectionable it will afford me pleas
ure to have the same corrected.
The advantages of incorporation
They are legion; irsts because Ardv
more is rapidly attaining metropoli
tan proportions. There are condi-
tions existing in large towns and
cities necessitating a city govern
ment which do not exist in villages.
Five years ago would have opposed
the move, we didn't need it, now
we do. With the increase of popula-
tiOn comes a vicious element to
every city, and without one word of
disparagement to our present ofi.
cials, we need city police power to
handle this vicious element. Our
present officials are busy with class
of criminals who commit the kraver
crimes and have but little time to
spare to the misdemeanOrs of the
towns. There is no state in the
union where the force of marshals
and other officials ts SO snail in pro-
portion to the Territory they have to
cover, hence for this reason we need
incorporation to keep down street
fights and the other grades Of law
lsssness which will only increase as
our city grOwa larGeR.-
Next, we need it on. the ground OF
economy. This may sound rather
contradictory to the statement just
made to the effect that incorporation
wfll cost something, but it is never
theless true. Our streets have washed
more in the last year than for some
time before. that. The reason is
plain, there is so much tr&veEon the
streets that each succeeding year
makes it worse. Grading and filling
up of holes can be done now for less
money than in the fnture.- Surely nc
one will contend that Ardmore can
be, forever without incorpor alton
Well, whenever that time comes
this work will have to be done, (and
for that matter it win have to be done
anyway shortly in self-defensel.
Is it not then cheaper to attend tc
such matters before great holes have
washed in our streets, rendering
them both unsightly and unfit fol
travel.
Next, as a Matter of Cleanliness
and Health-Even now gentleman
is sitting In my office who has JUS
been asking me about how to stoT
parties from depositing the carcasSei
Of hogs close to his house. He livei
on the outskirts of the town. W.
have a healthy city, our natural ad
vantages are good, but a more filth!
town can hardly be found ThiI
needs no, argument Let Ms. incor
porate and such conditions will b.
improved, the sweet odors of'Para
disc alley and kindred dwellings o
microbes will exist only in memory
We need it next as an inducemen
to cepttal:, New enterprisas are coH
stantly coming to Ardmore. This i
a. healthy sign, but we need othe
and varied enterprises, and while W.