The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-01-21
why SHOULD THERE HAVE
Been DISCORD AT MEETING?
ACTION TAKEN BY CITIZENS RE
GAROlNG ClTY'S INDEBTED
NESS AND ISSUE OF BONDS.

The mass meeting of citizens. held
in the court house last night. present
ed more the appearance of a love
feast than such meetings usually uD
ana it omencd well for the futur,
that all personal differences appear
ed to have been held subscrvicnt
10 the common good. II was a splcn-
did spirit and will be productive of.
great results.
While very little that was new de-
ycloped, it was yet good in that Il
made citizens more familiar with the
situation and helped to make them
understand the matter of indebted
nc.s as between the city ami the
school district in a much better
fashion than any other medium that
could have been chosen.
Those who went to the meeting,
primed with the idea of creating dis
cord and introducing questions ir-
rcvelant 10 the matter in hand, would
have been brave men indeed had
they attempted 10 put their plans in
10 action.
BY unanimous consent, Mr. w. l.
Cruce was chosen chairman of the
meeting. Mr.. Cruce very luCidly oX.
planned the reasons for the call and.
stated. very emphatically. that he
would permit no criticism OF the
present administration. neither did
he desire to hear any laudation. Fur.
ther, that the purpose of the meeting
was TO conside" the question of the
city's Indebtedness and TO find some
means by which the numerous war
rants against the city might be met
Mr. Cruce went on at some length
into the relations of the city and
the school district 1t was a surprise
10 some TO learn that these are
separate corporations. II appears that
some years ago the city issued $50
600 in bonds for the purpose of erect
ing school buildings. At that time
the school district and the city were
practically one and the same-prac-
tically one corporation. Today they
stand separately and while the school
district is at present confined to the
/ nf af nf A.Ip
may at any time spread beyond its
! borders. Morally. therefore, and actu.
| ally, the school district owes the city
/ this 100000, and the purpose Of the
meeting was to see whether or not
II was the general sentiment of the
citizens that this amount should be
paid.
The matter of the funding bond
! issue and the difficulties attached
TO its flotation were gone into al
/ some length and Mr.. Cruce made
! plain the difference between the val
Ne Of the funding bonds and an
issue Of school bonds. He stated that
while IL would take very consid
cradle time 10 realize upon the fund
ing bonds, and that they would nor
brn- one hundred cents on the dol
lar the school bonds could be real
ized In a very short time and that
they would bring every cent of theii
face value. The purpose of the meet
ing, Mr.. Cruce wound up by saying
was TO consider whether a call b,
made to decide upon the issue o
an additional amount of school bonds
to reimburse the city, or whethe
the city be left to arrange its owl
Indebtedness as best It might
At this point Mr.. C. o. Bum wa
chosen secretary of the meeting an,
Judge Potterf called upon TO speak
The judge has been connected
with school affairs sine their in
ception and gave a brief hut ilnmi
mating history of the school work il
this dis'"ict. He also gave reason
why 1t would be judicious to issu
the refunding bonds for the purpos
of slLaring the indebtedness Of IN
sCaOol district to he ci', IIe mad
c.ear ~ Legality Of rhis course o
action and the feasibility OF the pre-
posed course OF action.
III
Judge Sims who confessed himsel