The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-06-12
Bill Murray's Reply
to Cruces Acceptance

county and state governments will
have 70 bow to that decision But,
my dear Mr.. Cruce. If the In1in
tax should be an issue in this cam-
paign, then let us also make an Is
sue of the railroad and corporation
tax. who have secured injlnctl1ns
against one million, one hundred and
seventy-four thousand dollars, or a
sum total of four times as great as all
that secured by the Indians. | hold
the same policy with reference to
both, and that l should instruct
the attorney general to push them to
speedy conclusion in the interest
of the state.
3rd. My position upon the coal
and asphalt lands is that it is not
an issue in this campaign for the
reason that under the enabling act
this, as well as all other Indian
property, must be disposed of by con-
gress, and that congress, with the
opposition of Busby and the other
coal operators, with the senate made
up as it is, will never permit the
purchase of the coal lands by the
state; and in view of the further
fact that the purchase cannot be
male by the state, even with per-
mission of congress, unless the same
receives the sanction of the people
at a general election. as disclosed
by Sec. % of Art. 10 of the Okla
homa constitution, and also since
the school money can not be used,
as the method of lOaning it is fixed
under the constitution, (See Sec.
G. Art. ~, and no other funds can
be used. since under the cOnstitu-
tiol again no bonds can be issued
in excess of four hundred thou
sand dollars, except for the debts
heretofore created, unless such bond
issue shall also receive the sanction
of a vote of the people, and there
fore, the governors hands are tied.
| observe you state that if the
coal lands were purchased that con
vict labor would be worked in the
mines. In this you are ignorant of
the constitution, because in Sec 2,
Art. 90, of the constitution is
found this clause prohibiting it,
a caluse that | supported and
voted for in 1.-The constitutiJna
convention, forever prohibiting the
lease system or competition of con-
yict labor with the honest labor of
the state. If | had the power
do not mind stating that | would
provide for the purchase Of the coal
lands, provided both the mineral de
posits and the surface can be pur-
chased together, position | held !
to in the constitutional convention |
and the first legislature, and | am
in this by the democratic !
party of Oklahoma in its platform
adopted at Tulsa September IL, 1908, |
a convention in which you participat-
ed, and the chairman of the commit |
tee on platform was X. w. Dick, a
citizen of your town. and now your
Why did you not then
fight it? | wish to call your at
tention further that the Hon. w. A.
Leibetter was elected delegate to the
convention from dis
trict composed solely of the town
of Ardmore upon platform declara-
tion declaring for the purchase Of
the coal and asphalt lands by the
state, and | ask you if your brother,
\. c. Cruce, was not upon the plat
form upon which Ledbetter ran?
But if the coal is stripped of the
surface by the federal government
| should oppose the purchase of the
deposits. If the state had the sur
face it couil and ought to be sold,
as disclosed in my speech accepting
the speakership found in the journals
of the house, to actual farmers. and
could be confined to citizens of Ok
iahoma. Whereas, If the federal
government sells the surface no
man in Oklahoma will scarcely have
an opportunity to buy these lands