The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-10-28
OKLAHOMA STATE DEBT
DISCUSSED BY BALLARD

bitter lessons Of corporate graft ana
greed and Of the states disadvantage
in the federal courts we had 70 learn,
and which may bo summed up in the
general statement that our estimated
sources Of revenue other than taxa
ton had fallen far short, but since
We had bought or put down all
these modern advantages the bills
must be paid
The spirit Of modeFnlty had shown /
its prevalence even in the remotest I
districts Of the state, since liberal
ieYies had been made for schools, good /
roads and the modern utilities Of cit
les and towns. Added to these came /
two years OF successiyely short crops. /
When a raise in state taxes became
inevitable, the coincident realization
that taxes are high" focused the
attention Of the masses upon the cen
trial or state government. A perusal OF
your tax receipt viii show that in uF-
ban communities approximately one
third was for school purposes and
more than one third was for local
municipal use, while the state tax was
insignificant as compared with the
whole Read your tax receipt and
deny it, II you can.
Besides the Incompatible and in
contestable advantages which we
have enumerated, as fiye-year-old
against the record Of any other com
monwealth Of four times our age, we
assumed an indebtedness Of one mil
lion four hundred thousand dollars.
existing against the former territor-
ial government.
We have built and equipped peni-
tentiary and reformatory at cost Of
over one million. We have built and
equipped charitable institr 3ns az
Fort supply Enid and Vinita, at an
approximate cost Of a quarter of a
million We have erected buildings
and addition and added equipment at
the state university, Norman, the
preparatory schools at Tonkawa and
! Claremore, the School OF Mines at
Wilblirton, the Girls College ar Chick
asha the State Training school at
/ Pauls Valley, the School for the Deaf
at Sulphnr, the schools for tho blind
at Fort Gibson and Taft the Or
phans' Home at Pryor,9the six state
normal schools at Edmoudao Table
quah, Alya, Weatherford Ada aud
Durant the A. & M. college at Stills
water and the six district agricultural
schools at Warner, Tishomingo,
/ Broken Arrow, Lawton. Helena and
Goodwell, at an approximate cost OF
one and one-haH millions s
With this awful state debt" which
laid at our door, is included three
: million dollars public building bonds,
: with which we are charged, only one
and a quarter million Of which has
been realized upon, and some Of
which has already been retired. This
will take approximately two millions
OF dollars off the debit side OF the
ledger Fully one half million Of
5 dollars unexpended appropriations
( with which they seek TO charge us re-
main to the credit of the various
) funds unexpended. Expenses Of the
state government have approximated
] two millions Of dollars a year, includ
: ing cost of maintenance of peniten
/ tiary, insane, etc, since statehood
{ and general revenue receipts have
c approximated an average OF one and
Z one half millions, leaving a deficit Of
5 perhaps an annual average Of one hall
g million per year for 1908, 1903, 1914
e and 1911. There win e no deficit foi
e the fiscal year 1912, which ended June
7 30 last. Hence, to sum up, the actua
3 Indebtedness Of the state for whicf
/ obligations are outstanding for which
d no provision Of payment has beer
e made is less than three millions O
dollars. This is only an approximate
I estimate, but win be found sufficient
i. ly neaa the facts to challenge argu
). ment.
b This deficit was occasioned as We
( have shown, first by oyer-estlmatln.
d the sources Of revenue other thar
+ taxation second, BY buying more thar
I we could pay for at the time. just al
: Oklahoma City has done But ",
have the goods bought or put down
8 and should not finch. according /,
( the doctrine Of the Times. And, mark
5 the current expense item Of our STATE
! government doesn't only mean salar
1 les ais this self-righteous bunch woult
{ have You believe but maintenance o
5 the state penal charitable and a large
!. portion Of our educational insttu