The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-10-28

The Democrats try 70 defend them.
selves against the charge OF pr0digal
.reckleasness in The expense Of rum
ming the state government BY calling
the taxpayers attention to the local
and county expenses
ut Il true that the Democrats are
not to be charged with all OF our
heavy taxes Towns and counties
have often been very extraYagant
"The local taxes in Oklahoma City
are enormous. and no wonder Look
at the miles and miles Of asphalt
payements. sewers. water etc, where
there are no houses. See our fine
broad park lands, the grand boule-
yard, etc. All these things cost great
sums OF money. This city did all
these things at once while other cit
les did not do them ia less than 70
years.
There is no use complaining Of
city taxes. We put them on orr
selves. we voted the bonds Much
Of the work could have waited. But
after all we still hold what We bought
Or put down
But the great sums paid out BY
the state were largely for current ex-
pensea, the salaries OF a horde Of un-
necessary officials, the duplication not
only Of officials, but public instltu-
tions.
"The city and county tax is heavy
It Is true, but the state is iii debt
some s70OO,OO0O already and only five
years old, That debt was incurred BY
bad and dishonest management in the
state government Times, Oklaho
ma City, Oct 21.
The above clipping from the Okla
homa City Times Is one Of it's charac-
teristic campaign screeds, remark
able only in its unwilling acknowl
edgement that the Democratic party
is not responsible for all the ills 81
our body polite, grasshoppers
drouths and hign interest rates in
oluded. But II the above is true o
/ Oklahoma City, why Is II not true o
the state? In the days Of the consti
tutional convention and the first leg
islature, optimism prevailed iron
Haskell and Bill Murray down to th
sorry little bunch Of Republicans VIII
had escaped the wrath Of the peopl
over The shameless gerrymander pei
petrated by the Republican bosses i
dividing the proposed state into con
stitutional districts. The addition O
the Indian Territory had increase
the wealth of the proposed state pei
haps ten fold, perhaps beyond compl
tatlch, and from the golden stream Q
CORPORATION taxes and sources othe
than regular taxation it was antic
pated. the expenses Of the state GOV
ernment could be almost wholly me
aud taxation for state purposes bt
come an insignificant item.
With this rosy view In perspective
why wait 20 years for an educations
system, the marvel Of all the state
which had trodden the path from il
fancy to maturity? Why wait 20, g
or 40 years for a convict system abog
the plane Of sordd gain, with oonyi,
labor unknown as regards oompetitio
with paid labor? Why wait an inde
mite period to develop sn agrlcu
tural educational system the peer {
states 50 years older? Why not han
all these things now, since they coul
be had without unreasonable burden
Of taxation upon the people, since ii
inimitable corporate wealth Of til
state would pay the bills? And v
proceeded to have them What 9th,
commonwealth can boast Of acQuirin
| such an aggregation OF educationa
i penal and charitable institutions
any 20 years Of it's life as we hal
builded, equipped and supplied in five
What other state has ever found
necessary to so quickly house a col
Wet army Of 1900 and maintain it u
on the plane Of non-interference wit
! paid labor which means the cost
maintenance is one huge debit upo
the states ledger? What other fled
ling Of our tender years can boast
department Of charities, depaf
ment Of labor, whose duty Is TO loo
after the interests OF the worki1
classes, and a free employment bl
seau consisting Of number Of diyi
ions in different parts of the state?
court Of criminal appeals which is fa
becoming legal criterion throughol
| the length and breadth of the land
another attribute Of which the mali