The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-07-05
THE GOVERNOR
OPPOSES RECALL
Chief Executive Addresses Large
Meeting of City Employes.-ls
Against Gambling.

Oklahoma City, June Ex-Governor
Lee Cruce in an address before the
City club at the city hall Friday night
squarely and unqualifiedly declared op-
position to the recall" in city char
ters or in other Departments of goven-
ment. He also subscribed himself as
opposed to gambling in any form and
instanced the mutual system as oper-
ated at the local tracks as gambling
in one form. He declared that he
would advise the legislature to pass a
law at the next session to prohibit all
character of wagering on race horses.
Incidentally he deproled the lack of
enforcement of laws now on the stat
ute books, including prohibition and
the playing of poker, roulette or other
adjuncts of the "joint;" the extrava-
gances of taxpayers in voting outrag-
eously large bond issues and then crit
icising public officials and laying the
blame upon them; and, finally, he OPP
posed the idea of any individual re-
naming on the pay roll who could
not conscientiously convince himself
that he was giving the public full value
received. The address was somewhat
stronger than even Governor Cruce
has previously made. He was accord
ed the most. appreciative attention and
frequently interrupted by applause
from an audience that filled the ca.
pacity of the room and extended far
into the corridors.
Commissioner w. II. Hampton, preE
ident of the City club, called the meet.
ing to order Immediately after Cover.
nor Cruces arrival at S:15. Col. j. w
Johnson, municipal counsellor, was in.
ltroduced by Commissioner Hampton
and introduced the speaker. Col John
,son contented himselg with handing
the governor a well ?deserved compli-
ment in saying that 1--WE all love him
because he has the courage to follow
his conscience and the stamini to keep
Iuppermost his ideas of good citizen
ship"
Because of the high temperature
Governor Cruce lost no time in intro.
lductory "frills." He declared he was
glad to make an address to other pub.
lie officials in that he believed he
could get a sympathetic hearing He
next took up the subject of the "re-
call and declared unequivocally
lagainst that so-called progressive doc
trine. He stated that its natural con
sequences would be the lessening of
efficiency in government and the pro
motion of the rule of the minority in.
stead of the majority; that it gave an
opportunity to every employe who
might be discharged to seek vengeance
at the expense. of the public and the
humiliation of the chief officials.
| Concerning gambling, Governor
Cruce hoped that the prohibition and
gambling laws as now incorporated in
the statutes would be inforced regard
less of whether the officials believed
them good or bad laws. He took oc
casion at that time to contradict a
published report that he had indorsed
the "mutuels system of betting" as
now operated at the local race track
He explained that he had investigated
the machines and when asked by the
reporter for an opinion he had stated
that IF gambling was to be permitted
that the mutuel system seemed to be
the fairest." He was opposed, how
ever, to gambling in any form and
lpromised that if the legislature took
ibis advice it would pass a law pro
hibiting it at once and for all time
When women and little girls begin
to bet on race horses" declared the
governor, "it is time that something
be done to reconstruct the moral tone
of the citizenship"
From that point he discussed Okla
homa City's burden of taxation. He
placed the causes fully upon the tax
paying voter and not upon the public
official His statement in connection
with this phase of the city government
was a repetition of several former ad-
dresses.
The next meeting of the City club
will be held July 12.