The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-10-21
TWICE TOO MANY
OFFICES IN STATE
GOVERNOR CRUCE IN ADDRESS
AT LAWTON ADVOCATES MOST
SWEEPING REDUCTIONS.

I.aWtOn, Okla, Oct 20.--"There
are just twice too many Offices in
this state, nearly twice as many in
stitutions OF higher learning as Ok
.ahoma really needs and the people
are paying $27i,oo0 every gear for
the maint tenance OF penal institutions
when they should not spend one
cent for that purpose" said Cover
nor Cruce to the people OF l.awton
Saturday nighl. He would abolish
all township offices. consolidate all
county cierkships INTO one Office
with register OF deeds thrown in;
con solidate sheriff and treasurer OF
assessor and treasurer: abolish all
superior courts and redistrict the
state so that but twenty distric.
judges w0uid be needed where there
are now thirty-one.
But | would not stop there, NJ
said. There are half dozen state
offices that could be eliminated -
The only one he mentioned was
state printer.
IN not m sDtion any more." he
s.id, for see my friend Charley
Hammonds getting nervous and !
don't want to embarrass him here
az home. Two hundred and seventy
five thousand dollars is spent every
year on penal Institutions. $3.50, 1000
on eleemosynary, s756,0O0 on schools
of higher learning, $1,000 for state
government The elimination Of
some state offices would cut that
for state government. The $565,OOO
for eleemosynary institutions is a
fixed charge, we must care for the
insane, the deaf and the blind. But
there is no sense in paying for keep
ing our convicts in idleness when
they might as well be at work maxi
ing these institutions self-support.
ing.
The Labor Field.
"The objection is raised said the
governor. that convicts would be
brought into competition with free
labor. They were in competition
with free labor before they were
convicted. But there are many en-
terprises where they would not COM
pete with free labor and could stiil
pay their own maintenance" He
mentioned the manufacture Of twine,
there is no such factory in the state
and its manufacture at home would
save thousands of dollars to farmers.
or the $756,00O for higher educa-
tion the governor said he would cut
that used in maintaining three OF
the state normals. both preparatory
schools and five of the district
schools Of agriculture; this in spite
OF the TACT that he was speaking in
town where ore Of the schools Is
located. The Panhandle school, he
said, should be maintained. One Of
the chief causes for high taxes he
declared is that people of Oklahoma
have attempted to make public i'm
provements too rapidly.
But IF you mean business in this
talk for economy he said, 'for
goodness sake quit talking about
something away of yoRder and be-
gin at home. Either quit boosting
yonr own local expenses or keep
still" For the cause OF better co.
crnment IN Oklahoma the governor
recommended that more stringent
laws against gambling and prize
fighting and more effective pre- Gi-
bstiOn law be passed.
Enthusiastic Welcome.
Five hundred children from the
public schools, all wearing Lee Grace
badges of white aud gold RIBBON. 80
hey scouts In uniform. and more
than 1000 citizens o. Lawton, h.ai-
ed by a reception committee Of 25O
business men and farmers, wetcnm-
ed Governor Cruce and the party Of
state officials when they arrived
The program Of entertainment fer
the governor was elabOrately carried
out.