The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1913-01-25
GOV. CRUCES SAND
BILL IS KILLED
House Votes to Indefinitely Postpone
Bill to Repeal the Statute .
Maxey Leads In Fight.

Governor Lee Cruce, of Ben F. Rile,
as ceretary of the election board o
Oklahoma.
Governor Lee Cruces pet measure
which would repeal the section of tn,
statute which prevented him carrying
out his contract with the Builder.
Sand and Gravel company, received
it's first jolt today when sixty-twt
members of the house, led by Speaker
Maxey, voted to indefinitely postpone
the amendment, introduced by Theo
dore Pruett of Anadarko, which pro
posed to make the alterations in the
sand and gravel law desired by the
governor, and which the latter hat
told the house was his reason for hold
ing UP the printing of the code.
In vain did Pruett plead with the
house to pass the amendment which
would reserve to the state the river
beds of all navigable streams, and
referred to Governor Cruces explana
ton to the house that he had held up
the printing of the code to give the
legislature an opportunity to amend
the sand and gravel law. He added
that the repeal of this statute was all
that was necessary to appease the gov
ernors displeasure with the code, .
and following the amendment, the gov
ernor would allow the cole printed.
]. e. Wyand of Muskogee said that
he was desirous that the code be
printed "even over the governors veto
if necessary"
The fact that Pruett had called up
the proposed amendment and asked
that it be made special order, left
the house to act upon it without a
copy of the proposed amendment be-
fore them, and this created in the
minds of many members suspicion
that possible there was an unknown
Joker" concealed in Pruetts desire
for premature passage of the amend
ment.
G. B. Emanuel of Sulphur asked for
some additional light upon the owners
of the Builders Sand and Gravel COM
pany, and F. z. Curry of Tulsa volun-
teered the information that A. c..
Cruce, brother of the governor, was
one of the parties interested in the
company, and added: If it had not
been for this bunch of grafters in Ok
lahoma City the code would never
have been held up Speaker Maxey,
who was occupying seat on the floor
of the house, leaned across to an
other member and whispered: Curry
just had to get that remark out of his
system
Maxey took the floor and then led
the fight to indefinitely postpone Pru-
ett's measure, in view of the fact that
an attempt was being made to have it
passed when the legislators We're with
out printed copies of the amendment,
and could not intelligently vote on the
question. Maxey said he thought that
Governor Cruce had been imposed
upon by the Builders Sand and Gravel
company and did not impute to the
governor any Interior motives in wsih-
ing the sand and gravel clause re-
pealed or amended. Pruett endeay-
ored to explain that the consequences
of repeating the clause would not re-
suit in serious consequences, to which
Maxey rejoined IF you repeal this
clause you will encourage state au-
thorities to enter into similar con-
tracts.
I'VE are not here to pass laws to
suit the governors fancy" concluded
the speaker. The discussion occupied
considerable portion OF the after
noon and upon roll-call only 2S mem
bers voted in favor of the considera
tion of Pruett's amendment.
The remainder of the afternoon was
passed in the fruitless discussion Of
Peerys bill providing for the working
of convicts, county and city upon the
highways, at dollar day. The bill
also provided that fine and cost
judgment should become lien upon |
the property of the convict, as would
a judgment in civil case
The house passed to engfrossment
bill doink away with deputy
except in cases where
constable was unable, alone, to make
News of the Mounds bank robbery |
caused the house to call up at once,
and finally pass, the senate bill max
ing robbery with explosives punish