Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-02-09
SENSATIONAL CHARGES MADE IN
SENATE WITH REFERENCE
TO "TIN BRIDGES"
HIGHWAY Department wins
4. Bill TO Abolish Col. Suggs' Ofiicc Is
Killed After Spirited Fight
on the Floor.
(By j. A. McKEENERO
(Staff Correspondent

OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. S.-(spe-
cialD-After five hours Of heated de-
bate on the floor, the senate late TINS
afternoon. by vote ofs22 to a. re-
fused TO concur with the house IN
abollshing the office Of state high
way commissioner, created two years
ago and now filled by Colonel Sidney
Suggs OF Ardmore. The bill was
passed several days ago by the house
win but little opposition and the
fight caused in the senate was a sur
prise.
Senator Dutton's Report.
The vote came on the adoption OF
the minority report OF the roaus anu
highways committee, when report
recommended that the bill do not
pass. The report was signed by SEN
ator Dutton. of Usage county, all the
other members of the committee Ia
yoring abolishment Of the office.
Senator Dutton led the fight for
Surgs all the way and won a signal
victory. The battle lined up as
fight between the township officials
on one side and the state highway
commissioner on the other.
Senator Vanderventer's bill requir-
ing railroads to Issue mileage books
of 500 miles at the rate Of Y cents
n mile was adopted late this after
noon by vote Of 80 to 0.
Charges Graft.
Charges of graft among many Of
ficials in Creek county were today
made by Senator J. ]. Jones of Sapul-
pa when speaking on the bill recently
passed by the house to abolish the
state highway department. The de-
bate. which was very warm, came up
when Senator Wilson called up the
committee report on the house Dill
abolshing the office.
Senator Dutton made vigorous
appeal in favor Of the highways de-
partment and fired some hot shots in
to the "tin bridge trust"
He was followed by Senator Jones
who started out by saying there
ought to be something done to stop
the bridge steals in oklahoma. lie
charged that one official in Creek
county on a salary Of $40 a year, stole
thousands Of dollars from the coun-
tv on bridge contracts, bought sew
eral farms and was now taking trip
to Europe at the expense of the tax
payers. "While we are abolishing the
office of highway commissioner" he
said. "for Gods sake let's do some
thing to stop the tin culvert brigade
and stop these thleving township Of
fcials." He said the same graft was
going on in Red Fork township In
Tulsa county and in counties all over
the state.
Daddy of the Bill.
Senator Roddie also made a vigor-
Gus speech against ab3lishing the Of
flee and declared. "the people of Ok
lahoma are slower to build roads and
faster to talk roads than the people
of any other state. Colonel Suggs Is
the daddy of the highway bill. He
is the real good roads agitator and
long before statehood he was preach
Ing good roads every Sunday In some
body's church.
"The people who started the fight
on Colonel Suggs in this state are the
people who sell tin bridges Senator
Wilson objected to that statement and
Senator Roddle declared he was not
impugning anyone's motives but he
insisted that the tin bridge gang was
responsible for the opposition to the
highways department.