The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-01-29


allowing the state highway depart
ment to work convicts on the roads.
This bill should pass, for by this
means Sidney Suggs could and would
have his system of state highways
ready for traffic before the summer
of 1915. The Ardmoreite refuses to
believe that the legislature will throw
one stone in the way of Col. Suggs'
plans for the betterment of the roads
of the state.
Every member must know that
there is no man in the state who has
given more thought or is better quail
flied to solve the road question. The
Ardmoreite refuses to believe that af-
ter the sentiment aroused by Sidney
Suggs during the past eighteen
months, that the legislature will graf
ify tin bridge and tin culvert' men
by legislating kim out of office.
If this is done there will be the big
gest howl from the people ever heard
in the land. They-the people
know just how little they have been
getting for their four millions of dol
lars and they know that more than
half of this amount every year Is 60
ing to a small coterie of tin bridge
and tin culvert men,"
Look the matter fair and squarely
in the face. Sidney Suggs has only
committed one crime in their eyes.
He has shown where nearly four mill
ions of dollars annually which is paid
into the fund for roads and bridges
go to. He has shown where over
million of dollars goes to six steel
bridge concerns, another millicp for
tin culverts" to about five concerns,
more than half a million for salar-
les of the township overseers and
officials and another half million for
machinery. For this reason a small
number of salaried township men in
secret organization the headquar-
ters of which is the office of mater
ial concern, are urging his abolish
ment. These men decided, and SO
stated in the public prints within
sixty days after he took the oath Of
office that Suggs must be abolished.
For eighteen months campaign of
villification has been going on, pro-
noted and financed by those who are
most benefited. Already they are
ready for a compromise in the shape
of ALLOWING the department to re-
rrain,' if "Suggs is legislated out of
Office They cannot handle him and
they know it, They might not be able
to handle the next man but they
krCw that it would take another man
two years to get his department re-
organized and they would be left un-
disturbed with chances to further dis
credit a state department and finally
get ri of it altogether.
No man in the state would have
taken the job Sidney Suggs took Mn-
the same conditions as he took it..
No man in the state would have
placed his credit and thousands of
dollars of his own money in the
cause like Col. Suggs has done. All
he asks now is, that provision be
made Sc he can collect the fifty-one
hundred dollars due the department
from the automobiles and be left
alone to carry out his policy and such
plans as the legislature might deem
wise to enact in favor of good roads
for the state.
The Ardmoreite believes this will
be done. The people demand it and
any other course would be the rank
est injustice to the people and a dis.
tinct drawback to the state at large.
Taxpayers; Here's a 100000 Leak.
The state legislature in its delib-
erations can do no more along any