The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-05-19

land tax. l believe in allowing one
man to own $40 acres of land and tax
same at a nominal figure, but place a.
graduated tax on all over that amount
until it will be so expensive that he
cannot afford to own it. In Oklahoma
there are 10000 farms, and 105, 600 Of
those farms are occupied by tenants
There are not enough home owners in
Oklahoma. Oklahoma has lost more
through inefficiency than by dishon-
esty in office BY the gross earnings
tax, the public service corporations
would assess their own taxes. They
are compelled to render a report to the
state Of the amount Of business done
and by simple method Of addition the
tax could be worked out
Il believe in strict law enforcement
Some laws are good laws. We have
good prohibition laws and We have con-
stitutional prohibition. In many towns
OF the state, take Oklahoma City for
| instance, joints have flcurished. LII
9H0rs are shipped into the city by the
car load. 1t is my idea that the gov
ernor ssculd have the power to gus
pend any officer who did not DO his
duty. Such gross neglect Of law en-
forcement as is evident in Oklahoma
City regarding the prohibition laws
would be thing of the past. The lax
ity of the enforcement of the criminal
laws of the state is crime and the
people are rapidly losing confidence in
the officers.
Il believe in capital punishment in
murder and rape cases, and would see
to it that the due execution of all
criminal laws is fully observed and
would exercise the pardoning power
sparingly and only where the inter
ests of genuine justice demanded
q favor the employment Of convlcts.
Idle minds are the devils workshops.
There are many things these convicts
could do without conflicting with or
ganic, or statute law. The prisons
should, and believe could, be made
self supporting. | think prisoners
should be treated humanely and with
the utmost consideration, but am not
unmindful of the fact that the law
abiding people and the taxpayers OF
the state think that punishment, by
way of hard labor, is one Of the prime
objects Of Imprisonment | am tired
of this mawkish. squeamish, so-called
humanitarian, sentimentality that per-
sists in putting a prisoner on a pedes-
/ tai for honest people to worship or
that insists on converting their en-
forced confinement into a sort of pink
tea affair at the expense of the tax
payer. If these law violators can BE-
used profitably to make good high
ways | would favor that method OF EN-
ploymcnt, at all events they could be
used to prepare material crushing
granite, Or making cement for the
roads.
"Oil pipe lines should be common
carriers. The oil producers should be
divorced from the pipe lines. The oil
industry is one Of the biggest of the
state, but the independent producers
are at present at the mercies Of the
Standard Oil company They have
forced the price down In the Healdton
field several times without cause The
! producer and the transporter Of oil
should be separated. | believe Okla
homa has an opportunity TO combat
the Standard Oil company by the cree
,tion Of state refinery owned and
controlled by the state. believe the
people of Oklghoma would vote half a
million dollars worth of bonds for the
erection OF a state oil refinery and the
construction Of pipe lines from all Ok
lahoma oil fields to a common center,
the refinery.
- relieve m the ssrict enforcement
Of all laws and in economy Of govern