The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-10-08

| mout TOT $l4zU6 per patient All
these things were common knowledg
to all who participated as leaders
this great preferential convention ye
they seek to mislead you by talking {
extravagance and preaching economy
But let US look a little further int
the books. What / have just said ha
been the results of this constitutio
upon the great world, but let us loo
at 1t from o. strictly Oklahoma stand
point We find that 1t vested in tn
people the right to regulate corpora
tons The records of the democrati
Corporation Commission of Oklahom
bears out fully the statement that Ok
lahoma democracy has regulated cor
porations instead of letting the corpo
/ rations regulate the man.
Everyone understands that freiuh
rates effect ever citizen. In the end
Is really the consumers who pay th
i freight. The records show that OIL
: this tim there has been great savinl
made to the people of Oklahoma unde
democratic administration. Here ar,
few instances which means much Il
every citizen: A comparison show:
that under republican rule in Okla
homa and Indian Territory It cost 16C
4 per cwt. to ship hay a distance OF 20l
miles, while under democratic rule II
cost 13 1-2c per cwt
Under republican rule It cost &c pei
cwt. to ship stone whereas under DEM
ocratic rule you can ship 1t the same
distance for &c cwt.
Under republican rule II cost 19c
per cwt to ship the lumber that goes
into your homes and places Of business
| while under an order issued by the
| Oklahoma democratic corporation
j go LIT
| your lumber for 13c per cwt.
| On refined petroleum such as the oils
you use In your lamps, the oils that
grease your machinery, we find that
under republican rule before statehood
| 1t cost 23c per cwt to ship 1t whereas
we are today shipping 1t for II 1-2c
| per cwt-
Another comparison that we find is
| that under republican rule the brick
that we use in our dwelling shipped a
distance of 200 miles within this state
cost you &c per cwt. whereas today
that brick is being shipped to you un-
der democratic rule at &c per cwt.
W. find further In the matter of the
coal that you use to Keep you and your
| family warm In the winter time that
| under republican rule you were charg-
ed $2.45 a ton for every ton of coal
they hauled a distance of 200 miles,
whereas under the democratic rule
railroad companies were forced to haul
lump coal to you at $3.50 per ton and
slack at the rate of $1.27 per ton.
There are many comparisons OF this
Kind that could be made but to say
the least the items set out above
which are upon the necessities of life
and the products of the farm have
amounted. in each year since state
hood. to a great saving TO the people
of Oklahoma
But as has been demonstrated byl
the facts that after few years of the
operation of this constitution that
even Teddy Roosevelt has admitted
that 1t is one of the best ever written.
They are not talking so much about
the constitution and it's results, but arei
talking more than democratic ex-
travagance in state government and
are not talking from the records but
from hearsay evidence.
They contend that democracy has
been extravagant in state government, !
but | cannot understand from what
standpoint they expect to convince
you that this is a fact when by a COM
parison of the records we find that the
tax levy for territorial purposes. dur
ing the last eight years of territorial
government amounted in the aggre-
gate to 45.40 mills, while under demo-
cratic government for every year
since statehood the aggregate levy for
all purposes has been 1255 mills.
In other words, they assessed for
territorial purposes during these eight
years nearly four times as much as
has been assessed since statehood. At
ter they get through talking to you
of state extravaganza they then tell
you in imaginary figures that the state
of Oklahoma is in debt anywhere from
eight to ten million dollars. This Is
but another of their misleading state
ments Remember that I am talking
from the records a nd herewith | pro-
pose TO give you the facts from the
cold clear records relative to this in
debtedness.
against the taxpayers is S4,360,0 900 and
did not create this indebt-
edness. This is divided into two bond
issues. one of $1.460, 900 and the other
for $2,900,000.
Now let us look into the facts and
and see why the necessity or
this Indebtedness. The first issue OF
81, ,460, 900 came with statehood and
was for an outstanding territorial in
iebtedness of $4,000 1t was neces-
;ary in the converting of this country
from a territory to a state that this
be liquidated. We also
'ound that there was no money on
land for the purpose of defraying the
expenses of state government until a
ak levy could be raised. We had fal-
en- heir 10 this condition Of affairs
md we did not believe that the peo-
,le should, Immediately upon the en-
ering of statehood, bear the burden
II paving off this old indebtedness
md the cost of state government. SO
citing upon good sound business
Judgment democracy issued bond is
ue in the above sum for the purpose
4 paying off this indebtedness and
efraying the expenses OF state gov
This debt will never become the
urden that our standpat republican
riends would have you believe for 2
emocracy had the foresight to know !
hat as this state grew its assessable
aluatiols would increase and proVid-
d that the people OF this state would c
ot have 10 pay this Indebtedness un- I
II more property had been accumulat-l !
d in Oklahoma and consequently the !
urden would be lighter. I
Therefore they issued this bond IS e
ne, none of which comes due until the \
ear 1918. and then Il is divided into q
ayments. which begin maturing 1918 s
nd further only one-tenth Of same Z
an be paid during any one year so
the burden OF the peo- $
le was then, and is now lessened by e