The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-01-31
N0D|SHONEST motive CHARGED
Or HIS SINCERITY EVER DOUBTED
Lee Cruce Reres from Four Years of Official Life With
8 Crown of Honor that is Delight to his Friends
and Credit to the Good Citizenship of Oklahoma
Something of the Work of the Man Who Gave Four
Years of Impartial Pubic Service.
(By W. f. Kerr

One of the many generous-souled
men who came into the office OF Gov
ernor Lee Cruce durin gthe last few
days of his administration, to express
gratitude for a good government right
fully administered, said: Governor,
you are leaving this position with a
crown upon your head that is worth
ten thousand times more than the
praise of politicians; 1t is the knowl-
edge that no man in the four years
of your official life has impugned to
you dishonest motive or charged
you with insincerity. | had rather
have that than mountain of gold,
with a stain upon my character"
They talked seriously of the tall
man in the executive office during the
latter days. There were no unkind
on the lips of those who professed
political enmity. If they still thought
i'll of him, they did not express it.
His friends who had been as strong
as he in the faith of an impartial pub
lie service, recounted the official acts
that had been criticized and marked
how the tall mans position, measured
always by the standard of right, had
proven that which only the unseared
conscience could dictate. And many Of
those who may have weakened in the
faith, under stress of political excite
ment, misinformation or unjust as
sumption, re-asserted their allegiance
to man with such rare and remark
able courage.
The last days were different from
some other last days. The executive
quarters were not converted into the
assembling place of the rabble where
men might hypocritically shout their
approval of the administration of Gov
ernor Cruce, or laud him beyond the
housetops as the savior of common
W N0llll' IL " 90 NllN paw
of true friends, not disappointed or
discouraged friends. Nor were their
numbers few. Not all of them had
the time to wait, and they left their
well-meant messages of good will, God
speed and good luck without the door
of the executives private room.
When | consented to write a brief
review of the administration of Cover
nor Cruce | did not have to halt for
retrospection to discover the biggest
of all qualities in the man, the most
significant thing of the administra-
ton. 1t was on every mans tongue
who talked. The theme was that Lee
Cruce was an honest man, Christian
man, a gentleman. | doubt if more
than few men in public life in the
United States have so consistently i'm
planted their personality in their Of
fetal acts and official utterances. The
personality OF Cruce is constructed
VI Nht pl iilNlBlto VI Juollits anu llt has
never salved it to suit an occasion or
quiet the mental disturbance of an
enemy. He is as mild and even-tem-
pered as a minister who has routed
the devil, and possesses a patience not
unlike that of Job. If | say that for
four years he had a smile for every
man, a cheering word for every sad
heart and a word of exhortation to
every erring one, | shall complete the
paramount attributes of his personali-
ty.
When the news went abroad that
Oklahoma had paid her debts, had
a good balance in the treasury and
was on sound financial basis. the
commercial world was pleased. That
counted for much. Her reputation had
suffered considerably because of al
legged extravaganza and poor business
judgment But when the word went
to every town, village and hamlet in
Oklahoma that Governor. Cruces re-
concentrations for better morals had
been written upon the statutes and
that an era of law-enforcement was
at hand, there was sincere rejoicing
in the families OF the poor and the
in the homes of par.
ents who craved an atmosphere of mo-
rality on a parallel with the atmos-
phere of education. II one doubts the