The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-02-04
BRIDGE COMPANIES Do NOT BUY
THEY USE A DIFFERENT METHOD
Boards of County Commissioners and Members of the
Legislature are Put Under Lasting" Obligations by
Generous Entertainments. Read this Article and
Write to Your Member in the Legislature.

contract for steel trussed bridgt
but if we bid they get the contract
and there is no use for us to try t
compete with them. They can make
a contract for. one bridge at $500 les:
than cost, and make it all back OF
the next, where we do not bid
You are certainly doing goot
work, but you have not only got the
trust to fight, but you have got some
of the commissioners as we'll
The Lobby in Kansas.
The Kansas bridge law had moi
been amended since 1868 and condi-
tiOns were getting very rank, so by
the assistance of State Engineer
Gearhart, Chairman Kincaid of the
roads and highway committee, fran
ed up bill that was intended tC
put a crimp in the squandering OF
tax money in bridge letting.
Knowing that Mr.. Kincaid had
been up against the influences that
block such bills as he was fathering
| wrote for a bit of his experience.
He tells very interesting story, part
of which | quote here:
Il believe | can best answer your
questions by giving you complete
history of the bill.
" However, no history of the bridge
law which is known as House Bill No.
511 would be complete without ref
erence to House Bill No 230, "An
act creating a state highway commits
sion and defining its powers and du-
ties
When the last named bill was
read in committee, Mr.. O. S. Glib
son, representative from Cowley
county, Immediately moved that the
bill be reported back to the house
with the recommendation that it not
be passed This, of course, opened
the matter for discussion. (There
hadn't been, up to this time, one
word of discussion or commentD
"How Mr.. Gibson, a retired farmer,
knew instantly this was undesirable
legislation, is pure speculation on my
part. The bridge people, however,
were dead against it to man. This
bill was finally passed out by the
roads and highway committee, but
was killed in the committee of the
whole.
when bridge bill No. 51t was
brought up in committee the same
o. S Gibson again moved that the
bill be reported back to the house
with the recommendation that it be
not passed. The motion lost over
whellningly. This was Saturday morn
ing, February s. A motion prevailed
that this bill be given special con-
sideration Tuesday morning, Febru-
airy IL.
There was no other person pres
ent at this committee meeting ex-
cept the following eight members of
the committee: Kincaid of Johnson,
chairman; Bailey of Brown: Gibson
Of Cowley; Topping of Douglas; Ker-
'chen of Marshall: McDannald of |
Ihautauqua; Houston of Butler, and |
iibson of LeavenwOrth-a bare quo
'um. Yet when Tuesday morning
'ame and | walked into the COM
nittee room, men strangers to me. |
we're standing around everywhere.
some were holding models of galvan
zed culverts in their hands. As soon
Is the committee was called to or
Ter they began their TRADE in
most discourteous, vociferous, and
busive manner.
Through the misunderstanding of
he stenographer am unable to give
ou the names of all the men who
poke against it. They were repre-
entatives of a corrugated metal cul-
ert company of Horton the Empor-
A Corrugated Metal and Culvert COM
any; the Topeka Bridge and Iron
ompany, who claim to hold patents
r designs for concrete bridges.
noWn as the Luten patent. Ed
eNeill, county commissioner of
hawnee county, and, | think, ex-
reSident Of the County Commission.
RS association, state organization.
AS chairman of the committee |
nnounced that no motion looking to
lie disposition of the bill would be
1tertained and announced an execu-
We session of the committee for the |
blowing morning.
AT this meeting | submitted the 5
'oOf of the falsity of many of the s
atements made on the previous S
orning. These proofs were SO alb ;
'lutely convincing that most mem
,rs of the committee turned sup 5
'rters Of the bill, with some amend {
ents.
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