The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-06-24
BUILDING The CAPITOL

BUILDING The CAPITOL
III
1t has been claimed without success
fiji contradiction thar no state capitol
was ever 0uiIt within the limits Of the
original appropriation and that few. !.
any. had ever been completed without
well founded charges OF graft having
been Ieveled al some of those in au-
fhority along down the checkered line
OF itx hating evoIuti0ns. OkIahoma's
state capitol building Is under @ay
and up to date there has been no whis-
per o. graft in connection Tith its
building and in this particular Okla
homa bids fair to establish another
precedent There are mere ways than
one, however, OF -skinning a cat, as
one nav learn BY brief glance al the
lexicon Of youth. and this axiom APP
plies with equal force 70 doing things
in the political and business world.
TWO years ago the legislature nam
ed capitol commission and empow
cred them to begin the construction
OF state capitol building to cost not
Il exceed sf,5a0.000. This year the
legislature amended the Law slightly,
added the governor to the commission
and completed the appropriation FOR
the one and half million dollars
which was to build the building Plans
had been adopted and the commission
had made the excavations and built
the basement and much Of the In
ternal concrete and steel works. Bids
were opened on July for the compile
tfon of the work and among the mum
erous bids and the vide range Of ma
terials with a long list Of alternatives
it Was found that either a completed
building could be built within the ap-
preparation or an exterior desired b.
all could be built and the interior be
left unfinished to await the appropria-
ton OF large additional sum to com
pIcte the structure The vanity, pub
lie spirit and hcme pride Of the com
mission was involved and the prospect
OF the next legislature making the
necessary appropriation was discount
ed and for brief. wayering moment
IL looked as though Oklahoma might
be induced to follow In the footsteps
oE snme Of her sister states and launch
her capitol boat on the uncertain seas
Of indefinite completion, unauthorized
extraragance and broken faith. There
was no real danger. however. for the
governor and the commission prompt
ly put up to the attorney generals Of
flee the question OF whether, under the
appropriation made by the legislature
contract could be let for the amount
OF the appropriation il the contraci
did not provide for completed build
ing. and the attorney general advised
that completed building, finished
job. was the manifest purpose OF th'
legislature in making the appropria
tion and that a contract calling for tn
expenditure OF the total sum for an In
complete building would be illegal ~,
void. The commission Was please'
with the decision because il closed tn
controversy and kept the faith Wit
the people and the legislature and ula
point IL settled The Oklahoma stat
capitol viii be completed for one an
half million dollars ami them shonl
any future legislature vote to put
dome on the structure, or to decofat
it's interior with classic marble or po
ished onyx. it will be up TO them I
order it,
The commission will let a contras
for finished building and il will nc
be contract open at one end int
which million more Of the people
money viii have to be poured before
ran be accepted Shawnee News-He
cid