The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-07-02

Il A.
(Pol0Wl1Y e. ~ aJst-scf ~ ~ sr-l-
&c 10 Hzrlggs Weekly Ayrl p u
Tas mt Z yzld article. u mas pub
lssed ~ s1Yges' " the public taz- 81
Dir Ul.m@rug k ICt rmpICy-c a. Z
ryIlmlsslDIer be- must b. sfLpDysd a.
an eLyfsrr OF Irss efficient man en-
piOyed fO- the wOrE be cza cD. He
has 10 opyDlsrt aT-h ne special
qUzllh1A-scDs available 10 him he
asZs ne democratic nomination FOR
the lOuY term " Egccred George 4.
Henshzw, mo 81 N rstireJ
Jusf af present. The uCFr important
matter - 10 Oklahoma ls the series
Cf rate czses "'' A. nO time II the
history " the s'z'~ tas more depend
81 upOu tae efhcleacy II ~ officials
BeyOnd q dOJD' the syccess ~
failure ~ the state lI there rzases De
pend. BDDn the ability ~ 'tIDse engag-
"a 10 rearing and handling them.
TIE outcome involves many millions
Immediately and lnca.cJlable millions
10 the future.
who o. ln charge ~ the cases for the
state no other individual has been
called upon ~ bear ~ great q pOn-
EiDlllty ~ Henry WlilmerinR. VINO has
Just been called into the case again.
4 ne~ turn In this litigation.
little over month ago. suddenly
brought the entire question Of railway
rate making into the controversy.
The responsibility for massing fg
ures and shaping them 20 meanings
that must counteract the exhibits sub
mitted By the railroads fell upon Hen
~ Willmering
WillmsrinR was gtatistician and
rate expert for the commission from
the date Of its establishment nntil
1911 - He has given gratis much
advice since his retirement from the
commissions work. but the e1iRencies
Of the present situation demanded that
he drop everything and give the work
his undivided attention, at least that
was the opinion Of those working on
the case. ''' His old association with
the question made him ambitious TO
be Of service and keen 10 help his for
rncr associates with the battle Of their
lives.
When the corporation commission
was organized Colonel Jack Love dem
ongtratcd his ability 10 pick men who
could deliver results by finding the
station agent at Cleveland, Henry
Willmcrlng. Some wondered at
the time what Willmcring knew about
the complex problems OF great railway
and other public service corporations
But the big cowboy commissioner had
an insight and considerable informa-
tiOn OF which the critics had no know
ledge Willmcring was then only
little past thirty five. but hc had been
in the railroad business for twenty
years and more than ten years of that
service was I'm the accounting and
operating department As a boy his
father. who was heavy shipper, 80.
cured employment for him
as a station helper When he was
twenty he became yard clerk for the
PENNSYLVANIA in Chicago a year later
hc was assigned 10 statistical work for
the Pennsylvania and Wabash. His
first job was 30 develop an accurate
cost system Of handling tonnage In
and out OF Pennsylvania warehouses.
He made good and followed this line
for ten years IN 1903 hc needed and
took change the result OF the
change was the agent at Cleveland, In
the midst OF the oil district
At the beginning the commission
was without reliable data upon which
10 base conclusions Practically all
complaints filed have been answered
by intricate masses OF figures TO
which have been given a complex
meaning supporting the acts complain
ed off, II the facts set forth In the
figures submitted by the corporations
were 10 be- accepted there was little
use for the commission The commits
sion must base IT'S actions upon inlOr
nation OF an Independent character
The law authorized II TO compel re
ports to be furnished as II desired, In
such form as II desired. The practical
value OF this authority Is. of course,
limited by the ability to determine just
what Information Is essential - to
know exactly what TO ask for and how
10 ask for it-and the experience nee
cssary TO correate. and make tangible
and usable this information.
The task OF deciding upon the mat
ter and form Of these reports fell upon
Henry Willmering. On the success
with which he performed II has large
~ depended the success OF the com.
mission.
Through these reports
formulas and the system of inves-
legations of which Mr. Wilmering Is
chiefly the author. the corporation
commission is yeritable mine OF in
formation Concrete, usable data Is
there covering every public service
corporation in the state. 1t Is true
that this Information has cost IA con
siderable sum OF money On the other
hand the Frisco railroad has
spent over onc-half million in securing
Information upon which to base it's
attack upon the state made rates. The
Rock Island. Katy and Santa Fe have
each spent like amounts, according 10