The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-06-28
BU|LD|NCFUND
IS SUBJECT Of
CONTROVERSY
TRANSFER OF s75o,ooo FOR USE
OF CAPITOL is DISCUSSED -
THE LAW is CRITICIZED BY
SOME.

Oklahoma City, June PA little
controversy regarding a remainder in
terest of the consolidated schools in
the public building fund of the state
has reached the letter writing stage.
II grew out of the action of the fifth
legislature in appropriating s750,000,
known as public building funds, for
use of the state capitol commission
in construction of the capitol. This
act provides that this transfer of pub
| lie building funds to the capitol fund
shall be construed TO be a loan, and
in event sufficient funds do not &C
crue 10 the public building fund from
sale of lands known as public building
fund lands pledged to secure bonds
heretofore issued, the credit of the
state is pledged in this act TO the ex-
tent of 100000 for that purpose The
sum named is the amount of out
standing public building bonds.
In brief, the law is that the public
building lands are back of the $780,
600 public building bond issue. Any
surplus in that fund after the bonds
shall have been discharged is to go
to the consolidated school fund OF the
state. The money that is in the inter
est and sinking fund for discharge of
the building bonds has been lent TO
the capitol commission and the credit
of the state is pledged to the extent
of the outstanding bonds for public
buildings. The 1915 law provides that
the fund thus loaned shall be REIN
bursed from the sale Of lands donated
to the state for capitol purposes.
Lemon critie'zes Law.
Representative J. +. Lemon of
Grant county has been quoted in a
local farm paper as follows:
"Of course, there is weak and
meaningless promise TO pay it back
out OF the money to be derived from
the sale of the $50 acres of land given
TO the state by Oklahoma City, and,
Of course, those who are informed
know there will never be more than
small fraction OF that sum realized
from the sale of these lands. The
same bill that diverted this money
provided that the state capitol com
mission could exchange any of these
lands for other lands adjacent to the
capitol site, and as it will take from
ten to 100 acres Of these outlying
lands to buy one acre of the more
valuable land contiguous TO the cap
itol site, there will not be much left
when they get through exchanging
Nothing but an aroused public sen
timent could ever have forced the leg
islature TO pass the law setting aside
this money for consolidated schools |
in the first place. Nothing but an
aroused public sentiment can force
them to restore the money"
Peebly Explains Legislation.
On the other hand. Representative |
r. L. Peebly OF this city explains the
legislation as follows:
Now what is the real truth OF the |
matter regarding the s750,000 appro-
priauon? When the fifth legislature
met it was confronted with this con
diton: The contractors could not use
the entire $l,5O0.OO0 which the capi-
tol was TO cost before another legisla- |
ture met The people in the country
were not using the consolidated school |
fund money and by borrowing this
money the legislature could save the
state about 100000 in interest. Was
it worth saving? On page 567. Session
Laws Of 1915, you will find this Ian
guage: Provided that the transfer of
funds from the custody Of said com
Of the land Office to the
state treasury as herein provided shall
be construed 10 be a loan from said
Of the land office Per
tectly plain. isn't II?
Had the legislature appropriated,
- %s'~ANA NeAt as " AhAANS III bAuNA /
to raise the money, l predict that the
members would have been handled
without gloves for lacking in common
business judgment, and they should
have been.
The fifth legislature gave Okla
loma county and Oklahoma City just
q. i
As member OF that body. l desire TO
say that in all my experience l have
never met a better or more honest
body OF men, and men who were hon
,stly working in the interest OF the
state As a. whole, they were men
who had sacrificed their own interests
It home because their constituents
lad confidence in them and asked
4 -.