Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-02-24
Governor Personally En-
ters Fight and Whips
Members in Line.
FAVOR PRESENT LEVY
Majority Recommends 2
Per Cent, But Solons
Turn Down Report.

/ Special to The World
OKLAHOMA CITY. Fob 20 Cow
| crnor Williams personally presided
over political whip-crncking which
eliminated Friday artcrnon I'm defeat
of the house committees majority re.
port that recommended a per cent
gross production tax on oil
Ncsbmt Muddlcs Reports.
After Speaker Ncsbitt had muddled
the majority and minority reports until
scarcely anybody could tell which was
which or what was actually before
the house. the minority report. which
submits the original bin containing
3 per cent tax specification. was
adopted
This action will serve to put tho
original bill on the calendar.
Minority uniformed.
Chairman Gish of the revenue and
/ taxation cummitte protested the nc
. tlou, proclaimiug that the signers OF
/ the minority report had never attend
/ ed hearing ana On consequence
/ could not have acquired intelligent
/ knowledge OF the rcnl situation. But
/ lII' HllNNNM Nl lllf INNfillNI lfAf
/ hand oNcrhuug the asscmblagc and
with the assistance OF several politi-
/ cal satellites the executive succeeded
! u having denied that relief which
/ thousands of oil producers and farm
crs have prayed. and won the first
round toward creating "a t2,000.0OO
surplus for this political administra-
ton to handle.
Cam Russell Take, Hand.
Corporation Commissioner camp
. bell Russell also was aligned against
. the relief measure. Representative
Tom Hale making speech. part OF
which he read slyly from the COM
missoncrs little publication that pur-
ports To give Information upon taxa
tion In oklahoma. Hales reprcsen-
tatious taken from Russelrs sheet
were Incorrect IN practically every de-
tail.
iiy using political strong meth
ods, the governor demonstrated the
| truth Of his oft-repeated assertion
/ that he controlled the legislature.
Taking up quarters near the lower
house Friday morning and using
Campbell Russell and his understudy,
/ Art walker. 1a chief ushcrs, the gov
cruor summoned all the boys inter-
cstod In appropriation bills He pro-
cccdcd to toll them how the legisla-
ture should vote on the oil tax meas
utc.
speaker Assisted.
The governor was ably assisted by
/ Speaker Ncshitt, who is interested In
keeping down the tax rate on lead and
zinc interests which were affected by
house bll 40 400. that measure
. which was reported out by the COM
mittce ON revenue and taxation
Bnl DUrunt. the biggest Democrat
i'm tho state today: Bob Warren and
If other stalwurt Democrats who are
|ahlc TO think for themselves could
not bc cocrced into helping the COVER
nor carry out his plans to wreak ven
gcancc on the oil producers, whom no
appurcativ hates because some ol the
OH counties did not use Rob Williams
adding machines 10 count the vote,
cast IN the last primary and general
elections.
Governor Vents spleen.
I'm return for these counties dcre-
uctiou tho governor proceeded 10
withdraw for purposes OF taxation
their principal source OF wealth ana
TO convert the tax into the state
treasury At the same time the ratio
was made far greater than is imposed
upon any one class OF property In
sun unsausflcd. the governor as
/ chairman ut the state board OF equal
izatlon. so arranged matters that no
I could gloat IN unholy glee over tho
/ feet that his county OF Bryan where
Le has rich land holdings Is assessed
on land values at approximately Sl3
am ucre. whereas Tulsa county ~
] usscsscd no S29 an acre. As an author
itv on taxation and tax systems, tho
| governor IS able TO speak advisediy,
inasmuch as he owned land assessed
nj much less than the mortgage which
covered IT,
Tax Grossly Unfair,
These undcniablo facts are reclted
merely to reveal the motive which act
uutcs the executives actions In the ore
taxation matter.
Tho legislators are not so much 20
/ blame because they have not the facts
before them. which show conclusively
that the gross production tax Is Inn
posed on nine thousand persons ana
concerns producing oil. great
| majority affected are residents OF
oklahoma. many are widows and
orphans and threc-fourths OF whom
are not making 81 above their invest
| mont The oil tax merely relieves the
railway and public service corpora
/ uons from state taxation and saddles
/ tho burden upon an individual class.
Data and statistics with other tax
rates In the state show positively that
! the on producers are paying almost
/ double the amounts paid 10y other tax.
PAYERS. furthermore, that the state Is
| pilng up a huge surplus at the eN-
pehsc OF the oil interests.
Opposed By Republicans.
The Republican contingent In tho
/ house stood firm against coutinunucs
Cf tho eNorh'tant tax, voting solidly
against the minority report. They
wlthstocd threats, c1iolcrN promises,
/ nattcry and everything else and re-
maiDcd true totheir conscience and to
the people they represent CheltAam
and Morgan OF Creek county. Disney
| West and Ncff of Muskogee county
! Christopher OF Okmulgee county ami
! Thad Blkcr OF Carter county voted 70
refuse tho oil men n hearing and All
nnNIlNI-En ~ pAnE SIX