The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-04-29
Hssldton Herald

The Hsaldlon Herald is published in
the very heart Of the greatest Okla
homa Oh field lls editor knows A.
much hboul oil a. any other publishsr
ln Oklahoma Ne sees In the Robertson
plank rsopsninE Of vsEsd question,
and such r,opsning can, in his opinion,
only bring sddsd troubles to the pro
ducsr Of OIL In one Of the ablesl ID
toualt ever produced In an Oklahoma
newspapef he discusses the oil plank
In lht Robertson platform a. follows
a careful rsudinG NJ Judge Robertson
platform con,incss ons that hsrs s reason
Tor alarm amanI all whb are primarily IN.
trrssied In the ds' Hlopment of Ohlahoma's
nl fields. A fsopeuiuH ~ the question of
the sross production tst is e disaster. The
judge rsfsr 10 this question In the follow
The question of whether NJ not mi.
arbitrary rate Of Z percent is unjust and
insaunabis, too hlEh ~ too lew h quss
tiou NJ fact that ,an hs adjusted IA
comparison With the valuation and rate ~
the tsI levied en other classes q property
When this comparison Il shhRusutelI made
end the rate u shown 10 be tneauitable and
higher than ths ias on othsr speCiss of prgp
sriy In Oklah@ns, I haNs faith IN the fair
ns-s oi the legislature 10 Teedlust the rutt.
N n cannot h 80 shown. then The rate
should remain a. n II, and syeFI fAh mind
I'd producer Will agree With this reasoning
While the Language OF Judge hebstson
he IL not satisfied With the present : per
cent gross pFodu ctlOu tHr and n willing
that The SSssilon be Tsep.nsd ln wider that
the TAI may he reduced NuthlnH IN his
language Leads 70 the deduction thst he
would h. willing foF The tAH 70 be ln.
creased N hlt exhaustive" Investigation
must not bs forgotten, however. that y eli
tnyrsilHHtlons ~ t0 equity n ~ 80 nkelt
thst an OkiahVms legislature would find
IN thst event, should the taI he Increased,
The ven purpose ot the Judges platform
would he wrecked.
In thIs ronnsrtIsu n uust M rensm
hsrsd that Oklahoma hes the law ~ lnitiH
tive and referendum, should the legislature
decrease the gross production taH " ls hb.
solutsy certain the hill would bs referred
rsrtsin fhni the agitation on The rsfsrrn.
dun would be followed hT an iritiatite bill
which would increase the tAH Ia not less
than percent. such 49, Initiative psHsuf.
has hem threatened ~ times gone hy, and
every Intelligent pTodureT Of oil realizes
that II could he s@slly carried,
Judge Robertson appears tn bs fflendlT
"a reduction of the HrOss production iet
from : percent A. 70 whether or not he
h sound In his spiniOn is matter upnn
which I'll cannot sEres. Common sense die
tatrs, however. that he has opened sab
lsrt that should have remained unopened
IN = laundering utTaddls Of YerI large
taI question, he seems 20 have Invited the
support oi Die oil world, Whe'hsf he has
secured that support remains 20 he artn,
The fact that he has reopened = question
ard made paramount the subject of oil
taxation Ia apparrnt Ia thinking men, He
has been charged with belnE too friendly 10
ihs great llpTeduCinE Interests, and "
the charge b. true, he has certainly erred
ln opening sorrs which shOuld have been
healed In the long aso. Ne has proven h.
yond psrAdNentuTe thRt an inexperienced
man, no matter how good his Intentions,
can do more harm than an s1pehsncsd man
who does not seek 10 br - friendly 10 any
one Interest
The JudEe, 80 long ~ responsibility does
not reat upon him, " desirable man 20
have around Nothing that he has sVsf
dnne ronvinces one that he would he
safe man ~ the helm ~ the shin " state,
A. platform lecture, he is. IN the Ian.
ruass NJ Colonel Shakespeare eli and
somewhat