The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-01
SENATOR HILL ANSWERS
THOMAS ROAD ARGUMENT
in NJ 'ALESTER DEbAT

| McAleSter, Okli, ApTli -''-''ciaSo''
Sentiment in favor of the bond issue
has developed to that point where 1t
Is believed that the negative vote in
Pittsburg county next Tuesday will be
in about the proportion that was regis
tered when the legislature voter on the
passage of Senate Joint Resolution No,
| 10, the Fifty Million Dollar Hard Sur
faced highways bond issue measure
Straw votes taken not only in McAlester
but in various towns and communities
in Pittsburg county indicate that the
negative vote will be of a negligible
character,
Senator j. Elmer Thomas of Lawton,
father of the so-called Thomas plan,
and Senator T.. i. Hill. of McAlester,
member of the senate roads and high
ways committee, engaged in Joint de-
bate here last night, when both sides
of tho matter We're fully discussed.
Senator Thomas devoted most Of the
hour and a quarter he consumed to set
Ting purported figures to show that the
roads contemplated in the proposed con-
| Stitutional amendment cannot be built
with the amount provided in the bond is
sue Senator Hill took issue with him
on this phase of the argument by set
ting the Thomas Plan itself rep
resents that nearly twenty millions ad-
ditional will come through federal aid.
Senator Hill pointed out that the reso-
luton makes provisions for meeting
federal aid that declared that in his
opinion the seventy or more millions
thereby available will complete the pro
gram. lie showed that there are less
than a dozen counties in the state which
do not afford some satisfactory form
of road building material ranging from
limestone to rock asphalt and that
much of the transportation expense in.
CURED by other states will thereby
be saved lie also showed that practi-
cally all of the roads on the map are
graded and are now Travelled highways
and that figurs that maintain in other
states are higher because of the condl'
tons in those localities as mountainous
country is included in many of the
other state programs as well as low
lands that do not furnish a substantial
foundation, while oklahoma roads gen
tIdllN are uI'll Al s'pi'' i'''''N'''N-N'' '''1
that there is little mountainous road to
be improved.
Senator Thomas urged that the bond
issue was necessary asserting that the
roads can be built through appropria-
tions and federal aid together with the
amounts now being spent from gross
production and motor vehicle taxes.
Senator Hi refuted this claim by
showing that the Thomas plan, as CON
tanned in Senator Thomas Senate Bill
No. 2G7 provides that counties shall
raise their one-third of the cost of road
building by bond issues or otherwise
Senator Hill used the present state
auditor's figures on the assessed Valua-
ton of the state to refute the statement
that an additional levy will be necessary
to meet state expenses and retire the
bonds and pay the interest charges. He
showed that the same revenues now be-
ing wasted on dirt roads will meet the
retirement and interest charges and that
the present assessment on the present
valuation is sufficient 10 meet the leg
islative appropriations for the biennial
period!
Senator HILL routed one new assertion
by Senator Thomas in a manner that
upset the oppositionist's claim that la
Dor is not protected under the amend
ment and that cheap labor, particularly
Mexicans and negroes will be employed
by the contractors on the statewide
road system. In refuting this charge
Senator Hin merely read from section
sixteen of the Thomas bill which pro-
vides that convice labor may be used in
any county Of the state.
Senator Thomas did not avail himself
of an opportunity to reply to Senator
Hill and no vote was taken, althugh 1t
was generally conceded that had an eX'
preston been taken there would have
been less than a sc-.e in the audience
of nearly six hundred who would have
either voted in favor of Thomas con
tentions in the debate or who would