The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-10-12
While Lawton Congressman
Aired Own Ambitions,
Gore Was Hard at Work.
ONLY TALK FROM FERRIS
House Proposal to Tax Gaso-
line, Defeated by Sena-
tor in Upper Body.

senate is serious Uusluts4 Tor u
great stale Ike oklahoma Ih, pau.
pie undoubtedly viii welsh all tur
candidates IN tho balance Thry
will iudg all The trees by their lruit
Which has rendered the RrcoIes
service 10 oklahoma Ferris Ut
Guro2 The answer Co.. this question
Will determine which Ia tho fItoSt
10 survive. This is tho law VI ne
ami death Ferris has been in the
house core has been In Tho senate
~ years Their experience ,4 clual
Agriculture ana coli are the Two
leading interests IN OklhuomH. G1rs
has served for u years aH q mcnbct
or tho uCuhtc,agrlCuituial committee
serving as It's chairman for NK years
That hc has bron uSilapt to promote
and protect the welfare NJ thr fr.u-
ors Is not denied Some have
charged tnai he has hocn over ncJiN.
in that direction. Hut that ia apart
from our present purpose
The development bf our great
mineral resources oil, gas. zine ana
coal Is the other Kroat Industry IN
Oklahoma. Does the record OF Gore
and Ferris concerning those lndua-
tries ahed any light upon their tit
nesa1 Soon after the war revenue
act OF 1917 was passed II became
manifest that tho taxation OF tho OIL
gas and Eino industries was uniuBl
and would prove diaaBtrous That
law did not recognize the distinctive
characteristics OF those industries 1t
did not recognize the wasting anl
hazardous character Of tho business.
IT, was, therefore. unsoieutitie. unjust
and oppressive. This was "A serious
handicap both TO the bus'noss and 10
tho state.
Gore Succocdcd; Ferris Failed
Whom the second war revenue
measure came up In tho house the
Mid-Continent Oh association imme-
diaiely began ana carried on an Hg'
greHniVo campaign TO have tho taxa
ton OF the oil and Eas business basc0
upon the characteristic and funda-
mental facts underlying the bualnoss
and upon sound fiscal ptinciplcs
Its purpose was to have the taxation
OF these great industries rendered
more scientific and therefore more
tust ani equitable Their efforts
were Justified; their snccesa was
marked Three vital Amendments
which served the industry were In
corporated in the bin In the senate.
First, an amendment which permit-
ted iohhea in a given year 10 he car
ried backwards or forwards against
profits Second, an amendment linz
itins the tax on profits arising from
the sale'ot oil and gas properties dis
covered by the taxpayer 60 30 per
cent OF the proceeds. Third. an
amendment bRsing the depletion al
lowanco on properties discovered
and developed by tho taxpayer ON
value instead OF on cost. The Inn
portance of thess amendments j.
self-evident TO thbse familiar with
the oil and gas business, These
three amendments are known ~ the
Gore amen imonts. As a member OF
the finance committee of tho scnate
he had them accepted by the com
mittae. They were then adopted by
the senate ana were afterwArdt
agreed 10 by the conference commit.
tee OF tho two houses, This bill
originated In the house and passed
the hopse first Tho representative
OF the Mid-Continent association
made an exhaustive presentation OF
these amendments to the house ways
and means committee They did
everything possible 10 secure the
adoption OF amendments by the COM
mittee and by the house, Nothing
was done by the house COMMITTEES
nothing wns done by the house.
The question arises why Forria did
not have these hmendmentn adoptei
either by the house ways and means
committee or adopted by the hous
itself. The record shows that he not
only failed 90 do this, but that he
made no effort TO do this.
There can be but two possible rea-
sons for Ferris failure. Fisst. he
either did not have interest enough
In the subject, or, second, he did
not have influence enough with the
house or with the house committee.
Which is the real rcasNn7 Hut after
all II makes no difference whether
n was the lack OF interest or the
lack OF Influence. There are two
stark and naked facts which tower
up in the situation like two noun
tain peaks Ferris' failure Go have
these vital amendments adopted In
= the house! Cores success in having
these vital amendments adopted In
the senate. These facts are acccn-
tuat6d when it n remembered that
Ferris admits he is q leader In the
house Iie admits that he could be
minority leader when the democrats
are out OF power and that he can be
speaker OF the house whom the dem
ocrais are In power, old war horses
like Champ CLARK and Claude Kitchin
10 the contrary. Notwithstanding. II
would seem that leader ot the
house who could command its high
est officc- and honors at pleasure
could prevail upon his potential fol
lowers 20 accept legislation found
ed upon well authenticated facts and
upon fundamental and scientific
principles
Blind SENATOR Fought Vnwis-N TRN.
Code, as We understand. makes
no such lofty prctenuous ~ Co lead
ership in the senate Tie has been
n mom her ~ the senate for twelve
years lie has been member uf
the finance committee which drs'-
with taxation. for Dix years. he 8.
now near the head ~ the committee
on the democratic side As "a rule
Il takes new member uf the SON
ate from four 10 six Nuars iu secure
a place on the finance committee.
Cores success with respect Co inc
Amendments above mentioned was
doubtless due in some measure 90
his strategic position upon tho Il
nance committee These three
amendments do not mark the fnl
measure OF his service. As thc tii
passed the house. Il imposed 'aN
OF two cents a gallon ON EnHoun"
This meant an aggregate tnN 90 tAt.-
Geo 600 in the country II meant
tax OF $4,000. 900 on the industry
4, the mid continent field a'uu"
rhe house imposed this heavy bur
den mon the business notwilhsiaui
-. r.---l-H f.nA.uahHn Fu HhHF body