The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-03-02
BY Charles H. Adams.
Staff Correspondent.

Oklahoma City, March l.-Wqc-
ing a singlehanded battle againsl
homeless odds, Senator 7. Elmer
lEomas of Lawton sought yester-
day to substitute his good roads
bill, Senate Bill No. 247, for the
administration senate Joint resolu-
ton No. 10, under which Governor
Robertson's forces in the upper
house intend TO inaugurate his ffty-
mlllion-dollar highway Improvement
program. Senator Thomas present
ed a minority report after the ma
Jorliy OF the senate roads and high
ways committee, Board, chairman,
mad recommended the joint rcso-
luton to pass. Thomas report
proposed to substitute his bill for
the resolution. On roll call the mi
norlty report was lost by vote Of
So to a. Senator Sherman (repub-
lean, and Senators Kerr ard Nc
lntosh, (democrats). voted with
Thomas.
AT the conclusion OF four hours
OF debate, begun by Senator Thomas
and concluded by Senator ]. /.
Davidson, Tulsa, the majority re-
port having been adopted by reason
OF the failure of the minority re-
port, the resolution was placed on
second reading. BY agreement all
btt tb0 rDuIor ,,,oro co,.:,Io.,l -
be a separate portion OF the meas
ure and the routes were scheduled
for consideration today. # is not
thought that it will be possible for
the measure to reach the engross-
ment stage before Monday alter
noon and, dependent upon how
much contention arises over the
proposed routes, it may be Tuesday
or Wednesday before the measure
is placed on final passage. That
the resolution will be adopted and
transmitted TO the house no one
doubts. The house has already
passed concurrent resolution on
the same subject and no action has,
to this time. been taken upon it in
the senate, save to refer it to COM
mittee.
What Will House Do?
After the resolution is passed by
the senate its reception by the house
is problematical. Several house
members have said they will be dis
posed to treat the senate measure
in the same manner as the upper
body has treated the house resolu-
ton. In that event the probability
OF a long and tedious conference
may be expected. Yesterday was
the hity-third legislative day and
the session was called Tor sixty days.
Many members are already grumb-
ling at the prospect OF remaining
after their pay is reduced to 81 a
day under the statute Many have
said they are going home, regard
less OF the state OF the road pro-
gram. These statements are chron-
ic at this stage OF the session, how
ever, and no one believes that any
thing more than an unusual eXten-
sion OF the session period will re-
suit, although the ghost OF the spec
ial session to enact road legislation
has again made its appearance in the
local newspapers. The administra-
tion apparently has the matter well
in hand and there will be road leg
islation enacted. At present it looks
as If the senate resolution is most
likely TO be adopted.
BY previous agreement in commit
tee it was understood that Senator
Thomas would be permitted to pre-
sent full argument in support OF his
minority report. During his two
hour speech in support OF the bill
and against the majority report, he
was afforded the closest attention.
Hardly 4 member OF the senate was
absent from his seat, and those pro-
yided for guests on the floor we're
al premium and the overflow
reached to the press table. There
was, in the gallery, the largest num-
Der OF spectators that has been
seen since the inauguration day pre-
liminaries OF the session.
Thomas Puts Up Fight,
Armed with a vast amount OF sta
tistical information. Senator Thorn
as sought to establish that bond
issue is unnecessary because ahe
state will have sufficient funds with
which to carry out all the road i'm
provemeut from year TO year that
can be inaugurated even under the
bond issue plan lie set up several
legal objections to the resolution
and declared that in his opinion the
measure would never be adopted at
the polls, il it is ever submitted.
Senator Thomas called attention
TO the TACT that he has been, he said,
placed in a false light. at has been
said that | am opposed to good
roads. In reiutation OF this state
ment | shall state that | have spent
more than 800 days in sessions OF
the legislature OF this state. The
record OF those legislative days
covers some 10000 pages, and |
challenge any one to show wherein
have opposed good roads legisa-
ton Continuing the refutation
Senator Thomas pointed out the
highway improvement measures
that have been before the various
sessions and referred to his part in
4