The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-12-09
COALITION TO
RAID TREASURY
Money-Hungry Lobbies to
Pool Their Interests
This Year
SOME CLAIMS JU S 7
Designed to Have Worthy
Claims Back Up the
Unworthy Ones
staff correspondence.


while state leaders are planning for
legislative session which will
leave fair record, those who are
masged behind the desires for heavy
anpropriations are making headway
and striving to organize the oncom-
ing legislature from a strictly nom
partisan viewpoint. Appropriations
are made not because of PARTISAN
lam. and the statement OF Senator
Davidson, administration leader, to
the effect that the eighth legislature
viii break all appropriation records
is in itself significant.
Nor IL 1t hard to estimate the
strength OF the Davidson statement.
For the past four years the icgisla-
TORS have turned down the demands
for additional buildings at the state
institutions. Neither is 1t hard to
determine that the six normal
schools OF the state have been held
down 10 ordinary expenditures while
the state university has been car
ried ahead. At this particular time
the state normal heads are organ
Izing and the demands they will
make are not inconsiderable, nor
can 1t be denied that they have
voting strength In the legislature.
All Want More.
The reports made to the budget
committee indicate that all depart
ments OF state are to ask for even
more than was allowed by the very
liberal legislature of 1919, some OF
them appropriating as much as one
third Increase for administrative ex-
penses. Add TO this a building pro-
grau which will total four or five
millions OF dollars, and the reader
can form fair estimate of the
struggle ahead In the legislative
halls. In the ordinary conduct OF
government. It Is always presumed
that there will he no cutting down
OF expenses and Senator Davidson's
estimate of a $20,000,000 outlay for
the biennial is not far wrong, II
things are done IN the usual way.
In truth, the new legislature Is to
meet with the appropriation man on
every hand. and he comes from all
sections OF the state. No other state
has so many widely scattered insti-
tu,ions, managed by 50 many state
boards. and all OF them in the way
Of each other. For instance, there
are three insane asylums. located at
Norman, Fort supply and Vinita.
All of them are crowded. and 1t Is
the intention OF the state admins
ua,ion to build structures this COM
Ing year. 1t being stated that the Vi
nita hospital alone will require ST.
10000 to properly care for the pa :
tients there. AS TO whether or not
this amount OF money Is needed ts
conjectural, but, admitting such q
sum Is required, II can only be ap-
propriated by combination whicn
will augment many millions at other
places within the state.
This Is non- partisan issue. To
secure the votes necessary to carry
out this program, democrats and re-
publicans from the institutional
counties must form coalition ana
carry out a program that has moth
ing to do with politics as We gem
orally construe that term.
1t carries this much partisanism--
II the republicans. in control OF the
Legislature, for the first time, are un :
able to hold down the expense OF
state government, then their prom
ises to the people are worthless and
can have no standing with the tax
payers who have to foot the bills.
The state administration is wise and
1t proposes to put straight at the the
republican majority in the house the
projects which will cost lots OF
money. Moreover. these projects
are not foolish--building are actually
needed and. II the stat Enhances
are In condition to endure the stran.
they can be we'll expended. Behind
all Of that Is the claim for a hospi-
tal for soldiers, now listed as to cost
s2,000,0O0. Hugh Scott, the federa'
health supervisor for the state. de-
clares there is need now for hos
pital OF $50 beds and the probability
is that even more will be needed
before the structure can be COM
pleted.
All Of these things add to the
complexities which will confront
the next Legislature. 1t Will take
strong men to hold down the APP
propriations. and 1t Will require
prudence to avoid making the bl-
ennial appropriation reach a still
higher figure than has been accom-
plshed in times past. The really
dangerous position lies in the fac'
that those seeking the big ahpro-
priations will be organized In ad,
vance. In truth they are organized
now and getting stronger as the days
elapse. Those seeking to AVOID
these conditions are unorganlzsh
and II will take more than ordinary
precautions for them to overrlde
those who are constantly on Buaro
TO Sc that the appropriation NIL
works tellingly.
Ii is not certain that all Of the oio
machine democrats are to work u
unison with the state administrator
Senator Luther Harrison Is talking
like a man who might break loose
and he handles a plan OF the STATE
board Of affairs AS follows;
The state board OF affairs want