The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-01
RESUME WORK
EIGHTH LEGISLATURE

EIGHTH LEGlSLATUK RE.
With the legislature ON record as
proposing to adjourn Saturday il is
probaoly SAFE to briefly review the
work, or the lack OF work. accomplish
ed. For the last year at least. the Re
publicans in every county in the state
have persistently circulated the story
that the Democratic administration was
tremendously crooked,
A story told and retold day after day
is frequently assumed TO De d fact by
many people. This was state of mind
when the legislature convened The
Republicans We're asserting that the
state administration was composed Of
q lot Of thieves, and lot of Democrats
were afraid that they We're telling the
truth. At the very beginning of the
session the Republicans of the house
having entire control, appointed an in
yestgating committee and gave It alb
solute free rein TO spend any amount
Of money in investigating every depart
ment of government
The highway department, the board
Of affairs and the pardon department
were the three most frequently attack
ed An investigation over. six weeks
period, which entdled calling witnesses
from nearly every county in the state
and running down every rumor, re-
suited ia the committees reporting that
one Of the 40 employees OF the highway
department had stolen some postage
stamps, and another had accepted 800
but had rendered no service for it TO
the disadvantage Of the state. Both Of
these employees had previously been
dismissed by the highway department
After two months used in combng
the state board of affairs with detec-
tiyes and expert accountants, the COM
mittee reported that it found % num-
ber Of instances where the board could
have bought supplies for the state at
O cheaper rate than was paid, but the
committee did not take into account al
al the matter of quality. For instance,
the chief allegation was that some man
in the state offered q grade Of coffee
at three cents less per pound than the
state had paid for another grade. Not
an intimation OF croolledness was made
in the report.
The investigation Of the pardon de-
partment failed to show where there
had been either money or improper in
fluences used in securing either par
don or parole The report did criticse
the judgment Of the pardoning power
but that is matter Of opinion and the
constitution provides that only the gov.
ernor shall exercise The right Of opin-
ion,
II has been a revelation TO worlds of
Democrats throughout the state, who
thought there really must be something
wrong with the administration. The
bitter partisan Republican committee
failed to show anything wrong which
might not have been the case in any
large private business concern, and the
only two persons accused Of accepting
money or taking anything of value
from the state were discharged em-
ployees.
with the legislature within one day
Of probable adjournment il can be
truthfully said that the house Of repre-l
sentatves, acting under the constant
dictaton OF the Republican state com
mittee represented by ex-senator
Brownlee of Kneushcr, has refused 10
pass single constructive measure and
has either defeated or buried in COM
m.tteo every such measure adopted by
the senate and sent TO the house for
concurrence.
There has been no bill passed seek
ing TO reform the taxation system
though several We're introduced So
bill has been passed by the house look
ing 10 the intelligent care and relief Of |
injured or M ex-soldicrs and no bin has .
been passed relieving m any way. the