Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1906-11-02
SIGN WRITER
WANTS Ills
COIN
]. E. SoMMERS DEMANDS PAY
FOR POLITICAL ART.
WOULD SUE DEMOCRATS
Celebrated Picture Gallery Wasn't
Paid for and Stryker- Campbell
Nelson Bunch Threatened.

Again the Buster Brown antics of
the local democratic central commit.
tee is brought into the limelight by
the threat yesterday Of j. II. Som
mers, the sign writer, to sue the COM
mittee for payment Of the campaign
pictures which were turned to the
wall about three weeks ago. The pic.
lures were ordered by Carl b. Camp
bell, secretary Of the committee,
and were painted over a month ago.
The price to be paid was S2760 AT
ter the works of art had been com.
pleted, Secretary Campbell and VIII.
lam Stryker, with whom the Unu
campaign manager has formed a
working political partnership, visit
ed the studio Of the sign writer.
looked upon the pictures and said
they were good. Mr.. Sommers said
that the cartoons met with especial
favor in the eyes of Stryker, who
laughed immoderately at them
cunningness and took notes for the
story which afterward appeared in
the Democrat concerning them.
Sommers waited patiently for his
pay, but was put off by one excuse
and another, until yesterday morning
when he lost all patience and went to
Campbell with the ultimatum that
if the money was not forthcoming at
once, he intended to sue the commit
tee, Sommers said that the COM
mittee promised to pay him last night
and il IS presumed that such was
done.
The history Of the case is quite
interesting. 1t happened at about
the time when the democrats were
making a terrible hue and cry over
the "niggah" question. The idea is
said to have been cooked up by Stry-
ker, Campbell, Tom Taylor and Mel.
son. Campbell ordered the WORK, and
gave Sommers the idea of how he
wanted it done, but it is understood
that the scheme was worked up IN
secret meeting in Nelson's office.
One picture represented negro
school teacher whipping a little white
girl because she refused to sit with
negro boy at school. The other
represented big negro sitting in a
railway ear, smoking a cigarette,
while a white woman sat beside him.
The idea was vulgar and crude in
the extreme and could only have ap.
pealed to the baser passions. The
pictures were planned to be hung up
on a prominent street corner, Stry-
ker, called in to view the masterpiece,
could not refrain from publishing
an account Of it prematurely, The
next day storm Of protest arose
from the decent element Of the demo
cratic party in Tulsa. The democrat
ic headquarters were overrun by in
dignant democrats, who demanded
that the pictures be destroyed, and
angry partisans stormed their disap'
prova of such outrageous methods
to stir up race strife. The school
boy politics Of the Tammany cam
paign chairman was severely criti-
cised, and scores Of the faithful
threatened to bolt the ticket entirely
if the pictures were put to their orig
inal use.
Under such a tidal wave Of disap-
proval, the committee could do moth
ing but turn the pictures to the wall.
This was done. They washed their
hands of the matter and in doing
so, also washed their hands Of pay
ing for the imagery. The sign writer
could not see how he came in on that.
He announced that he was not re-
sponsible for temporary ALTERATION
on the part Of the democratic leaders
and said he wanted his money. Then
followed chase after this one and
that one for three weeks, an dhnally
Sommers got tired and delivered his
ultimatum.
Rather than have law suit on
their hands in the height Of the cam
paign, the various members Of the
whiskey ring let loose Of the price of
the work.
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