Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-07-05
"Henchmen of Governor
Would Force a Vicious
Amendment" He Says.
ACTION Is DEMANDED
Republican Chairman Calls
on State Registrar to
Take Steps.

I INDIGNANT at the wish washy
L handling of the registration In Tulsa
county. as well as all over the state,
Arthur H. Geissler, Republican state
chairman, has made charges that the
henchmen of Governor Bob Williams
are in conspiracy to trick the people
into adopting a constitutional amend
ment which II large majority OF them
do not want.
His accusation was made in con-
nectlon with q demand addressed to
Joe S, Norris. state registrar, that he
wire to each one of the "fifty-seven
county registrars who have for more
than IA month failed to comply with
the law requiring them to furnish to
the secretary of state a complete list
of voters on or before the first day
Of June, 50 as to enable the secretary
of state to send each voter one of the
pamphlets containing the text of the
constitutional amendments to be
voted on at the primary and of argu-
ments on the same"
Hold Up Literature.
According to the secretary Of state S
office. two hundred thousand of the
pamphlets have not been mailed, Mr..
Geissler points out. He asks the state
registrar to instruct the 81 county
ItBISlI dTS u ODty Int law.
TT is evident that the governors
henchmen fear the liter.cy test
amendment will be overwhelmingly
defeated on August 1 If the people
generally become familiar with the
vicious provisions of that measure"
declared Geissler. referring to his let
ter. The men back of 1t Calcula to
that If those lists are withheld from
the secretary OF state many people
who are thereby kept in ignorance of
its provisions will not vote on the
question at all"
This he continued, would make
1t possible to count their votes for the
literacy test amendment. as under the
trick provided by the legislature those
who fail to strike out the words For
the Amendment with a pencil--that
is to say, all those who do not vote
on this question at-all-will be count
ed as having voted in favor Of It.
Conspiracy to Trick.
I'm other words. there is every in
dicaton that there Is conspiracy
to trick the people into adopting a
constitutional amendment which a
big majority OF them do not want"
It is a well-known fact that the
registration in Tulsa county is in a
terribly muddled shape. No sem-
Dldlltt OF report mas ever Dptn maze
by Registrar II. l.. Wallace regarding
the number of voters who were regis
tered, although The World has made
many attempts to learn something OF
the work.
A ridiculous letter, copy of which
appeared in The World recently. was
mailed by the Democratic finance
committee to every Democrat in the
county. calling on them to GO to any
length to register and to send i'm the
names of their neighbors, when the
law expressly provides that those who
failed to registrar during the pre-
scribed tcn-day period could not reg
lister unless they made an oath that
they were out OF the county at the
time. TIE letter also warned the
faithful to vote against the literacy
test lest the county fall into the hands
Of negroes and carpetba ggers.
Ashamed of Letter.
One member of the finance COM
mittee declared he had nothing to do
with II and repudiated it. while all
others excused themselves on the
grounds that they didn't think any
such thing and 1t was only politics. -
II Is said that the names Of those
to whom the letters were mailed were
obtained from the registration books,
and It is presumed they are still be-
ing used for purposes best suited to
Democrats. for no report Of the work
of the registrars has yet been made.