The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-01-01
FI FMING DEF|ES
STATE MACHINE
Ialls on Democratic Sem
ators to Retain Their
Self Respect
WALLACE
rA,clines to Become Candidate
for President Pro TEN
of Upper House

specisi TO Tie World.
n<I,AIlOMA ClTS. Dec. al
s,.,o senator Joe f.. Fleming OF lc-
o., county today issued statement
selling why he had led the reVoit
AGAINST the state administration eau
rs Issuing defiance to the state ma
chjne and calling on democratic sen.
Iators to retain heir sell respect ana
IInd.rcndence by refusing to partici-
M, Fleming. aiding Bob wallace
!" tho contest for president protein
pore, said: ,.,
G9nocrats TO become "A candlda,e for
,rnyIdnn, nrn ten of the senate, upon
NJ Ground that | am opposed to be-
,r,, domipatod by the present state
nnitic,l machine which has impu-
d,rtiv labeled itself the democratic
nartv To an those who have been
| ,Ind enough TO think of me in that
! ,onnectiou. | want to say that l APP
1rociate their thoughtfulness and
confidence. The honor of being
nrosident pro TEN is not sufficient
within itself TO Justly the exercise OF
amy particular effort to secure IL,
since the lieutenant- nt-governor pre-
sides over the senate, by virtue OF
his office, and the present licuten-
ant governor mas oi'c" ~ nv i'''''i"
:ion TO rolinquish this prerogative.
Bu, there is one thing of tremendous
Importance to the people of this
Stale, and that il upon the question
ofsv neither their legislative branch
OF government. shall be Independent
and CO. ordinate, as the constitution
proyidts. or whether 1t shall be sub
servient TO, and dominated by the
executive.
Tyranny's Efforts Resisted.
AS "A consistent democrat ! be-
hpvc that upon maintenance of our
constitutional forns of government
rests the security of our nation and
state. That has been the test ~ true
democracy from the time OF Jtffer-
son. This principle has resisted, SO
far successfully, every effort of
latent tyranny or potential autocracy
to establish itself in this country.
and upon that principle | challenge
the attemp. of the executive of this
state to organize the legislature or
either branch thereof. l am well
aware that the average executive IL
desirOus of extending his power and
authority; bu. | must decline to ac-
\quiesce in the proposed plan 70 con-
YtrOl the senate by use of fourteen
members who are pledged to obey
the gOvernor--theSe fourteen to in
We gle he other democrats into a So
called democratic" caucus IN order
10 t.e them to the wheels of the gov
ernors machine. Thus. with "a bare
mG i1rity of the democratic members
of the senate, fourteen out OF the
twenty seven. |: is proposed to fasten
executive policies and domination
upon forty-four men who are sent to
the capitol to represent not the gov
crnor but the people of the state. in
supposedly independent branch Of
government.
Attempt at AutOcracy.
lf the governor can succeed by this
method in controlling the senate,
with fourteen out of forty-four men.
will have destroyed the independ-
cnca of the senate and supplanted
democracy with administrative auto
cfacy. Any democratic senator who
goes into the governors caucus,
under such circumstances, will do 80
with his eyes open and willing TO
accept resul. that has been writ
ten In advance at the state house. l
decline now to accept n verdict
which has ben fixed" In my opin-
ION, no senator who wants to be free
TO exercise the constitutional indie
pendence Of his office. under -he
oath he takes. can afford to make
such surrender. The people did
not elect governor to dictate to
ltheir legislatures.
My course in the senate will be to
oppose machine domination and die
.atlon, and 20 fight for economy in
expenditures, A political machine is
both a liability and an expense. In
this state it has dictated nomina-
lions; 1t has sought to defeat all who
,dare 20 declare independence; it has
pullt up power by useless officials
ana unnecessary burdens upon the
l]ople; 1t has with arrogant brutal
~ demanded 10 dominate conven-
tlOns and To name candidates for Of
To the Public.
E'nllnNuinp l.. liut &c ~, -, L. .,nl