The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1922-07-26
What IF JACK
WALTON LEADS
Will Voters Stay With Him Is
Question Asked by Writer
Says Owen Has Bulk
of Democrat Leaders
Isy NJ. X. TOONIER

The mid'August convention OF De
mocratc leaders to write the platform
/ upon which the party ticket will op
/ pose the Republicans already is being
| talked Of, and the complexities OF the
/ present gubernator.al primary caused
| many Democrats Saturday TO see tht
/ possibility OF veritable convention
Of Babel"
Suppose" said prominent Demo.
cratic spokesman, that Mayor Walton
should get the nomination on the De
mocratio ticket.
He is running on the platform of the
non partisan F6rmer-Labor league.
1T is u platform with soclalistic
planks--a platform which Pat Nagle OF
Kingfisher, smartest Socialist of them
ALL can hurrah for without the slight
est compromise OF the soc.alistic prin.
ciples upon which he has stood thru
all his soIourn in oklahoma.
Who'll Bolt?
Suppose Walton, nominated on this
platform, endorsed by the Socialists,
goes in to the Democratic convention in
August,
Either he VIII be powerful enough
to thrust his platform on the Demo
cratic party, or the Democratic conyen.
tion will Nrce him as Democratic
standard-bearer to subscribe to re-
gular' Democratic statement OF princ!.
pies drawn by the party organization.
IF the INSTRUMENTATION platform
should prevail, then Democrats certain.
~ would bolt. If Walton should deny
his child, then Pat Nagle-whom
consider the brains of his campaign
and the other Socialst-non-partisan fol.
| lowers of Walton, would leave Walton
In the lurch.
1T Is n situation such as never con
fronted the Democratic party before.
This Is but one Of the angles OF the
Democratic race that has made a
perfect maze OF the triangular contes.
between owen, Wilson and Walton.
Where recently existed apathy among
/ the voters that could not be fathomed
| by the contesting candidates and the
observers of the party's affairs, now
| AAeAsp NOiilC al dN Ah t0ls at ltdSA VI
capitol folk, in the neck .and.neci drive
down "the stretch.
Bets are being made on the enthusiac-
tic reports from one candidate and i'm
mediately "hedged" upon suddenly
learning of new spurt by another IL
is well-nigh impossible to get a poll.
tical ''wise.acre' not attached to one OF
the three headquarters, TO make u pos.
tive prediction of the outcome.
Forces of Unknown Power
Three important forces and their un.
known power, prevent postiveness They
are:
The Reconstruction league.
The Ku Klux Klan.
The Catholic and other anti.K. X. X.
voters thruout the state. together with
a large element Of the business vote
which waits until the last minute to
align itself with the candidate that
looms most powerful
The Reconstruction league. backing
Walton also has a complete state tick
ct, and is reported TO have sent out
something like $4,000 Sample ballots"
bearing the names OF candidates on
its ticket only.
The Ku Klux Klan, moving myster
iously, has persisted in giving the i'm.
preston that 1t has no distinct list Of
candidates.
Yet the impression has gone abroad
that II Is backing II. il. Wilson-not
In the way of an official edict" but
merely in an unofficial method OF Civ.
ing its approval of him a. against the
other two candidates.
Behind Tom owen can be found the
great bulk Of the acknowledged leaders
of the Democratic party In the years
since statehood and the following which
these leaders and Owen himself have
been strong enough 10 WELD into a
force that makes owen as strong as the
other two.
With Walton also Is thrown whatever
strength the Robertson administration
possesses.
The unknown force is the religious
and business" vote. These two elements
are enough TO make any one OF the
three candidtes a winner. II they should
go all one way.
The state election board has sent out
about 100000 Democratic ballots. II
such a vote as that is cast, II will have
been the greatest ballot any Democratic
primary has seen.