Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-30
WALTON INDICATES
LINES Of DEFENSE
IN NEW STATEMENT

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla, Oct. q.
by the Associated Press. )-Political
quarters tonight saw in public
statement issued today by Governor
j. C. Walton, bitterly scoring alleged
Ku Kllx Khan domination of the
lower house of the Oklahoma legis.
lature and various state depart
ments, a possible indication Of the
executives defense in his impeach-
ment trial scheduled to begin next
Thursday.
1t was understood that Governor
Walton already has summoned q
number. of victims of mob violence
as witnesses to testify before the
senate court of Impeachment in sup.
pert of his oft-reiterated contention
that the real issue in the state is
| whether the "invisible government"
shall supplant constitutional govern
ment.
The governor charged in his state
ment today that the house conspired
| to impeach him, but added:
eff, by sacrificing myself and dis
gracing my family, can be the
means Of saving this state from mob
rule, operating in the dark, trying
their victims by claiming them to
trees and administering brutal pun
| ishment and other mutilations, then
am ready to be sacrificed.
II am glad that the time is close
at hand when the friends of orderly
gov eminent in the senate will have
an opportunity to say that so far
| as Oklahoma is concerned, the con-
stitutional guarantees of person and
religious liberty must be preserved,
and that fanatics shall not be per-
united to fan the fires Of racial and
religious hatred to the destruction
of the fair name Of our state"
Letter Quoted
Governor Walton dwelt at length
on letter which, he alleged, was
written by Representative Jess Pull.
len Of Sulphur, member of the
house board of managers which will
prosecute the governor before the
Impeachment court. In the letter,
| the governor charged, Pullen de-
clared that he was thoroughly con.
WINGED that Jack Walton should be
| impeached," and asked house mem.
bers to whom the letter was sent to
state definitely whether you are for
or against impeachment"
The executive alleged that the let
ter was written last August from
| Boulder, Colo.
After quoting alleged communica-
tons from khan officials in which
members were urged to exert their
influence to obtain passage of laws
which would not injure the organiza.
ton, Governor Walton declared that,
IF any anti-klan law is passed by
| this khan house, it will be virtually
! the one written at Atlanta or which
will have the approval of the grand
| dragon.
"I again repeat with all the en-
phasis in my power that the issue is
simply to determine whether or not
the khan rule administered by this
invisible empire shall supersede our
constitutional government" the gov,
ernor said. eff you have not here.
tofore been convinced that this is the
real issue, it is now time that you
were awake to the seriousness of
| the situation. Would you like to
be Investigated and indicted by a
grand jury the members of which
were pledged in advance by a khan
| oath to indict in any event?
Calls on People
"It is up to you, the people of
| Oklahoma, to take a stand either for
or against constitutional govern.
| ment. If, by sacrificing myself and
humiliating and disgracing my fam
| lily, l can be the means of saving
| this state from mob rule, which has
been operating in the dark, trying
their victims by claiming them to
trees and administering brutal pun
ishment and other mutilations, then
am ready to be sacrificed.
'I am glad that the time now Is
when the friends of orderly govern
ment in your state senate will have
an opportunity to say to the men
and women of this state and the
people of the nation that, so far as
Oklahoma is concerned. the constitu-
tional guarantees of personal and
religious liberty must be preserved
and that fanatics shall not be per-
mitted to fan the fires of racial and
religious hatred to the destruction
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