San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-11
WALTON LIFTS
!. MARTIAL LAW
IN OKLAHOMA
Pandemonium Breaks Out
as Legislature
Convenes.
M'BEE NAMED SPEAKER
Governor Tells Lawmakers
to End ''Klan
Menace"
M'BEE NAMED SPEAKER
By the Associated Press.

by tic AssOChtcu hTcs>'
Oklahoma City, Okla, Oct. IL
Martial law, in effect throughout
Oklahoma since September Is. was
lifted b. Governor j. c. Walton in a
proclamation made public today.
The proclamation returns full t
thority to all civil officers. 1t WAS
drawn last night but was not made
public until today, when Adjutant
General 3. H. Markham made the
announcement at his headquarters.
The Oklahoma Legislature, called
into extraordinary session BY Gov
ernor J. G. Walton, convened today.
The House was called 10 order at
GIL a. m. by d. A. Stovall, repre-
sentative from Choctow county, who
was chosen majority floor leader at
q caucus last night.
w. ID. McBee, of Stephens county,
caucus choice for speaker OF the
House was elected over Leslie Salter
of Alfalfa county, SO to IL. McBee
is a Democrat and Salter Republic
can.
Pandemonium Breaks Loose.
A few minutes later the Senate con-
vened and both branches then re-
cessed for a joint session to receive
the message of the governor.
A storm of cheers and cat-calls
we're loosed in the House before the
joint session when Charles d. Lewis,
of Okmulgee county, declared that he
opposed the joint assembly to hear
the governors message because 1t
would pay too much respect and
honor to the governor"
The galleries, which were packed,
broke into a mingled tumult in which
members on the floor joined.
Pandemonium held the chamber. A
woman in the galleries shrieked /:
"Well. he's oYr governor anyway
while the speaker vainly pounded with
his gavel for order.
Finally il was restored and Lewis
was ruled out of order.
A committee of the joint session in
formed Governor Walton that the
Legislature was ready to hear him.
The governor did not appear personal
ly.
Clerk Reads Message.
The clerk. then read the message =.
The executive charged the khan with
responsibility for hundreds of outrages
and punctuated his remarks by LAYING
before the lawmakers transcripts OF MI
testimony adduced h. military courts
of inquiry. which. under his proc ma
ton of martial law. investigated mob
violence and masked depredations in
various parts of the state. He request
cd the legislators to examine the rec
ord and then publish it.
This all-powerful and most de-
moralizing 'super-government' is IN
dermining the very cornerstone and
| foundation of our government and sap
ping the life blood of our citizenship
Governor Walton declared. at must
either be killed or the government it.
self must finally give away TO anarchy
and revolution. There is . alterna-
tive or middleground.'
State Kept i'm Turmo...
The governor reviewed at length the
chain of events which have kept the
state in turmoil for month and con-
cluded his message with a plea that the
I<tSlSidluIt pass biii
which he himself prepared that thu
people may be protected forever in
aheir person. property and fundamen-
| tai liberties"
N'sThe conflict between the visible
and invisible government must be
| brought to a close with a complete
victory for The visible government. or
Oklahoma will face indefinite turmoil
and strife, the results of which are
| bound to be disastrous" he said.
Hundreds of Oklahoma's citizens
have been beaten and tortured while
other hundreds have been threatened.
Tens of tho isands of our citizens felt
and protested that the law enforcing
branches of the government and. in
many cases, the courts. -ere under the
domination of an invisible empire
whose silent appeal touched every as
pect of human endeavor.
my investigation discloses from the
sworn testimony in one case where six
Reputable citizens testified they heard
the grand titan of the Tulsa khan make
the statement to the effect that t..ere
had been six different 'Mer Rouge's'
similar TO the Louisiana affair, com.
mitted in his jurisdiction.
TOO Awful" for Print.
"Some of these cases present out
RACES and heart-rending cruelty in the
extreme in the form of mutilations,
some of which are too awful 10 dis
close in print. and all o. which lead
straight to the doorstep of the 'invis-
ible empire
"This invisible. insidious and ter
rorizing empire represents in an exag-
gerated form, fear, falsehOod and re-
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