Evening star., 1923-09-23
DECLARE WALTON
AMBITION CRAZED
Opponents Bitter Attack
Draws Equally Strong Fire
From Governor.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla, September
22.--"Walton Is dazed and crazed with
power and ambition. He wants to be
United States senator and then Presi-
dent of the United States"
So declared today opponents of Gov.
Jack Walton, storm center of the state
wide controversy growing out Of efforts
to hold special session of the legisla-
ture to impeach him in defiance Of the
military forces he has called out to pre-
vent the meeting next Wednesday.
That is another of the diaboiic lies
Of my enemies and a prostituted, de-
bauched press" stormed the governor
when the statement was repeated to him
| by the writer, correspondent from out
side the state. THE newspapers oppose
me because I will not kow-toW to them"
The governor hastene6 TO add that,
of course, he would run for any Office If
drafted by the people, "like Roosevelt
and the other cup of coffee"
'If 1 say at breakfast that / want
no more coffee. that does not mean that
absolutely wont want any at dinner"
Denounces Opponents.
In vivid terms Gov. Walton denounced
all of those opposed to him as carrying
on an unjustified but well organized
fight of personal persecution because he
has tried to give the people of Okla
homa a government containing all the
best features and combinations of a
George Washington, a Mussoiini and a
! Lenin administration"
The governor insisted that the
whole controversy here in Oklahoma
was Klan and anti-Klan affair: and
/ that all other issues had been drag
1 ged in merely as smoke screen. His
| opponents declared just as emphatic
ally that Walton had seized upon the
| Khan issue as a subterfuge to prevent
! the legislature from meeting in spe-
| cial session, not only to investigate
! the whfppings by masked men at Tul-
sa. but also to inquire into the acts
! of the state administration.
Regardless of whether the deplora-
! bic conditions in Oklahoma-and both
! siGes say they are deplorable-began
+; as u Klan or anti-K1an fight, the fact
is that today the Klan issue is coll
! lateral. For. despite the martial law
| in force through the state and the OBJ
vious fact that Walton has thousands
/ Of strong supporters, other questions
| now are Involved. And these other
issues are gradually taking prece-
| dence.
The writer talked to hundreds of
persons today. Without exception the
j men of the working classes inter
| viewed declared strongly, sometimes
profanely. for Walton. Just the op-
posite sentiment was encountered
] L.
The martial law order. which is
without justification. is running our
! business, said a prominent shop
keeper. Another merchant quoted
! figures which he said proved that
! there had been less violence in Okla
| homa in the last two years than there
! had been in New York or Chicago in
! the last two months.
! The position occupied by the bell
ligerent legislators was set forth 10
! the writer by w. /. Cunningham, who
cIaimcd that he was close confida.4.
\ weeks ago.
Il am snti-Klan. Most of Us are
| opposed to such acts as those COM
| mitted at Tulsa, which have been ac-
! credited TO the Klan. But Gov. Wal
| ton has recourse to the regular civil
procedure in the matter. He said a
! day or two ago that he had been re-
| ceiving detaiicd reports on illegal
| klan activities since he went into Of
| flee on January 8. Why didn't he pre-
| sent the matter to US before we ad
| journed some months later? Why did
he wait until we were gone and with
no regular session scheduled for sew
eral months%'
Says Legislators klansmen.
To which the governor replied
when the writer repeated these ques-
tions to him:
Convene a legislature that Is 81
per cent Khan to investigate them
Selves?"
Walton was a civil and contractins
Iengineer before he went into poll
tics. He said he was only forty-twc
years old, but he looks years older
He was elected first to be commits
ssoner of public works in Oklahom,
City. He was elected mayor afte,
serving two years of four-yea
term. during which he was botl
lauded and roundly condemned.
Persecution by certain clique
lfcrced me into the mayoralty race,
Walton told the writer. His enemie,
said he had built up too strong
personal following, through his of
Ace, to be beaten.
! Walton proudly wears Masoni
Shriner's pin. He scorned a stor,
that the writer found going tn;
lrounds that Walton first tried to joir
the Klan and then decided not I,
Ijoin. His wife Is Catholic. At on,
time he attended the Christian
lChurch here; but he now goes to tn,
Methodist Church. The state doe
not provide governor mansion
land he lives in his own house, which
lis one Of the show places of the city
Walton is said to have paid $60,00l
for 1t.
1t Is among the working people
las indicated previously, that Waltor
has his strongest following. TIL,
local police force Is wildly partisan
for him. almost TO a man. Durint
Ibis term as mayor he organized then
into just such a policemen's uniof
Ias the then Gov Coolidge once broke