The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-10-04
NOT SHOT FIRED
IN OKLAHOMA
Lawmakers Quit at Word From
Troops Commander; Says
Fight Has Just Begun.
MEET IN SECLUDED SPOT
Barred From Public Halls and Hotels
Assembly May Gather Outside
capital-RebeI Members Halt
ed at Doors of House.

Oklahoma City, Okla.-The Okla
homa Legislature convened in extraor-
binary session at the Capitol. transact
ed business and recessed, and o a
dozen words were spoken n not a
shot was fired. The climax to the
Governor Walton over the latter's war
on the Ku Klux Khan was much more
tame than had been promised.
The legislators assembled, but that
was all. They merely carried out the
program they had arranged in their
plans to try to impeach Walton. Each
answered to a roll call, and then when
the House was about to be declared
in session Colonel Key, Walton's mill
tary commander, dispersed the assem-
blage.
From its headquarters in a hotel the
Legislature that was not allowed to
meet issued a statement saying it had
only just begun to fight and there
were many in the state who believed
this was true and that the result
would be the utter rout of Walton.
After the dispersal had been accom-
pIished the hotel Hobbies where most
of the legislators had been gathering
informally were filed with these men
and every member Of the Legislature
was Swallowed. National G%uardsmen
were on duty in the Hobbies and hotel
keepers were warned by the military
not to permit a meeting of the Legis-
lature in their buildings.
But it was the watchers who came
to grief before nightfall, for they were
ordered by Colonel Key from the hotel
Hobbies after they had arrested Camp
bell Russell, former chairman of the
Corporation Commission, and thrown
him in jail on a charge Of attempting
to incite a riot. Later in the day
guardsmen were taken off duty in the
hotels. Colonel Key personally de-
manded the release Of Russell. Since
the special officers had been instructed
by Governor Walton to make such ar
rests, it was rumored in conservative
circles that Colonel Key in releasing
Russell had taken the first step in a
breach between the Governor and the
National Guard.
It is current rumor that eventually
the guard will be taking orders from
the Legislature and those who predict
foresee the end of Walton.
Governor Walton backed down on
his threat to arrest members Of the
Legislature if they attempted to meet.
They welcomed it, but received it not.
The Legislature and the Governor
have been fencing. Each wanted the
other to go to court. AS many pre-
dicted, it was a gunman, so called,
who brought matters to a show by
arresting Russell, an arrest that no
National Guardsman would have
made. Russell will not appear before
the military court. 1t was a Walton
gunman who knocked Russell to the
sidewalk a week ago.
The Legislature filed its call, signed
by ~sixty-ive members, with the Secre-
tary of State and employees of the
Secretary's office were on duty as
usual. Ou1y GuuptOJ Cos anu oSoeO OA
Gals and newspaper men with passes
were admitted to the Capitol. Legisla-
tors being state officials were admitted
unquestioned. On the fourth floor
they faced armed guards. Probably
twenty of these guarded the floor.
Others guarded locked doors of other
offices. The courtroom of the Cor
poration Commission was guarded
and locked lest the legislators divert
their course from the locked legisla-
tive chamber. All the grounds were
under heavy guard.
Not a man or oma in the State
who had business in an office of the
State Capitol was permitted to enter
that office. A Tillman county man in
sisted on having urgent business with
the Secretary of State, but failed to
get in. He threatened to go to court
but was dissuaded.