New Britain herald., 1923-09-26
EARLY HOURS ARE
 EXCITING IN OKLA.
City AnriOusly Awaits Hour Tor
 Assembly to Meet
sy Fhs Assaelsssa Press

BE The Assasiaisa fFess
 Oklahoma City, Okla, Sept s6=
 0klshemans sill witness to-day
 spectacle unprecedented in the his
 tory Of the naIion--the attempt of th'
 lewsF house Of their state lagislaturl
 t0 meet in defiance of military pres
 sure brought 10 bear by Governor J
 c, Walton,
 It Is the day for action when deeds
 ~ill replace the threats and counter threats hurled by the opposing forces
 Noon is the hour set for the show down.
 Clash Is Inevitable
 Out of the maelstrom of public opinion there has arisen the picture of an inevitable clash between Ma tionsl Guard troops posted at the doors Of the house chamber in the capitol and the determined solens bent on impeaehing the governor for alleged misuse of his official prero- Eatives.
 But more sober observers foresee q peaceful meeting between the ops posing forces without violence. with. out bloodshed.
 Expect No Violence
 The ring Of steel against steel and the sharp crack Of rifles will not disturb the silent. marbled corridors of the state house fl plans Of the leg islators are followed. For there will be no force exercised on their part if they are denied admittanca to the legislative halls. Instead they expect to go quietly to the capitol and as quietly leave, once they see the way barred.
 They have announced they will not force the governors hand in his threat to shoot to kill if that is nec- essary to prevent the assembly"
 Will Appeal to Court
 Court action will be their only rec course they say. And Governor Wal ton declares he will welcome a test of his action in the court
 An air of tense expectancy pervaded the city early today as additional units of the Oklahoma National Guard arrived to reinforce the troops already mobilized. Strict censorship of troop movements prevented an accurate count of the military forces but it was estimated that fully 500 men were ''in the field"
 Both civil and military authorities took all possible precautions to pre- vent demonstrations. Under orders originating at military headquarters groups of three or, more persons on the streets were being dispersed in order that nothing could be said to infiame the public mind. Everywhere Individual expectations were heard but these indicated an eagerness to learn the outcome rather than any thought of violent participation.
 No Crowds Permitted
 No crowds were permitted to collect around or inside the capitol this morning. Only state officials, with business within and newspapermen were allowed to enter the building.
 Despite Governor Waltons order di- recting the use of all force of arms and men necessary to prevent the meeting, the belief was expressed in well informed quarters that only a very small show of military force would be made in halting the legisla- tors This opinion gained strength with the issuance by Adjutant Gen. B. H. Markham of an official con- l! mand to the house members not to try to meet, although there was nothing in the decree itself to indi- cate what action the troops contem- plated
 Won't Carry Arms
 Moon will find us at the capitol, unarmed and unguarded," was the of Da-rooontofiuQ IVY ID Mo. Bee of Stephens county to the order. We stand where we always stood. We will meet pursuant to our signed lnll." Early today 60 members of the house had signed the call and predic- tions were made that at least a dozen more names would be added before noon. Fifty-four constitute ma jority of the house.
 At least eight other members of the house were listed by observers as favorable to Governor Walton, seven were considered doubtful" and no expression had been obtained from nine others.
 May Force An Arrest
 With the meeting at the capitol all most sure LO D6 pIcNCuICui IL iS NN | pected that the legislators later will attempt to gather elsewhere in the city compelling the military authori- ties to arrest them under the gover- nor's martial law edict barring "un- lawful assembly," This, 1t is pre- dicted would pace the way for pro- ceedings either in the U. s. district court or the supreme court to deter mine the legal status of the session.
 Appeals to Coolidge.
 A telegraphic appeal by Governor Walton to President Coolidge last Ddght asking that the federal govern ment prevent the use of the local fed eral building for the session brought a quick response from the White House that regulations prohibit the use of government buildings except for United States business. The gov ernment acted to forestall such an attempt after reading a news item in B local publication which quoted federal Judge John H. Cotteral as saying he saw no reason why his courtroom m the federal building sould not be used by the lawmakers. The judge categorically denied the statement attributed to him.
 A meeting of the house members seeking his impeachment is prohibit sd by the governor who says more han a majority of the house are of the Ku Klux Klan.
 He has proclaimed the proposed Iession an illegal assembly, declaring { would be dominated and con-