Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-16
GOVERNOR WALTON
PREPARES DEFENSE
IN OKLAHOMA CITY

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla, Oct. 13.
By the Associated Press.)-Oklaho-
mas legislative situation tonight as
sumed the proportions of bitter po-
litical controversy, ,.-,h forces or
Governor j. c. Walton girding to
combat an impeachment act insti'
tuted by the lower house OF the state
legislature.
Having already thrown aside his
most prominent administration adj
visers-Aldrich Blake, the executive
counsellor, and DR.. e. T. Bynum,
state bank commissioner-the gov.
ernor now is said in official quar-
ters to be building an organization
by which he hopes to split the ranks
of his legislative opponents.
While the executive himself re-
fused to outline his plans, it is J
mored that his supporters have pre-
pared a definite campaign and only
are awaiting the reconvening Of the
legislature Monday TO launch their
defensive.
Meanwhile, Clifford w. King, an
assistant to the attorney general
whom the governor appointed today,
will act as the executives personal
adviser.
No successor to the former bank
commissioner has been named.
Both Blake and Bynum issued
statements today attacking the gov
ernor for his recent official activi
ties. The former executive coun-
selIor declared that he had been
ousted because the governor had
been defeated in his fight against
the Ku Klux Khan, but that despite
his removal, he intended to carry
the ahti-kla' campaign into every
pret l the S. lite.
The house committee, appointed to
investigate improbable offenses al
legged to have been committed by va
rious state officials, continued its
session today and examined more
than a score Of witnesses.
Blake's statement follows:
ITO the people of Oklahoma:
EARLY in the primary campaign
for governor of Oklahoma I cast my
fortunes with J. C. Walton. l had
never met Mayor Walton but he had
been elected as the standard bearer
of the farmers and laborers of the
state and ] had always stood pri-
marily for their interests.
1.-THE fundamental issues were
economic and industrial just as they
are today in Oklahoma and through.
out the world.
"Concretely, these issues resolve
themselves into this proposition:
The farmer produces a ton OF cab
bage and receives therefor 81. The
laborers consume a ton of cabbage
and pay $198 for what the farmer
sold for 81. The problem Of ex
penses is to reduce the spread be.
tween 81 and $198. This purely eco
nonlic question has been temporarily
lost sight OF in q political question
which is: Who shall rule in Okla,
homa, the people functioning
through a representative form of
government, or what is known as
the invisible empire functioning
through dragons and cyclops who
receive their orders from Atlanta,
Georgia?
Issue Defined
"This issue is now defined in Okla
homa and there is no middle ground.
I'll uly LOs 1870, L was O1LS1 GU
and accepted the office of chief
state. For months 1 had warned
the governor against the operations
Of this hooded order, called the Ku
the hundreds of letters complaining
against mob violence but had seen
the most sinister attack made to fill
the capitol and state institutions
with men who favor allegiance to
the empire I saw a legislature.
supposed to be filled with represen.
tatives of sovereign people, docily
submit whenever the affairs of the
empire were at stake.
This legislature gave the health
department. the greatest appropria-
ton in it's history and the khan mem
bers boosted that they put this over
because the health commissioners
was klansmap. You had but to
be, klansman and all was well.
"On August IA the battle opened
when the governor placed Tulsa
county under martial law. From
the beginning 1 urged a straight
out fight on the khan. I had hoped
to see this fight conducted on 4
high plane with the personal issue
eliminated, but this soon became i'm
possible. A huge accumulation of
political entanglements and embar
easements and acts of administra-
ton detail which 1 have been pow
erless to prevent, together with
number of extemporaneous views
given by the governor to newspa-
permen rallied his political enemies.
Side issues of every conceivable ma
tire were injected into the fight
while the governor himself was sur
rounded by advisers and appointees
who differed on the fundamental
question as TO who should rule.
Limitations Evident
"All men have their limitations
and in no unfriendly spirit, l mast
say that the governor yalso is a
man of limitations. 1t become rapid
ly apparent that he could not
rally the entire anti-klan forces. Re-
treat for the governor was neces.
sary. Others Of his advisers con-
WINGED him that my fight against
the khan was not i'll the best in.
terest of his administration and he
was finally prevailed on to relieve
me of my position as chief coun-
sellor. This. OF course, was his own
offer. had tried to serve Governor
Walton intelligently, industriously
and honestly and with the utmost
loyalty. bearing always in mind
that public official allows a high
er duty to the people of the state
than to any single individual In
performing the service 1 was obliged
to say things and give advice which
often panied me, but I was dealing
with the personality of J. c. Wal
ton and had to be governed ac-