The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-10-03
BY Universal Service.


BY Universal Service.
Oklahoma City. Oct. Gov. J. e.
Walton. turbulent foeman of the Ku
Klux Klan. appeared to have been re-
pudiated at the polls in today's state
wide special election held in defiance
of his official edict and threat of
arms, early reports indicated tonight
as the count of heavy vote began
Forbidden by the governor to hold
an election today the people held il
with virtually state wide empha sis
and with the utmost order and law OBJ
servance
The ballot proved stronger than
the bullet in Oklahoma.
Initiative petition No. 70. weather
vane Of Walton's political strength
in Oklahoma, appears to have carried
with a sweeping majority.
Permits Special Session.
No. 70 is the constitutional amend
ment which, il passed. empowers the
state legislature to assemble itself.
without the call Of the governor. for
the purpuose of instituting impeach-
ment proceedings against him or any
other state officer.
Te situation on the other five
amendments could not be determined
early tonight. They appear to be
lost. however. the electorate centering
almost exclusively on what has come
to be known popularity as the I'm
peachment bill OF rights"
Governor Walton would not discuss
l,o al Ia
deny nor concede defeat. He spent
the entire day OF the election Sc.
cluded in the executive mansion.
Although the state enfortressed
two armed camps on the eve OF this
mooted and challenged election, with
old time western six-gun men ar
rayed against their kind. what ap-
peared 10 be an inevitable hettls
passed quietly but tenseiy into peace
able balloting.
No Guns Drawn.
True. gunmen opposed gunner, but
not a gun was drawn.
Governor Walton's vaunted % 900
minute men" faded Ike thin mist be-
fore the sun. Only his paid detectives
remained. his faithful bodyguard-aud
they were outnumbered 10000 TO /.
Display Of force overwhelmed the
threat Of force.
Never in the history OF any state
crisis. save perhaps under the spur
Of war itself. has there been such
swift. grim mobilization of armed
men recruited by the county sheriffs.
election boards and civic leaders. to
meet these missing minute men" and
tabled volunteers numbering $4,000
meh.
The cry OF sovereign or serf7-
vote your answer. women and men. =
brought them TO the polls in hun
dreds OF thousands.
A hundred thousand men. estima Cd
in conservative numbers. rose TO that
call as 1t swept across the level plains
and the timbered hills Of Oklahoma
"a hundred thousand men who volun.
teered not alone TO ballot. but to hat
tie IL it came 10 that desperate end.
Many Sworn in.
Fully :tIt many men were 'lcpu-
tized in OlI.ahoma's - counties. he
greatest number deputized in single
state in American history. Governor
walton's asserted $4,000 minute
men," expected TO be militant. would
have been importtent before hat
specially commissioned citizen army.
And the IS 600 civilian volunteers
the governor told correspondents he
had available in an emergency. simply
did not materialize or respond. Il
thcy were called upon.
Feared by the governor himself as
a dangerous crisis-his own words
20 correspondents being. There may
be bloodshed'-it was probably the
orderliest election Oklahoma ever
witnessed.
Rain Cools Passion.
A steady downpour in the state
throughout the forenoon hours may
have cooled hot mounting passion.
may have tempered the brittle tension
that existed everywhere early today.
hut II dit not dampen the determina-
ton Of the people to assert their
inslienable right to suffrage. as hun
dreds phrased It.
In steady streams the people march.
ed to the polling places from Harper
county 20 McCgsJain. from Ottawa
county TO Harmony-the lateral
length and breadth OF the state.
In four counties only no voting VAS
done
For the first time in the history 81
American elections. thereby again set
ting precedent, armed men Vera
used in two oklahoma counties 10
prevent voters from eastiaS their hal
lots. Johnson and Bryan Counties ars
the two in which etcetors met With
armed resistance Yet thene VAS 70
violence,