The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1923-11-29
WALTON ARTICLE

Oklahoma City, Okla. Nov. H.
j. c. Walton, fifth governor Of Okla
aor.a. was removed from office today
5y unanimous vote by the state Seii-
a.e court Of impeachment, after ms
trial on charges Of corruption IN Of
lice, neglect Of duty, moral turpitude
ard general incompetence.
A formal verdict ordering the re-
moval was returned after the exeeu-
i've had been found guilty Of eleven
81 the sixteen charges presented. Inc
vote was Al TO none.
Six Of the original twenty-five
,harges constituting the impeacn
nsnt bill were dismissed by order OF
he court.
The court, by standing vote, de-
ned motion for a new trial, when
Governor Walton's counsel filed I'M
nediately after the verdict was an
|nounced.
The governors removal, although
lot formally ordered until after YER
,ict had been returned on each
harges. was made certain shortly be-
fore 4 o'clock when the court, with
mt a dissenting vote, found his guilty
4 abusing his pardon and parole au-
,Ihority.
i Action Practically Unanimous.
For.v-one senators, lacking only
,ne of the total membership OF the
body. voted for conviction on the
,Iemency charge, the first to be voted
mon. Senator Jack Barker, who has
voted consistently in the governors
avor throughout the sixteen days
of the trial, was absent when the
final roll was called.
The articles of impeachment We're
filed By the lower house of the state
Legislature. which less than two
months ago the. executive, at the
height of his power, had dispersed
by military force.
BY the removal OF Governor wax
con. Lieutenant Governor NJ. +. Trap
became governor of the state. irapp
has been lieutenant governor during
two four-year administrations, and
has been acting governor since Octo-
Der % when the Senate suspended
Governor Walton following the I'll
ing of the impeachment charges
against him.
The vote on the pardon and parole
charge, which determined the re-
nloval, followed with surprising sud
l5enness after the examination of the
last witness. z. w. MARYLAND, presi-
dent of the Marland Refining Com
Ipanv. had barely left the stand when
w. f. Disney, chairman of the House
board of managers which conducted
the prosecution, announced that the
evidence was concluded.
Working with, speed that had be
come unusual in the trial the cour
then took up the roll call. When the
, call was complete the clerk read the
result and Chief Justice J. I. John
ton of the state supreme court, WHIT
presided at the trial, announced thu
verdict.
Guilty" on Many Counts.
Guilty as charged in Article 10,
: the chief justice said Applause greet
, ed his words, and brought hast.
lreprimand from the marchal of th'
2 Senate who threatened to clear the
! galleries if the order of the cour
again was disturbed.
Then followed in rapid succession
verdicts on each of the remaining
: charges.
Those on which the governor wa!
convicted in the order of voting were
That he exceeded his pardon ant
parole powers in order to permit his
friends to collect large fees. Vote Al
to 0.
That he placed his personal chauf-
feur on the state health department
vote 35 to 6.
That he padded the state payroll
by employing many persons to whom
he owed policial debts. Vote 80 to 3.
That he prevented the assembling
of a grand jury by the use of mill
itary measures. Vote 80 to 2.
That he suspended the right to the
writ of habeas corpus during the pc.
Rod Of martial law in Oklahoma. Vote
40 TO /.
/ That he issued a $4,000 deficiency
certificate for the state health de-
Ipartment in violation Of law when no
deficiency in funds existed. Vote 81
to 4.
That he issued a deficiency certifi-
cate for $4,000 for state negro or
phans' home in order to provide salar-
les for two negro BARRIERS whom he
ordered Dlaced on the payroll of the