Evening star., 1932-01-17
Bread, Butter, Bacon, Beans

laigs an git the job did lax it oughter
I be did, hey?"
| And so this rustic spoke honestly, en-
phatically, in his homely way for hlm
self, those assembled there with him ano
! for thousands of other tenant farmers
and small town business men clustered
in village and hamlet and at CROSSROADS
all over the State that night, awaiting
the news OF what had come OF thelr
efforts to speed the election OF one
| their own to the States highest ofhce.
This was the second group, the ones
who had laughed with him.
On the third and last group, the
"mulish" ones, the "backbiters," the
"varmints," the "polecats" and nigh
binders" and craven wolves OF plutoc-.
racy" Ito quote only few OF
"Alfalfa's" characterizations of those
who would oppose him), he leveled his
guns. And once the cannon were IN
position and the range set, he laid down
a rolling barrage Of investigation that
he promised would blow to Smithereens
every stronghold occupied by the enemy
with his pot of gold seeking his pound
Of flesh" The barrage is still rolling in;
and scattered about the plains out there
are some convincing evidences Of what
holds. New enemies spring up, true;
but the militant Bill holds them no
brief.
Were you to inquire just who and
what constituted this skulking enemy, "
just whom they sought to vanquish, Bill
would in all likelihood reply that
powerful interests" were the enemy,
and that they sought the scalps OF the
common people"
1t Is the ancient fight reset, the grad
ually fading frontier as q background,
and another "Old Hickory plays the
lead role of general to the quatntness OF
Turkey in the Straw" and the meas
ured tread of his militia. But If any
one. his enemies included, thinks that
Alfalfa Bill Murray is the near-Iliter-
mistaken. More than one interviewer
has come away from Murray's Office to
tell you that this old fire. -eater is as well
read as any one they've known. His
familiarity with more than one fine and
liberal art has surprised some OF the
most 'lit'ry" who have met him. And
yet he persists in holding forth as
simply "a hard worktn' country boy,
trying to git along in the world" as his
life, to some, might we'll suggest.
hSh hWss nv 49,
Murray is the proverbial preacher S
offspring only in so far as he "at the
age of IL became q wayWard son and
absconded" from his home in Texas on
the pretense of going to church. From
| that time on, however, we find none of
the prodigal In his life, but rather bit
Of adventure and no little progress, how
ever harried. He chopped cotton, hired
out to farmers, attended country school
q few terms and then, while teaching,
completed work for B. S. degree at a
small college in Parker County, Tex.
He nr took a fling at the newspaper
business, forsook that for the law (read-
ing al night from borrowed books and,
armed with something of reputation as
practicing attorney, set out cross
country. Destination: the virgin Terri
| tory of Oklahoma in general; no par
ticular spot. But Tishomingo, then the
capital city of the Chickasaw (Indian)
Nation, claimed him. Not long after he
married a niece Of Douglas H. Johnston,
Governor Ito this day. Of the Chicka-
saws.
This automatically made Bill a
| Chickasaw citizen, with the right to
| practice before the tribal courts. And
the Indians, from those old days on, have
called him "Homonockana," meaning
"He-warrior- or-of-a-man." 1t may he that
| this early title keyed" his future ca
reer. But we are positive Of one thing
| the Indian braves did not err in their
| christening. We also note, now that we
hear more and daily of this true from
| tiersman's exploits, that Don't let him
| fool YOU has become the general tenor
Of those who seek to describe Alfalfa
| Bill"
Calls Militia TO End Toll Bridge.
The first time Alfalfa Bill" had oc-
casion to call out the military-before
| the more recent Oil ruckus-there was
short-lived border vendetta. The
casus belli was an ancient toll bridge
| for many years and for more miles the
only connecting link between Oklahoma
and Texas that is, unless you want
ed to wade or take chances with the
was completed there was rejoicing on
both sides of the Red River. No more
| tolls.
But the Texas courts issued to the old
bridge owners an injunction which
would prohibit the opening of the free
bridge. When the injunction arrived
on the Texas side of the river, on the
Oklahoma side there arrived a set OF
plows with which the approaches to the
old bridge were turned into cabbage
patches instead Of roads.
Next day, down marched the Okla
homa militia-two squads of youngsters
under the command of a major, cap
tain and couple of second lieutenants
A day later their Commando in chief
Alfalfa BIZ Cn person. arrived on
the scene and glared in the direction
of the Lone Star State. In his bat
tered valtse is reported to have been
a trusty horse-pistol. "Homonockana'
was defying the Texas courts, again
doing battle for the common people
who would profit from the free bridge
Texas thereupon retracted the injunc-
ton and, amid the click of heels and
cameras, the new bridge was declared
open. An artilleryman's campaign hat
jauntily askew upon his head, Bill d.
rected the cameramen, Shoot, boys'
Then he was away to whatever fracaS
might await him in Oklahoma City.
He didn't have to wait long
Curbs Oil Production.
Oil producers in Oklahoma seemed
early In August, intent on forcing the
price Of crude oil down as deep as some
Of their giant "flusher" wells. Said the
Chief Magistrate Of that State: "All i!
not as it should be, boys; shove tht
price OF petroleum up to dollar!' Il
was said in spirit Of friendly CO.
operation in the interests of tn,
industry and the State. But-so Muir.
rays friends say-the producers didn'
like it and told Bill to run the politica
end of things, grow patches of alfalfs
or anything he liked-they would tent
TO the oil business. 1t was then tina
the Governor decided to teach the pro
ducers lesson in economics, conser
vation and constitutional law. He hat
successfully instructed the politicians
Could he now handle big business? O
doubt there was plenty.
The first step in the lesson was an
other frank appeal to reason. Murra
: stated that oil selling at 10 cents
barrel was not only an affront to goo
Judgment, but was a wholesale travest
upon the rights of school children. TIL