In Oklahoma

The State of Oklahoma between its Governor, its Legislature, its Ku Klux Klan, its Supreme Court and its National Guard is very much at odds with itself. The Legislature desired to impeach Governor Jack Walton for attempting to be " dictator " by putting the state under martial law to suppress outrages attributed to the K. K. K. The Governor had not called a special session, but the Legislators decided that they had the right to meet under the bill of rights in the State Constitution.

¶ The Governor threatened to throw the Legislators into jail if they tried to meet.

¶W. B. McBee, leader of the Legislators, answered: " The Legislature will meet. ... I would lie in jail until I rot rather than part with my ideas of American liberty.

¶Governor Walton declared that by its open defiance the Legislature evidently meant to "ride through blood up to the bridle. . . . But by virtue of the power vested in me as Governor of this state no mob shall rule Oklahoma as long as I am above ground. . . . Don't you think I would have a fair trial in that aggregation of dragons? "

¶ The members of the Legislature circulated a petition among themselves for a special session.

¶ The Adjutant General of the state issued a special military order forbidding such a session.

¶Governor Walton asked the Federal Government not to let the Legislature meet in any Federal building.

¶The Governor ordered all work stopped on a $1,000,000 highway in Mr. McBee's election district, while he investigated whether McBee was receiving " a large fee " from a contracting cement company.

¶The Legislators walked into the Capitol without hindrance from the military. They presented a call for a special session, signed by 65 of their number, to the Secretary of State. The Secretary said it was " the most glorious doctrine in the history of Oklahoma, a new Magna Charta of American liberties. . . ."

¶ The Legislators went to the door of the House chamber where two guards blocked their way. The Speaker pro tem, started to call them to order. A National Guard officer stepped up, read them an order of the Governor forbidding them to meet. " Move along!"; The Legislators left peaceably.

¶ Sixty-seven Legislators applied for an injunction preventing the National Guard from interfering with their assembling. Hearing on the petition was postponed.

¶ Governor Walton had previously called a special election to pass on proposed amendments to the State Constitution. One of them would allow the State Legislature to assemble on a call by a majority of its members without the Governor's assent—would make legal the very thing the Legislature had attempted to do.

¶ The Attorney General petitioned the State Supreme Court to prevent the special balloting. The Court denied the petition.

¶ The Governor ordered out the entire National Guard and called for volunteers to prevent the election.

¶ Local election boards ordered ballots printed. Mr. McBee and others organized meetings to urge citizens to vote in spite of the Governor's proclamation to the contrary.