Governor of Oklahoma
Walton was inaugurated as the fifth Governor of Oklahoma on January 9, 1923. Walton represented the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and his policies reflected this. Despite this, many of the programs in his domestic policy (the Reconstruction League) were accepted by the Oklahoma Legislature and 1923 proved to be one of the most progressive legislative sessions in the state’s history. Among Walton’s reforms was an expanded farm cooperative program to aid troubled farms, a revision of the Workman's Compensation Law for improved benefits to employees, and stronger warehouse inspection laws to satisfy Oklahoma’s cotton and wheat farmers.
Walton looked to his predecessor Robertson for many ideas of his administration. Just as education had been a large part of Robertson’s programs, so it became with Walton. Walton passed through the Legislature Oklahoma’s first program to allow free text books to all students in Oklahoma’s schools and a grant of over $1,000,000 in state funds to aid weak schools. In true progressive manner, Walton instituted harsher penalties for breaking state laws and regulations, increased spending on welfare programs, and instituted a farm stabilization program under the supervision of the State Board of Agriculture.
Walton's troubles first began when he began to flip-flop between those progressives who supported his programs and those conservatives who did not. Walton began to lose control of the Legislature and by trying to appeal to both sides, lost all support. Hoping to regain his lost support, Walton attempted to gain factional support by making appointments of the faction leaders to the higher level government and educational positions. Though he would see minor success in this venture, in the long term this proved to be ineffective.
Due to the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, the Ku Klux Klan had grown to dangerous levels of power, a pattern which continued during Walton’s administration. In order to crack down on the racist group, Walton declared martial law in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma and Tulsa County, Oklahoma, with the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in Tulsa County. However, the Oklahoma Constitution strictly forbids any member of the government of Oklahoma from suspending this writ.
Read more about this topic: Jack C. Walton
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