My eyes could not believe what they saw. A mob marching down Shartel St. in Oklahoma City — Breaking windows and making demands. The police were escorting them. Protecting their rights to free speech and the marches continue, to this day. Property damage and wanton vandalism everywhere. Oklahomans had never seen anything like this. Or had they?

Back in 1906 when Oklahoma Territory thought it had things lined up for statehood the then President Theodor Roosevelt balked. He did not like socialistic politics. Or the racist laws against blacks in the document. Blame “Alfalfa Bill Murray.” He practically ruled the Oklahoma constitutional convention and among other things had inserted his views on racism and socialism.

Many Democrats believed in the “inferiority” of black people and inserted Jim Crow laws into the State’s new constitution. Laws that commanded negros to be segregated on trains, places of entertainment and schools. Roosevelt received some modifications but Bill Murray, a strong and outspoken political leader of the day strongly believed colored people to be inferior. He believed that God said so.

The state finally was admitted to the Union in 1907 and Bill Murray continued to ride high. He was later elected governor twice and had schools and buildings named after him. Settlers flooded to the new Sooner State. Socialism was growing in strength in Oklahoma. Poor white farmers trying to make a living behind a mule and borrowed (high interest) money were getting madder every day and they were told by the socialist politicians that socialism was the key to improvement.

By 1915 these farmers blamed the government, banks, and capitalism in general for their hard times. Socialist orators convinced poor Oklahoma farmers (by the thousands) that the government was responsible for their poverty. Bill Murray’s Ku Klux Klan marched hand in hand with the socialist. They wanted more free stuff. Land and money. Segregation.

The Oklahoma Socialist Party grew faster than green weeds across Oklahoma. They gave birth to the “Green Corn Revolution.” This revolution started right here — in the Allen area. The organizers planned to march by foot on Washington and make demands for their free stuff. Allen, Seminole, and Coalgate were in the political epicenter of this upheaval. A guy named John Spears raised the red socialist flag (communists) over the bluff on the Little River just outside of Sasakwa on July 27 th to spark the fiery revolution. It was here the “March on Washington” and the “Green Corn Revolution” got organized.

On August 2 ^nd , Seminole Sheriff Grail and a deputy rode over to Sasakwa to see just what was going on. They were ambushed by five party members and barely escaped with their lives. Next, a big revival was held on a sandbar near Allen but what was preached was political, not religious. Phone lines to Francis were cut and the big railroad bridge was burned. Sheriff Bob Duncan (Pontotoc County Sheriff) got a small group of 25 deputies and went after them, capturing ten. The Ada News followed with several stories on shoot outs and raids in our area. The “revolution” was in full swing.

Word floated that Konawa would be burned. Sixty men were rushed by train and saved the town from the rampaging Socialists. W. T. Cargill, secretary for the rebel’s party, was killed in Konawa in the fracas. A farmer was shot to death near Spaulding and another just south of Holdenville. Soon, 450 farmers had been arrested and all were transported by train to McAlester — 150 were found guilty of conspiracy and put in prison. The march on Washington was over. The state and federal government clamped down on these Socialists. The party vanished. The green corn revolution was over.

I wonder who is going to stop the sorry mess we see now.

Hope your week is good. Be sure and go to church Sunday — and wear your mask.

Wayne Bullard, DPh cwaynebullard@gmail.com