Published: August 01, 2003 12:00 am            

State Constitution's journey not an easy one

A hundred years ago Oklahoma had a complete version of a state constitution, signed and sealed but not delivered. Nobody could read the original parchment copy except Convention President William H. (Alfalfa Bill) Murray.

Delegates signed the document on April 19, 1907. John S. Harrison of Sayre mentioned that the shot heard 'round the world was fired on April 19, 1775. (The Oklahoma City Federal Building would come a long time later, on April 19, 1995.)

Murray signed the Constitution with a quill pen provided by William J. Bryan, three times the losing Democratic candidate for president.

Alfalfa Bill choked when he tried to give his farewell address to his fellow delegates. Future Gov. Henry H. Johnston had to read it for him.(And it turned out not to be the final session after all.)

Irvin Hurst of Oklahoma City, author of "The 46th Star," wrote that instead of filing the original document with the territorial secretary of state Murray put it in a strong box and took it home to his Tishomingo farm.

Oklahoma Territorial Gov. Frank Frantz refused to call an election on accepting the Constitution until he had the original document in his hands. Murray offered a copy, but Frantz would not compromise.

"The impasse had its lighter moments," Hurst wrote, "when the witty Walter Ferguson, son of former T. B. Ferguson, organized the Squirrel Rifle Brigade to protect the Constitution. Murray was designated general and commander-in-chief. Commissions bearing a grotesque picture of Murray, long flint-lock rifle in hand, with a cockelbur seal, became much-sought-after mementos of the political crisis."

Word came from Washington that President Theodore Roosevelt was finding a lot of things wrong with the proposed constitution. A member of the territorial Supreme Court issued an injunction to prevent Frantz from calling an election on the document.

"Some delegates were aghast at Murray's next move," Hurst wrote. "Contending a constitutional convention beyond judicial reach, the Con Con president ignored the court order and issued his own proclamation on June 3 for an August 6 election. He called on citizens of the territories to finance the election with donations.

The territorial court upheld Murray's stand though the vote date was changed.

A committee of delegates had gone to Washington and talked to U.S. Attorney General Charles Bonaparte about the Constitution. The committee found extensive changes must be made before the President would sign the Constitution.

Convention Democrats approved 43 changes in four days.

On Sept. 17, a date set by Frantz to coincide with acceptance of the federal constitution, the two territories adopted the Constitution 180,333 to 73,059.

        

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