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Bolivia Bubble. The possibilities of large-scale farming outside the U.S. were responsible for the biggest single failure in Governor Murray's career. Defeated in politics, he went exploring through South America, where he hit upon the idea of establishing a colony of U. S. husbandmen in Bolivia. From that Government he secured a concession to 75,000 acres in El Ghan Chaco. Back in Oklahoma, he sold his Tishomingo farm, paid his debts, mustered together about 40 colonists including his own entire family and in 1924 led the way to Bolivia. The land was poor. The natives were unfriendly. Nostalgia plagued all. Within a short time every colonist except Bill Murray and his half-Indian squaw had returned despondently to the U. S. They alone stuck it out for five wretched years, fighting insect pests, drought, shifty Bolivian officials. Finally in 1929 Bill returned to the U. S. practically penniless to complete the most remarkable political career in Oklahoma's history.
Come Back. As an office-seeker "Alfalfa Bill" needed no political introduction to Oklahoma voters. His picture was in most State history schoolbooks because he had presided at the Guthrie Convention in 1906 which wrote the Constitution admitting Oklahoma to the Union. In fact he claimed to have written most of that 45,000-word document. He had served as Speaker of the first State Legislature, only to be beaten for Governor in 1910. Elected in 1912 to the House of Representatives he was beaten in 1916 because he dared to predict that President Wilson, instead of "keeping us out of War" would put us in. In 1918 he made a second futile attempt at the Governorship, then retired to Tishomingo to bide his time.
In 1930 he and the times were in tune. When he announced his candidacy even his friends thought he was joking. When his enemies said he would be impeached. he declared he was also a candidate for impeachment. He started to campaign with $12 in his pocket. Leaving Mrs. Murray $1 for emergencies he travelled up and down Oklahoma haranguing the plain people to get behind him. He went up the creeks and through the swamps. He hitchhiked from town to town. Crowds turned out to hear his mastery of abuse and invective. He lived mostly on cheese and crackers. He was ridiculed and scorned but he beat a millionaire oil man in the Democratic primary and won the election by the largest majority in Oklahoma history. His whole campaign cost less than $500.
The Man Murray. One of Governor Murray's frequent boasts is that he has many friends, no intimates. This fact may explain in part why the man himself is such a bundle of contradictions. On the Oklahoma stump he dresses in the cheapest, sloppiest clothes, is careless in speech, indulges in vulgar mannerisms. But when he visited Washington last month and addressed an audience of cultured women he would have been almost unrecognizable to his Oklahoma friends. His diction was as correct as his clothes. His shoes were shined; a white handkerchief bobbed from his breast pocket; gone was the old sweat-stained felt hat. He won respect and admiration. Such is his showman's art.