The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-04-30
INDIAN ELOQUENCE.
A mighty Transformation Portrayed
In Beautiful Language.

Teut Wntte anu Ulack can fohu Win
instruction this eloquent oration
delivered this week by William
McCombs, Greek Indian, at Ok
mulgee:
eve, the representatives OF
once all powerful race on the
American continent are met here
today to play our part on the stage
of life and government.
As | stand before you a vision
rises before me in which see the
past. the present and the future.
The picture unrolls out Of the
dim and traditional past shown 8
the untutored fathers, mothers and
children OF our race basking in the
sunshine and uncorrup'ed hapDi-
ness and health Of that romantic
and poetic time when as Gods
children, guided by wisdom hand
ed down in song aud story, and
by the lights hung out In the skies
and the lessons read from the book
OF nature laying open before them
they lived and died with the pure
light of the morning, the generous
warmth OF the meridian and the
red glow Of the setting sun prompt
ing to love and marriage, the chase
and the dance. Then came the
white man with his civilization
and the push and dash aud com.
mercial enterprise born of condi.
tions existing beyond the chang.
ing plains Of the ever rolling sea.
With pure hearts, free from every
shadow OF suspicion and guilt the
red man hailed the coming of the
white man as gracious gift from
the Great Spirit, and welcomed
bis white brother with open arsns
to the fairest lands laying beneath
the circling blue Of heavens can
opy; took him By the hand and
led him through the palhlesa for
est, along the singing brooks, be-
side the gentle flowing rivers, to
The mountain tops from whence
he could feast bis enrapidred vie.
Ion upon broad plains, where the
tall prairie grass bending and
swaying in music waves before the
gentle breeze, stretching far away
towards the home OF the setting
sun.
HE took him by the hand and
led him to bis wigwam; fed him
upon the sweet and NUTRITIOUS
bread baked Of the hand ground
meal Of the Indian corn; spread
before him The meat of the deer,
the elk and the buffalo; made bic
bed Of the aromatic and elastic
twigs and branches OF the pine
the balssm and the sassairass, GOV.
cred By the rich and now priceless
lurs captured in the hunt sud the
chase; gave him hia faIrest star.
eyed daughters to we'd, and count.
less broad acres Tor his home.
and thus wac the door opened
through which We passed from the
innocent, guileless, happy past TO
this eager, madly rushing strenu.
ous present.
"Looking about us today We
stand entranoed as we contemplate
the wonderous metamorphosis,
the vast and almost indescribable
changes wrought by the hand OF
man since the white man fret
raped at the door Of the red man.
Countless hamlete, villages. towns
and cities now dot the land once
owned and completely dominated
by the Indians. Endless stretches
Of steel rails nov bind the Allan.
tic e .he Pacific ocean, The lropi.
cal sunllt gulf TO the Artic regions.
The demon locomotive with puts
aud ear-splitllng Screams, rushes
madly from city 20 city, from ocean
TO ocean, the smuke Of numberless
forges. ioundsies aud factories nos
mount the ethereal starwaye Of
the skies; the schools, The colleges
The churches aud tne cathedrals
are training the mind and com.