The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1904-09-15
DAY

Following the ceremonies of deco.
rating the statues, the governor, HIS
party and a number of invited guests
partOok OF luncheon in the west pa
| vilion.
Throughout the day watermelon
was served to all visitors to the Okla
homa building, a car load Of the fruit
having been shipped from the terri
| tory for the occasion.
In the evening the grounds were IL
Illuminated with thousands of fairy
lamps. A reception to Governor Fer
guson and a dance in the Indian Ter.
ritory building closed the proceedings
Of the day.
Extracts From Col. Hoffran's Speech
"The blood of the north and south.
the east and west Is In our veins. 1t
has brought of the best of the life
there Is in all. II has tapped the cur.
rent of Puritan and Cavalier, and
transmitted free the tawny lustre of a
! line of Indian kings. 1t has lost moth
ing by the transmission. but full of
brightness and of vigor 1t feeds the
waking hours of the last Of Americas
pioneers, uplifts their hope and paints
Ambitions prize across their dreams.
1T was no easy thing-this self-ap'
pointed task OF subduing a wilderness.
Life in a new country, even with the
modern conveniences within close
reach. is no primrose path. Mountain
and forest and plain were there,
teeming with the rich secrets OF ma
ture, but, as of old. reluctant to give
them up. 1t has taken time and ira
vail and patience to make them feel
to the masters will.
But 1t has been a labor of love.
The work of men and women. too. san
guine and impassioned and never
doubling the result. Ours is plain
the masters hand and yield obedience
and simple folk, with no aristocracy
but that of grit and faith. They
were called boomers in the beginning
disciples of a veteran leader, David
Payne-but were, in fact. the cavaliers
the knights errantry Of the plains.
Their stores were slender and they
got down to first principles, because
they had to. There had been abso-
lutely no provision made Tor their
coming. maze of perplexities and
conflicting titles unprecedented con-
| frOnted them. Amid the confusion the
sooner strutted, like some swash-
buckler OF the Spanish main. You
won't understand what is meant by
TO- coll mi
tribution to the English language. 1t
was coined to describe class Of indi.
viduals indigenous to Oklahoma alone,
and out of respect to the feelings of
some here present ! can explain no
| further. For more than year there
| was no territorial or other legal gov
ernment Yet that period Of our life
challenges any community on the face
or the civilized globe to show as small
a per centage of crime. or as near
compliance with the golden rule. They
got together and organized provision.
al governments, which were only
makebelieve. From their action there
was no appeal Their word was law,
nevertheless, although the disrespect-
full called 1t kangaroo"
Resources and Development
Our country has constructed more
than 5000 miles of railroad-morc in
the last two years than any other
state in the union, or than any foreign
country. 1t has strung $4,000 miles
of telegraph and 100000 miles of tele-
phone wire. and made them vocal with
the story of our happiness.
1T has created $50 million Of dollars
worth Of property which the assessor
found and 500 millions more which
lodged him. 1t had no particular rea.
sc,, foe lntu0 ~ oifhor oycont rono,,