The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1907-11-22
"By the President.
"ELIHU ROOT, Secretary of SrateX

proposed to the bride, who was Mrs.
Leo Z. Bennett, wife of Dr.. Benz {,
retiring United States marshal OF The
Western district of Indian Territory.
Mrs. Bennett is a beautiful Cherokee
woman and represented Indian Terri
| tory.
Marriage of Territories.
Miss Indian Territory was intro
duced to the groom by William Durant
of Durant, known as the silver-tongueo
orator of the Choctaws and q member
of the legislature.
Il have been asked to perform the
agreeable duty of proposing the mar
| riage of Oklahoma to the Indian Terri
tory" said Durant. The bridegroom
is only IS years old, but is capable OF
assuming all the matrimonial respo1s-
bilities Of a stalwart youth. Though
| he was born in trouble and tribula-
ton, in the city of Washington. i'll
1889, his life of eighteen years on ihe
plains has been one of tremenu2nS
activity and he has grown to the 81"
Of giant. Strange to say, on &C
| count of his youth and inexperionce
he is possessed of an unconQuerabit
modesty and he has asked me to pro
pose marriage with the Indian Terri
tory.
"Out of sympathy for the young
bachelor, ! now propose to the Indian .
Territory, who / am assured is matrl-
monially inclined. that the proposal be
accepted, and that the union be con
sumated here and now. 1t should be
understood, however, that nothing
should be said about the age of the
bride.
by authority vested in me, by the
high contracting parties, and in obedl-
ence to their request, ] now call upon
Rev. w. H. Dodson of the First Bap-
list church of Guthrie to perform the
marriage ceremony"
Governor Haskell was then sworn
in, just after band had played ''Fhe
Star Spangled Banner" then came the
address of Governor Haskell which
was received with enthusiastic .ap-
plause. Governor Haskell then APP
pointed T. P. Gore of Lawton ana
Robert l.. Owen of MuskoSee. az
United States senators from Okla
homa, and gave them their credentials,
signed by the governor which Will en-
title them to take seats in the senate
Immediately after it opens.
Both senator's made short speeches.
Gore stating that he congratulated the
people of Oklahoma that the dog days
are over, and that the dog star which
has been guiding the territories mas
set. Senator Owen stating that h. re
ioices that he is able to come bafor'
the people as one of the llanket IN
dams of the former Indian Territory,
and rejoicing that the days OF the
rule of King Gorge the Third and
Hitchcockism are over.
After the ceremonies the parade was
formed and marched to Electric paTh'
where the barbecue was held TLerc
were a few changes in the line OF
march already announced. Mrs. c. \.
Haskell, wife Of the governor, and heI
family with number of lady friends,
rode in automobiles. There were ten
bands in the parade, the Nowata Juvc'
nile band and Others from Guthrie
Crescent City, Tonkawa, Oklahoma
university, Ell Reno. First regiment
band Oklahoma national guard, FL
Reno; Oklahoma City and Woodward.
Fire hundred members of the Ohla-
homa national guard with two colts
automatic rapid fire rifles and the hos
pital corps were in the parade, to-
gether with the Tonkawa cadets.
General Brant Kirk, commander OF IN
Confederate Sons of Veterans. headed
a number OF his officers, who acted
rs a detachment of EX-Union ana EN-
Confederate soldiers as the escort t.
the governors carriage.
One hundred members Of the Anti
"o~se Thief Association marched in
the parade. At Electric park fully
10000 we're fed at the barbecue.
Twenty beeves had been killed and
roasted and served with 10000 loayes
OF bread Governor Haskell and u"
other new state officers rendered
reception to the people at the para
md stood in line for several hours
shaking hands with the crowd.
The two territories have come into
the heritage of joint statehood after
many tribulations and thirty-seven
years of struggle for elfgovernmcnt
The movement for statehood first took
the form of efforts on the part of each
territory to secure a separate state.
Indian Territory did not entirely
give up the struggle for separate
statehood until after the Separate
statehood convention at Muskogee in
1906 had adopted a constitution for
the proposed state of Sequoyah and
had taken the document to Washing
ton, failing to get recognition there.
Indian Territory then In the beginning
If the year 1901 joined as unit with
Oklahoma Territory in the fight for
one state of the two territories.
During the same year in May the
state hood bill under which oklahoma
was admitted to the Union to lay pass
I'd congress and was approved by
President Roosevelt on June 16, 1906
Indian Territory has the distinction
Of first starting the struggle for state
hood. At Okmulgee in September
1870. a convention of representatives
of the five Civilized tribes was held
at which plans were made to ask
congress to admit Indian Territory as
4 separate Indian state. A constitu-