Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-03-11
INDIANS IN THE SENATE
Mr.. STILLMAN WRITES OF SPEECHES BY
TWO INDIAN SENATOR'S.
Aldrich Financial Bill Brings Out New
Orator Whe Obtains Quick Recognition.
The Recent Financial Panic.

Al'h hhdhSidi ulii, dLii tIle ueUdtt U.s.
tween Senators Owen and Curtis, over
la point in the Indian bill In fact
fboth of these occasions were quite
inotable in the Senate; the latter in
Icident being unique and without
precedent.
Both of these senators have Indian
blood in their veins; they are in fact
known as the two Indian senators. E"
lOf course the appellation is somew hat
| far-fetched considering that Owen is
only one thirty-seoond Cherokee In
dian and Curtis one-eighth Kaw In
dian, but even in open Senate they
are denominated as the 1.-TWO In
dians.
| Be that as it may these two senator's
do not require any apologies on their
own account. They may be Indians !;
and as a matter Of fact their hair and
features give color to the title; but
they have the required number of
brain convolutions and do not know
OF white" senator who would de-
liberately choose TO measure swords
with Senator Owen, the Cherokee
in the forum of running debate
Mr.. Owens speech on the financial
bill was a revelation to the Senate.
lt is not often that debator and ora
.or breaks into the Senate without
being discovered. Generally his
accomplishments have been heralded
by convenient press agent, so that
when he arises for his maiden effort
something is really expected For
two months Owen had sat silently in
his seat among notables. in the rear
row He looks like well-to-do busi-
ness man or banker. He is modest
and unassuming: giving no outward
tsigns of being dangerous.
And so last week when after the
routine morning business had been
completed, and Mr.. Owen arose and
observed that he desired TO make some
comments on the pending Aldrich
bill, it was generally supposed that
the stereotyped speech which has be-
come quite common, was TO be dupli-
csted. When Owen calmly remarked
that senators might feel perfectly at
liberty to interrupt with questions.
there were some smiles visible in the
chamber, as much as TO say We'll,
this tenderfoot has his assurance with
him, anyway"
Senator Aldrich, the author of the
bill, never took his eyes OFF the
speaker. He may have had tip that
something was coming. Well. some
thing came, at any rate. Mr.. Owen
had not spoken five minutes until
everybody began to sit up and take
the big audience that the speaker was
not handing out platitudes or gener-
alities. but talked as one having au-
thoritv He illuminated the banking
and financial question as it had not
before been illumined. He punched
holes in the Aidrich bill and from time
to time prodded the author of the
measure, but Mr.. Aldrich did not seem
disposed to reply. After time some
of the senators made inquiries for in
formation and were courteously an-
swered; in fact Mr.. Owen appeared to
have been waiting for such questions.
Then some of the smart senator's
thought to worry and entangle the
Indian" and put questions at him
with this in view. The way Owen
set them down was positively brutal.
He did it with a keen rapier instead
of with a bludgeon, but there was
very little interruption after that.
1t is perfectly safe to say that these
senators will not in future fool with
the Oklahoma buzz saw.
Senator Owen is an orator without
apparently realizing it. He is more /;
he is dramatic. and yet withal so
calm and composed. Senator Tillman,
wiz Sdb JuSt bChihu O"Ohs 'iN
latter was speaking, interrupted him
in one of his characteristic loud and
bubbling. high-spirited speeches, drop
ping into his seat flushed and appar-
emily exhausted by the effort. Sena-
tor Owen turned and simply gazed at
the fiery South Caroiinian for 81
In,
voice Il will answer the senator's
question. Then in about half a
minute he did answer Tillman, clos
ing with the words: That is Il COM
plete reply TO the Senator query. !"
Tillman. the man OF pitchfork fame,
sat crouched in his seat and looked
the incarnation of embarrassment.