The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-10
ROMANTIC HALO
CROWNS Owen
Senator's Indian Blood Gives
Picturesque Touch to
Noted Career.
KNOWN AS 'GROUNDHOG'
Oklahoma Democrat Traces Descent
Back to Cherokee Ancestors of
Pocahontas and Powhatan.

Though he devote himself for year.
to come to such stern subjects as bank
Ing laws and currency questions and
canal tolls and the tariff, Senator Rob-
ert Latham owen, of Oklahoma. will
that comes from his Indian blood" says
Current Events IN a recent issue.
He Is all sorts OF things besides being
part Indian. He Is an NJ! A. an LII. D.,
a Phi Beta Kappa man. a thirty-second
| degree Mason, a Shriner, an Elk. a
Moose. knight Tempiar. an Episco-
palian. and a United States Senator. No
matter. his one-eighth Indian blood
| takes precedence of all the others in the
| public mind. and his descent from an
| Indian chief still seems to be the main
| fact in his history. In his hands was
placed the responsibility for the new
banking bill. its passage through the
Senate. and the chief burden of the fight
| over the canal tolls seems in the same
body to rest with him.
lack To Pocahontas.
THE romance goes away back to the
| days Of Pocahontas and her stern par
ent, Powhatan. There were seven tribes
OF the Cherokee nation. Pocahontas be-
longed TO one OF these and owens Cher
okee blood comes to him from the same
ancestors as those of which Pocahontas
boosted.
His grandfather was the last great
hereditary chieftain of the ArniKilawhi.
the leading tribe OF the 'Cherokees. He
bore the proud name OF Hiel-Steky-
Yearle, and his wife was Queen Quatsis
Senator Owen himself is known today
among the Indians as Oconostoto. which
means the Groundhog.' The grandfath
ri. ~
holm. and he was friend OF Thomas
Jefferson. II was Chisholm who led the
Cherokees from their homes in the East
out to the reservation in the Indian Ter
ritory. He was a scholar as well as
fighter, and was proficient in the French
tongue as well as in the English.
owens mother was we'll educated.
riding alone nearly so. when a young
girl. a distance OF 1000 miles to reach a
boarding school in Indiana, where she
addressed herself particularly to the
study of music and painting. While still
a young woman she went to East Ten
nessee as a teacher. and before a year
had elapsed she became married to a
handsome young engineer. Col. Robert
Gwen. For years she followed his for
tunes as he went through the wilderness
projecting railroad routes,
Two sons were horn to them. Robert
being the younger, his birth occurring at
Lynchburg. Va. In 1856. When seventeen
years later her husband died, leaving
her with very limited means, Mrs. Owen
managed to earn a living and educate
her boys by giving music lessons. The
elder son became a physician and later a
surgeon in the United States army; the
younger. Robert. became a lawyer. He
began his practice in the Indian Terri
tory, and soon assumed a position If
leadership among the Cherokees. H he
came secretary OF the board Of education
Of the Cherokee nation. editor and owner
of the Indian Chieftain. United States
agent for the five civilized tribes, and
organizer Of tho first national bank in
Muskocee. As an attorney for the In
dams he recovered for them. from the
United States government, s9.0on0O0 in
money. and IL was he who drew up the
act of Congress which gave citizenship
to every Indian in the Indian Territory. /,
Senator Owen. more than any other
living man, can he said TO be the archi- |
tect of a Stats-the State of Oklahoma. !
He may be said to have written the last |
chapter IN the history of the Indians as |
a separate nation. And he is now en- |
gagged in writing his name in the history !
Of the Federal government at Washing |
ton.
Owen a Foremost Leader.
"As a political leader. he stands today
in the forefront Of the Democratic party. |
He is a pleasing speaker. a fearless and |
effective debater. and he has the patience
and pertinacity of the traditional Indian
In the pursuit Of his purposes. He once
engaged in forensic duel with Senator
Bailey of Texas on a complicated Consti-
tutional question. which lasted for eleven
hours. Bailey was considered one of the
most formidable antagonists in the Sem
ate, but owen not only faced him. but
carried the Senate with him. Bailey being
supported by only two or three votes. At
another time Owen conducted the most
filbuster ever seen in the Sem
ate. He held the floor from u 30 at night
until 1880 the next morning. fighting for
he admission of Arizona to Statehood.
The plan was being put through to admit
New Mexico and not Arizona. owen
inally forced the Senate to vote on both
states at once. with the result that
neither was admitted at that time. John
Temple Graves described the scene as
'ollows:
"'Grave and dignified Senators
warmed like bees around the desk OF
>wen, Of Oklahoma. Senator Carter. of
fontana, came and pleaded, but the Okla
roman sternly shook his head and went
IN. Lafe Young. of Iowa, made a dra-
matte public appeal. but In vain. Gore,
OVENS blind colleague. came and advised
owen to stand. Bacon came to protest.
o no avail. Senator Stone was refused; ,
he venerable and beloved fernando
Money made the last personal appeal he
vas ever to make in the Senate. but the
tern young Senator turned from each
II them and TRANQUILITY continued his
ro1lpnant Ariznna Tho NiOa praSi-
lent Of the United States himself
topped down from the chair and. leaving
'moot In his place, went over to plead
With Owen to relinquish his position of
dvantase and give way to other bust
less. Even to the Vice President the
)klahoman turned a smiling face. but an
bsolutely obdurate ear and went coolly
N.
Message from President.
"A message came from the President
( the United States. then in the Marble