Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-09-18

trying and laborous campaign. It is
alleged by knowing individuals who
before primaries in Oklahoma that
he made hard race out OF what
might have been an easy race. These
assert that II he had paid difference
to and counseled with other big men
in the party he would have been
Nominated without an effort-~be-
cause he is Qualified and has prest-
ige. But this indepenent Williams
person wanted to go II alone. He
desired no leading strings. He crav-
ed an untrammeled tenure He
wanted to make an epoch in the
history of the state Embatteied
bristling. strenuous self-sufficiency
has been characteristic OF the former
Chief Justice and author of the State
formist since boyhood, the bachelor
nominee insisted on going alone and
and in a straight course to the goal.
That he almost missed it is a minor
matter in his philosophy.
Tradition of his youth is that he
was poor. ambitious comparatively
fraendless, and. though frequAntly
pummeled by his companions, always
coming back
Judge Williams went to Durant
good many years ago. This writer
met him over there at least eighteen
years ago when he was gathering
some law practice and occasionally
filling a pulpit as a law member In
the districts that had no preachers.
The Indian Territory side of the
present State was then in formative
stage The Federal court at Paris
had been supplemented by courts in
the Territory and there were many
young lawyers in the town that had
United States Commissioners. Down
along Red River these young fellows
wore long hair and Texas hats. They
were from Texas Williams was
from Texas, too, but he was a short
haired, busy person, to whom pose
was not understood.
His selection ten years ago to be
National Democratic Committeeman
when he won over Bob Dick and DR..
D. M. HALEY was the beginning of
his general prominence. That fight
still has its echos on the East Side
1t was on the East Side, incidentally,
that the Cherokee council many years
ago enacted alaw that the fist of a
certain giant member of the COM
munity was deadly weapon. At
least this is what Senator Owen
himself a Cherokee asserts. This
has nothing to do with Judge Will
iams, other than to show the sort
Of a community the East Side was
then.
Economy seems to be an obsession
with Judge Williams, the candidate.
He adds to that efficiency and thrift.
The trinity has been his campaign
pibroch. Economy is a habit with
him. An admiring but discerning
friend says that when he came TO
move up to the capital to assume the
duties as member of the Supreme
Court he took no trunk along. He
didn't need any. A canvas telescope
easily encompassed his wardrobe at
that time. His prsonal accouter-
ments would have ratified in a Sara
toga at that time. A wardrobe trunk
would have been a joke. The matter
of few clothes was no affectation
with him. Simple tastes and early
habits of frugality then still clung,
and they yet adhere to him. He could
have afforded enough clothes to fill
baggage car of trunks. For the
young Texas lawyer had prospercd
Judge Williams has dolled up some
what 10 recent years--but his close
friends do not know for sure whether
he owns a trunS even to this day.
Before Judge Williams went into
politics. he could make much more
money out of office than he could in
it. The fact that he was thrifty
citizen who does not neeo an office
has appealed to some Of the vcters
in the recent campaign II is as
serted that the voters of Oklahoma
are not now voting against the can
date for the sole reason that the