Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-05-14
WHO'S WHO HERE

cd what most OF us have known az.
olong. end that IS that Bm Durant
IS 2 man among men. that he has
caused things 10 be done for his neo-
pie, both Red and White. that few
other men could have done az all
He Is unQuestionably the most usefui
man that Bryan county could have
sent 70 the General Assembly. ana
his works will live after him. HE
enemies have vanished into trin air.
and q is safe to say that there h not
a man in Oklahoma who can come as
near getting ail his constituency be-
hind him as can our oyn Bin Du-
rant today.
Old Adam. who had the rcferen-
dunn. initiative and recall invoked on
him IN the Garden of Eden with most
unfavorable returns from all the pre-
cincts. Is said TO have been the only
big man who never got his reward
in the shape Of monument after his
dust had been converted into chlo-
rine gas. Maybe he didn't deserve
1t. But that is another story. Bill
Durant win not only Get a good. big.
tall monument after his passing. but.
he will receive his reward while he
is still keeping the fifth with his peo-
pie here below.
'Tis true that he has never asked
for any political preierment and been
denied. but his requests have been
small indeed In the older days
when he was a csllow youth he was
range rider and he specialized on
mavericks He>was one prodigal son
who brought his rfatted calf along
with him. II is thought that Bill
learned much Of his political wisdom
from the mavericks. AS a range rid
er he made such inroads upon the
tribe OF mavericks that they held
great convention one day and deeid-
ed that they had to do something for
national defense. A kinky-haired
bull among them. that had run a
million. miles TO escape William.
moved that TO save the strength Of
all II would be wise when they saw
the range rider coming for one of
the mavericks to gallop up to Bill's
mighty steed and stick its muzzle
into the loop of his lariat. The wise
bull argued that as Bill always got
what he came for il would save both
er all round to make a surrender.
Bill Durant always gets what he
goes after, and we arise to predict
that at an early date he is going af-
ter something worth while in the po-
llitical roundup. He deserves any
thing the people can give him. is able
to take care of whatever 1t may be.
and will fetch It back with him splen-
didly executed and untarnished.
There isn't an office within the gift
Of the people that is too big for him,
and his supreme modesty is the only
thing that has kept him out Of some
political berth worth while.
Mr. Durant is comparatively
! young man. having been boin in
what IS now Bryan county in 1856.
About the only schooling he ever
had was in the inferior territorial
schools Of that time and a short ses-
sion in college at Batesville. Ar
kansas He is one of those rare men
who never needed much schooling.
as common sense is sort of natural
with him. He was at one time super
intendent OF Jones' Academy. a very
good Indian school.
Before statehood Durant was a
member of the Choetaw legislature
and even in those days he was known
as brilliant and useful man about
the old capital at Tuskahoma.
He was elected to the first Okla.
homa legislature and has succe,d ,dcd
himself every term since. And he Il
the only man in the sfate who has
been elected 10 every session of the
legislature. and that IS proof Of tbs
great faith the people of this count!
have in him.
During the first legislature. under
Governor Cruce. Mr.. Durant wa:
chosen speaker of the house Of repre-
sentatives, and made a reputation
broader than the big state itself.