Reviews, Notes and Comments 431
SENATOR ROBERT L. OWEN AT THE LOGAN ELM
Mr. E. L. Spetnagel, a life member of
our Society,
writes an interesting letter to Mr.
Tiffin J. Gilmore
thanking him for a circular containing
a cut of the
Logan Elm and the text of the speech of
Chief Logan
that made the tree famous. He speaks of a family
reunion last June and the enjoyment of
two brothers
and other members of his family in
making a visit to
this grand, old tree. Continuing Mr.
Spetnagel writes:
Some day I will drop into your office
and tell you the story
of another Indian who made a speech
under this same Logan
Elm. This Indian was none other than
Senator Robert L. Owen
of Oklahoma, who visited the spot with
Judge Claypool and Mr.
F. A. Stacey in 1920 on the occasion of a political meeting in
the presidential campaign of that year.
The Senator spent the
night with Mr. Claypool and asked to be
shown some of the
mounds and spots made historic by the
Indians. Upon their re-
turn, Claypool brought the Senator to
our bank and asked me to
entertain him until an automobile could
be gotten to take him
to Greenfield. I enjoyed a most
delightful hour with the Senator
and he told me of having made a speech
himself under the tree
that morning, and asked me if I cared to
hear it. I assured
him that I would, and he then stood up
and repeated in the
Choctaw language his speech. He said,
"Of course you do not
understand what I said, so I will
interpret the speech for you."
As near as I can recall his words they
were as follows:
"Chief Logan, of the Mingo tribes,
I bring you greetings
from a member of the Choctaw tribe of
Indians. You, in your
day, were a good Indian. I, in my day,
am striving to be a good
Indian. I greet you, Chief Logan."
You cannot imagine the impressive effect
of these words
upon me, delivered as they were in the
private room here at the
bank to Mr. Stacey and myself as his
audience.
After finishing his brief address he
took from his pocket an
envelope which contained several leaves
from the Logan Elm,
and, showing them to me, stated that he
intended sending or
taking them back to his mother and
telling her the pathetic story
of Logan.
Senator Owen of Oklahoma is not the only
member
of the highest legislative body in the
world with Indian