Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-14
A LETTER
From Mr.. Sypher at Washing
ton to Gov. Jones.
He SETS FORTH MATTERS
That Makes Very Interesting Reading lust at
This Time.
Why President Harrison Took Certain Action
In Regard 10 Payments 10 the choclaw
RatiOn--Full Text Of Tho
Important Msslye.
HE SETS FORTH MATTERS

letter given below will be- mighty inter
esung reading 70 q good mauy people
and a surprise 30 all Who know of Us ex-
istenco. Il will give some nklug us Ca
the methods 10y which Indian funds are
disslpated. IL will also give the reason
why the present administration doesn't
like newspapers, because but for the
Orrick publication they would have had
the handling of the money, sure, aud not
have had the worry aud uncertainty ot
a campaign (miltin aud POLITICAL tO hold
tue trcasurership until IL came TO hand;
The lettcr reads;
L. Hale Syphcr
Attorney and Counsellor.
Washington, ~ g.
Washington, D. g., March z, 1893.
Governor Wilson n. Jones. principal chief
Choctaw nation, Indian Territory
Dear SIR | consider IL nay duty 90
inform YOU Of the reasons and causes
which defeated the effort To secure the
payment of the money appropriated by
net Of congress approved Mnrch 3,
1891, for The purchase of certain lands In
your country.
The responsibility rests wholly and
entirely upon your own delegation, III
my advice had been needed and carried
out you would now have your money.
When your delegation composed Of
yourself Gpon. McCurtain and Tom
Ainsworth came here q year ago last
November You, we're acting wisely for
the recovery Of the money. The act of
your council of Oct 10, 1891. creating
your delegation and onnulllng an ont
standing contracts Cuahlcd You 10 30 be-
fore the president with clean hands.
When i presented YOU 60 the president
you repudiatod the acts of YOU attorneys,
Stanley and Owen. aud discllmed hav-
ing given them any authority whatevor
10 employ a lobby 90 promote your in
tercsls at Washington.
You embodied this language I'm your
letter 10 the presidcnt-"Wc desire TO
assure the president that no portion Of
this money Is 90 ho paid for improper
aud Illegal purposes; no agents or lobby
lists have been employed by MS 90 nd-
yocate our claims or 90 attempt 10 IN
tucucc illegally or improperly. either
congress or any officer of the govern
ment
This unqualified denial supported 10y
the act of your council rcpudiuiug your
old attorneys and their contract, set
YOU right with the president. But when
you went home and re-iustAtcd your old
attorneys aud re.aihrmcd their unlawful
aud corrupt contracts undcr which u
lobby had been employed here AT the cnp-
ital, you destroyed yourselves The lam
gunge Of the owen contract is ns fol
lows: THAT he Owen shall employ all
the attorneys and legal talent, political
influences, public press. and engage such
other agencies as may be necessary
etc.
This fatal mistake destroyed all con.
iidence 10 the integrity Of your council
aud the delegation aud tended TO con-
hrm the reports which reached the prcsl.
dent of bribery and corruption.
The act of your council of Oct 10.
1891, was q wise and prudent act and
" you had adhered to 10 your honorable
standing with the president would have
been maintained as J established Il when
! presented You In person 90 him but
when you returned home Ia December
auH rcinstnted Owen and Stanley and en-
dorsed their acts aud practices here nt
Wahsngtonundert the unlawful aud corrupt
contract which the old delegation had
executed with Owen: then by this un-
wise action yOn destroyed yourselves
utterly aud absolutely.
Notwithstanding this fatal nistake,
j still COntonded with the president thnt
you had not authorized or sanctioned the
acts of Stnnlcy and Owen done In your
behalf. ! believe thc president cOnad.
cred That you werC not responsible for
the misconduct Of Stanley and Owen un.
III che unwlse action of your council
was made public disclosing the outrageous
contract with u g. Orrick When this
fact was printed IN the newspapers here
your cnsc was dead. You murdered
your ease by your own foolish act by
moliiFg that contract with Orrick aud
~ soon as the president saw il he rc
fused 10 pay the money. | send YOU a
: Wspapcr 10 show you how the matter
was published here
Now let mo give YOU some additional
facts 10 show you the criminal blunders
Of your delegation ia this matter Tom
Ainsworth arrived here IN Ianuary III
he had called on nae / would have given
him the exact facts about your case. 4
kept myself Informed every day Of the
status of a.
The president informed me that he
expected 20 dispose Of the matter before
retiring from Office aud the secretary OF
the treasury informed a friend Of mine
that he expected TO pay the money /
would have given this information 10
AinswOrth II he had called 10 SEQ me,
and | would have advised him 20 keep
quiet and be ready 10 receive the money
lie did not come 70 see me- but allowed
Stanley, Owen and Orrick to fool him.
About the Stb or 10th of February
Orrick learned from Illklns aud Dick !
Kerens TINT the money would be paid.
Stanley aud Owen Nent 20 Mr.. Shields
assistant attOney-Roneral for the int.
ri0r department, aud suggested that IL
would require now act Of your council /
20 enable the delegation 10 receive the
money az the original appropriation of
S2O9l 400 had been reduced SIS, 500 by |
an act Of congress.
The goyernmfSt did not require this. |
but Stanley and Owen insisted upon II |
aud had Mr.. Shields draw bin for
your council 10 pass and then on the 18th /
OF February Stanlcy, Owen and Oriick |
started for 1fshka Homma. This now
act was not required by the government
and was entirely unnecessary but il |
was made nn excuse and pretert for call
ing the council together when the real |
purpose was TO pass an act authorizing /
the making of contract with j. q. |
Orrick for % per cent. Orrck had ron
dercd no professional service whatever. |
and Il was q clear steal to give him 20 |
per cent Yoy were deceived and fooled /
into doing this outrageous thing aud Il I
resulted IA your defeat aud ruin.
cannot believe your council would I
have made the Orrick contract for 20 /
per cent unless they were made 10 believe I
that II WAS necessary 10 do 90 Ia order /
10 gei your money. upon representations
that Orrick was Secretary Mobiles law
partner aud that deal had 10 be made
with him la order 10 aaQuro novn.anf