The Washington times., 1903-08-20
"New York Times" Accuses
Secretary of Interior of
DepOsiting Public Funds
For Benefit of Friends.
TOWN IMPROVEMENTS
THEREBY PREVENTED
Three Oklahoma County
Seats Suffering From the
Withholding Of Funds.
SeCretary'S Denial.

In the course of a sensational article
headed Secretary Hitchcock Now Faces
Charges" the New York Times this
morning made the following statements
concerning the Secretary of the Interior;
Formal charges have been made to
the President that large sums OF money
realized from sales OF town lots in sew
eral thriving young cities in Oklahoma,
instead of being expended for public
uses. as was provided by act OF Congr sss.
have been deposited in st. Louis banks
in which Mr. Hitchcock's friends are i'll
terested as stockholders. The Secretary
is a ST. Louis man.
"Lawton, Anarko. and Hobart, the
county seats OF three large and prosper
Gus counties. have for two years been
striving to get the money derived from
the sale of town lots within their re-
spective sites applied to the installation
of water works TO provide their people
with drinking water and to protect them
against fires. The people in those places
are obliged to haul water in barrels for
domestic use. Lawton has $40 goo TO
its credit, and legitimately available for
waterworks. and her common council
has formally acted in favor of spending
$500 OF this amount for the purpose
in question.
But in spite of the city authorities il
has been impossible to get the sanction
of the Secretary of the Interior and the
money lies in the vaults Of the Union
Trust Company. Of ST. Louis. The other
towns have also similar large funds
l..
sire to employ for waterworks and can
not get hold of.
Banks Profit by It.
''The citizens have appealed 10 Mr.
Hitchcock without result They have
now gone straight to the President with
their complaint and asked for an inves-
tigaticn. They have told Mr.. Roose-
welt that for two years the St Louis
banks have had the use of over a mil
lion dollars % town lot money.
THE charges against Secretary
Hitchcock were signed by the mayor
and city clerk of Lawton. and the city
seal was affixed to the papers. The
same charges will be presented to Con-
gress next session. unless the investi-
cation should before that time get I'M
der headway.
The only substantial reason Mr.
Hitchcock advances for Withholding
these funds from their proper use for
Improvements in the town to which
they belong is that there is a crowd Of
looters down there who would steal
the money IL taken out OF the banks
This is aside from charges of land
frauds in the Indian Territory. There
are many other charges which will have
to be taken I'D If an investigation is
started. One thing viii lead TO another
1t is believed that powerful influences
will be brought 10 bear 10 stihe all ef-
fort 70 investigate.
Mr. Hitchcock denied these accusa-
tions in the following vigorous terms:
The whole dispatch is a tissue Of
falsehoods and am surprised 10 see a
paper of the supposed respectability and
conservation Of the New York Times
publish a thing Of that sort.
Every cent Of the money obtained
from the sale OF the town lots in the
Oklahoma counties was deposited in the
subtreasury at St. Louis. where it re-
mains to this day. except that which
has been spent according to law. The
charge that refused 10 allow the money
TO be drawn out for improvements is
also untrue Thousands Of dollars have
been spent and we are now preparing 10
spend thousands more"