The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-06-10
DEPUTY v. S. CLERKS.

10 UdNt lltlI NdIdIltH IdlHfu
II provision of the sundry civil
bill Is adopted the department OF jus
tice can keep closer tab on the clerks
Of courts and their deputies In the
Indian Territory. This provision.
which was inserted in the bill at the
request Of the attorney general, IS
as follows.
"The attorney general shall here.
after. under rules and regulations pre-
scribed by him require the clerks Of
the United states circuit and district
courts. clerks Of the United states
courts for the Indian Territory and
clerks of the United States courts in
Alaska TO report ana account for all
moneys received by them on account
OF or as security for fees and costs
and TO report and account foi all
moneys collected or received bv them
on behalf Of the United states on &C.
counts OF judgments. fines. forfeituros.
penalties and costs. The attorney gen.
eral shall also hereafter require such
clerks 10 report and account for any
other moneys received by them In
their Official capacity. whether on be
half Of the United states or otherwise,
and The attorney general shall here.
after prescribe such docket or Rockets
or otherSool,s as he may deem proper
10 be kept and used by such lorks
In recording reporting and accounting
for moneys mentioned above In this
paragraph and in recording all fees
and omoluments earned by them.
which dockets or other books shall be
kept and used by said clerks m &C
cordance with rules and regulations
prescribed by the attorney general" "
This provision is largely the re.
suit Of the work OF lobbyists from the
Indian Territory who came TO Wash
ington last winter 20 get inserted IN
the Eve tribes bill a section lncrea,.
ing the fees of deputy clerks in In.
dian Territory recording districts
twenty-five per cent. Il was inserted,
but the only purpose Il served was
TO attract the attention OF members OF
congress and officials Of the depart
ment OF justice to the unbusinesslike
methods by which the account OF
clerks and deputies are kept and pass
ed upon. The result was an investiga.
tlon az the direction OF the attorney
general Just what has been develop
ed by this investigation nas a., yer
been made public There have been
intimations that irregularities have
been disclosed In some O. the record
ing districts and that there will be
interesting developments later on.
Attorney General Moody refuses 90
discuss the investigation. when the
section In the FIVE tribes bill came
before the senate Il was rejected upon
motion OF Senator Lodge Of Massachu.
setts. The senator merely stated that
he had discussed the compensation Of
deputy clerks in the Indian Territory
with the attorney general and that
the section was an unwise one. He
added that II II were adopted some
Of those officials would receive com.
pensatlon aggregating $1,000 and $40.
600 year Senator Lodge knows III
tie about the conditions in the Indian
Territory and cares less about them
In opposing the provision referred 10
he acted upon the request Of Attorney
General Moody Au Official Of tho de-
partment OF justice said today that
deputy clerks In Indian Territory an.
der the present system really account.
ed to nobody but the clerk OF the dis.
trict court whose accounts are prac.
tically passed upon by L,Ooiy but
an auditor here in Washington He
added that under this system there
were fine opportunities FOR graft II
was also said az the department that
under the laws the deputies are paid
IN salary $1,000 a year and fees out
OF the business Of their Offices 10 an
amount not 20 exceed $500 year
According 20 the construction placed
upon the provision In the Eve tribes
bin It would have given them twenty.
Eve per cent OF all fees above the
amount stated one OF the arguments
iu support Of the provision was that
at present the deputy clerks were
compelled 20 pay out a considerable
portion OF their compensation for
clerk hire
-O+O-
PosTMAsTERs' SALARIES.