The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-09-30

S ete-E other teNu fleLe h1. been q.
ne ar ro increase in value ana vas,
numbers of tile lots originally scncd
uled. were forfeited after Tie first
nominal payment and the people
fIacEei to the towns that we're f0rru
nate enough f0 acquire che neW rair
roaas This was particularly true ..
Muskegoe where. As hereafter stated.
three of The new railroads touched.
and II Is true a. this day that 100 q
majority of tue original Greek Nation
towns the un0ccupicl lois w1Hd not
today sem f0r the original government
appraisement made i'm 1900
What Government Claims.
The government. from The rec0rd af
peadiugs in trc Muskogee courts. uov
claims that erroneous construction OF
law br its own commission memba S
and officials in the yeat 1901 all not
exonerate the schedules 90 their as
siguees and that therefore either
civil or criminal actions as the gov
ernmcuJ might desire % hring. could
disregard the rules and methods for
scheduling lots. devised and author
izel by the government boards ali
officials and treat the defendants ar
though they aad deliberately schemei
to deceive and defuud the govern
ment Notwithstanding two of tae
United States courts Ol the Indian
Territory have u the years 1901 and
1905 sustained construction Of The iaW
adopted by the toWnsiIc commission.
aud remember the government has
never charged the members of the
t0wnsite commission nor any Of its
other officers. With any misconduct I'M
any of these l0t affairs. Il ~ govern
ment simply claims taat jhe defend
ants. i'm both civil and crimiua cases,
We're bound To know the lass as the
government now asserts il 10 be- 80
gardlass of me contrary construction
1t and practices under the law. adopt
ad hy the interior department and it,
members and officers and regardless
of The approval of such boards com
struction of the law by the United
States courts. in SO far as the differ
ent features of said law We're c1ntrl-
rertee at the time
Department Rules Were Law
] also iind that the rules and con
struction of the law by the nterio,
department from 1898 70 t3e present
time in an these town lot matters. as
we'll as other land and ludian ques-
tions. were the absolute laws OF t.e
land and all persons WIRE required TO
submit 10 these rules of The iAtor0t
+ department and that no ot1er CON
stucti0n OF the law or method on
procedure hereunder would at any
time be tolerated by the interior de-
partment SO that it has been the prlc-
tice for years for the lawyers 81 III
liam Territory 10 study the rules al
the interior department and adopt
them as ue proper basis of procedure
,or their clients 10 follow
AS to Governor Haskell.
What does the government claim ol
/ Governor Haskell in tine Muskogno lot
case instituted against him. Wh) is
he and what has been his life m m.
+ dian Territory?
In brief the government does not
claim thar Haskell was an active PAL
/ dcipant in the scheduling Of MusHogee
lots but the government does claim
that persons with whom le was de-
Quainted and associated in othc lusi
ness did schedule lots, and tnat some
time thereafter the schedules com
veyed these lots to Haskell as trust y.
who. after the organization of an I'M
eorHorated company in June 1902
conveyed the lots 10 said Incorporated
company
The government in lis general lccla-
rations and pleadings asserts that CHS
must all have been for the personal
benefit Of Haskell and that d, must
baye contemplated all of tlis tte year
before il happened 1t is difficult to-
get specific claims of the government
as TO Haskell from the government S
pleading From them | find that
whenever specific claims are made i'm
other cases against other persons
every attempt that the government
makes % plead against Haskell deals
In vague and uncertain gencralitioe
and presumpti3us A skilled lawyct
might understand this variance but to
laiman it IS beyond comprehension
Got Haskell Interested
Facts being more TO my line, ! find
that Haskell iu lhe year 1909 and u.
fore tot the year l9p,, occasionally
passed thloHsl ,he Indian Territory
on the train en- route 10 sJuJherr
reYas whore he was interested With
some Ohio friends in telephone cons
struaCou Chat Haskell 10. ya,.s had
beeH am active contractor In raiIr ll
construction work and ou passing
through Indian Territory abo1t Mar l
1901 an the tr4Jn he met and formed
the acquaintance of The United State
judge for the Nuskogee district who,
learning at Haskell was a railroa
contractor uegel him ID return ~
Nuskogee at an early date and e3a.
slider railroad building proposition.
IN accord with this invitation Haskell
u The latter part OF April Went %
Nusk0gee. jhis being the first am be-
bad ever stopped ~ any point m tHe
Indian Territory fle remaiued tor
one day submitting pr3p3 to
build q railroad east and west through