New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-04
INDIAN LANDS INQUIRY
Investigation of Senator Cores
Charges to Begin To-day.
WILL MAKE NAMES PUBLIC
Promises to Tell Full Details of
Alleged Attempted Bribery
in 100000 Scheme.

Muskogee, Okla, Aug. 3.-Investigation
of charges made in the United States Sen
ate by Senator T. P. Gore that he and a
member OF the House of Representatives
had each been offered a bribe of $4,000 to
foster scheme whereby the Indians of
Oklahoma were to be deprived Of $30oG.O0I
profits due them through the sale of coal
and asphalt lands in this state is to be be-
gun here tomorrow.
On the eve of the investigation Senator
Gore said: Il will tell the full details of
the scheme Matched at Washington to
muIct these Indians out of So. 100000 through
the sale of their lands. I will give names.
dates and other circumstances relative to
the bride of s25. 900 offered to me and to a
member of the House of Representatives to
remove our opposition to the scheme which
would throw that vast sum or money into
the hands of private attorneys
The committee was appointed by the
House of Representatives to investigate
what are known as the McMurray contracts
with the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes Of
Indians. It is headed by Chairman Charles
H Burke, of South Dakota, and will meet
at a. m. tomorrow. Senator Gore prob
ably will be the first witness. The charges
June "A and which form the basis for the
present investigation were:
That J. F. McMurray, of McAlester,
Okla, and his associates had obtained TO-
600 individual contracts with Chickasaw and
Choctaw Indians for the sale of 10000 acres
of coal and asphalt lands. estimated to be
worth from s3o.0oo000 to s160, 100000
That the profit to McMurray and his as
of
ranging from 100000 to s16,oOo.Ooo.
That a New York syndicate already was
prepared to take over the lands at $4,000, coo
That when opposition TO approving the
contracts arose in Congress Senator Gore
was APPROACHED and told that $3.50 or
perhaps $4,000, would be available to him
and that like sum would be available to
a member of the House Of Representatives
if all opposition was removed.
That if the contracts had been approved
the Indians would have been deprived Of
10 per cent of the profits guaranteed them
by the government, and the money would
have gone to pay attorneys fees" for
which no material service had been rem
dered Senator Gore also charged that IAN
ex-senator from Nebraska and an ex-Sen-
ator from Kansas were interested in the
contracts
In my charges before the Senate l did
not give any names concerning the offers
of bribery" said Senator Gore. That and
other information / am now ready to i'm
part before the investigating committee.
When the government made its treaties
with the Indians it agreed to sell the land
and hand over the full profit to those Ind
ians. 1t would be absurd for the govern
ment to sanction reduction of 10 per
cent to be handed out in the shape of at
toTneys' fees. 1t is especially absurd
since no attorneys services are needed"
Besides Mr.. Burke, other members Of
the investigating committee are Congress-
man Philip P. Campbell, Of Kansas: Clar-
ence B. Miller, of Minnesota; John H.
Stephens, Of Texas, and f. w Saunders,
of Virginia. Chairman Burke said that
the committee, after taking evidence here,
would visit McAlester, Oklahoma City and
other parts of the state to obtain from the
Indians direct information as to how the
contracts were obtained from them
Dennis T. Flynn. counsel for ]. F. Nc
said he would contend that the
contracts were valid, since the Indians
were members of what are known as the
Five Civilized Tribes. and as such had
the right of citizenship to make contracts.
He said he would asert, however, that no
offer of bribery had ever been made.
Cecil Lyon, chairman of the Republican
State Committee of Texas VINO was
charged by Congressman A. P. Murphy on
the floor Of the House of Representatives
with having assisted Mr.. Murphy in work.
ing for the approval Of the contracts is
eXpecte0 here Tomorrow