Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-08-05
can thew actually occupied the same


mean they actually occupied the same
rooms?'
CONGRESSMAN Mcclure frequently
was in the rooms, but | think ms
rooms were one or two stories higner
up. The hotel was frequented py CON
gressmen generally"
Questioned by Senator Gore, Mr.
creager said his bill provided for the
sale of the lands by the Secretary of
the Interior and did not provide for any
attorneys fees.
Beside Mr.. Hamon another important
witness to be heard is Congressman
b. S. Mcclure, of Oklahoma, who was
charged by Congressman Creager with
having occupied the same suite of
rooms with McMurray at a hotel in
Washington, and by Senator Gore with
having been interested in the approval
of the contracts for the sale of the $780,
900 acres of coal lands.
Senator Curtis will take the stand
either tomorrow OF Monday. He sent
a telegram to Congressman Charles Fl.
Burke, of South Dakota, chairman of
the investigating committee, saying he
was anxious to testify that he was in
no way involved.
Here in Muskogee j. f. McMurray,
whose name the contracts bore. and
who was to have profitedlargely by their
terms, has given out a statement set
ting forth his position in the matter as
follows. My hands are clean n VIII
always remain so. Senator Gore ana
Representative Creager, the two grand
stand witnesses of the prosecution,
failed utterly to connect me In any
manner with any attempt to bride any
member of Congress. Bribery never
entered my mind; no one has ever
spoken to me nor lave l ever APP
preached anyone dishonesty"
Says senator Is "a sIandercr.
Representative Bird S. Mcclure, of
the First Oklahoma district. in his re-
ply took occasion to brand the blind
senator as a slanderer. Il don't know
what was said to Senator Gore or
whether anything was aid to him by
any persons, but this much is true: No
man who is honest and responsible Will
say that l have now or have ever had
any interest in any Indian contracts
with McMurray or anybody else. A
man who would base a statement in
the United States Senate on what some
eerson may have told him in a matter
like that is nothing more or less than
q common slanderer."
The chain of denials was made COM
plete by the statement of United States
Senator Charles Curtis, of Kansas,
who was named in the charges as
being interested in the contracts. lena
tor Curtis declared that he was not in
terested in the contracts either direct
ly or indirectly" He ever went fur
Their:
II have always taken the position
that the Chickasaws and Choctaws did
not need attorneys to assist them IN
the sales Of their reserved coal and
asphalt lands nor in the sale of their
reserved timber lands he said. Il
have commended that 1t was the duty OF
the government, under the laws passed
by Congress, to handle that property
of the Indians" Senator Curtis further
said that he was ready to appear be-
fore the investigating committee n
testify at any time.
The charges of Senator Gore, as pre-
ferred during yesterdays session OF the
congressional investigating committee.
set forth that interested persons were
to nave p~roflted to the extent of about
"a. 900. 900 IN fees If the McMurray bill
had gone through. The bride ofrered
him, he said, was to induce him to
withdraw his opposition to the bill n
let II go through.
The interested persons" named by
Senator Gore were Senator Curtis, OF
Kansas; Representative Mcclure. OF
Oklahoma, and Viee-President James
s. Sherman.
Further along in his statement the
senator called attention to an article