New-York tribune., 1910-08-20
M'MURRAY'S BIG FEES
Had Half Dozen Contracts Gov
ering Same Period of Time.
CALLED FOR $3.50, ,000A YEAR
Says Indians Took Hardly Any
Tribal Action Without Advice
of His Law Firm.

Sulphur. Okla. Aug. 1a--It was brought
out to-day in the testimony of j. F. Nc
Murray before the Congressional commit
tee investigating Indian land affairs that
he held as many as half dozen contracts
with the Indians for legal services, all coy-
ering the same period OF time.
Mr. McMurray testified that for general
services he had two contracts With the
Chickasaws at $500 year each. two with
the Choctaws at $500 year each; another
contract for special services at fee OF
$4,000, only 5000 OF which was paid;
yearly expense allowance of $2,fO under
one contract and other general expenses,
amounting in all to s1s0,0o0 year. All OF
this money was In addition to the saJO,OoO
allowed his law firm as contingent fee IN
the citizenship cases and in addition also
to the contracts by which he now seeks 70
obtain 10 per cent. or 100000, as q con-
tingent fee on the sale Of s90,0o0,o0 worth
of asphalt and coal lands.
HOW is 1t that, while having so many
contracts to represent the Indians gener-
ally on regular salaries. you got speclai
contract on a contingent fee basis every
time any special case bobbed up?" asked
Representative Z. ". Saunders, Of Viz
gnia, member of the committee lsn t
it strange that the Indians had to sign so
many in order to get their affairs straight
ened out, when the government was sup
posed to look after a great part or that
work?"
Mr.. McMurray replied that he had been
identified with the Indians SO many years
that they had come to look to him to take
care of their legal affairs. He said haroiy
an act had been passed by their tribal
councils without the sanction of his legal
firm. Many of the expense allowances, the
witness said, had been collected by him
without the knowledge OF the Department
Of the Interior. Also, he said, many acts
passed by the tribal legislature were not
submitted TO the President of the United
States, as it was asserted was required.
Asked by Representative Miller. OF Min
pesota whether his work had not tended
to lead tho Indians away from a close
rela lationShip with the government, Mr.. NC
Murray said he always had done his ut
most to bring the Indians and the govern
ment together. It was also shown that the
Indians had employed other attorneys be-
sides McMurray, each tribe paying 5000 a
year. and one of the tribes $1,000 year.
for special counsel
HOW much money in the aggregate the
Indians have pledged themselves to pay for
attorneys has not yet been determined by
the committee.
Any attempt to reopen the government
Indian rolls and admit thousands Of claim
ants to participate In the division of lands
now held in reserve will be resisted by the
Indians at present on the rolls, according
TO McMuTay. He told the committee he
believed great many were now Urongfully
on the rolls and many were wrongfully
shut off, but that any readjustment of these
faults should be done by special legisla-
ton, and not by reopening the rolls.
McMurray was asked concerning the
s750,o00 paid him by the government in 1908
as his fee in what we're known as the
citizenship cases.
1T has been said, explained Representa-
tive c. H. Burke, that you drew the
money from the Treasury Department In
the form of $4,000 in 81 900 bills, and that
you carried them in g valise to a hotel,
where it was divided between certain per-
sons. Is this the truth
''It is not said McMurray. "a warrant
for $4,000 was handed me MY two law
partners and myself then went to the
Riggs National Bank, and upon surrender
ing the warrant we each received indi-
vidual checks. That Is all there IS TO all
those stories