The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-09-09
JOHN s, STEPHENS
TO BIRD MCGUIRE
Continued from Page Two.


of the interior and the president,
at such rate of compensation as
they may determine.
, The first part of this last quotation
is the substitute of the Gore amend
ment, but by using the words, con
tracts hereafter made" this law would
not affect the McMur. ay contl acts at
all, for they had already been made
with the Indians, hence this shrewd
wording would have annulled the Gore
amendment which was designed by
him to disapplove the McMurray con
tracts.
During the debate, page 9693, Con
gressional Record, while Congressman
Carter of Oklahoma was discussing
the McMurray contracts, l asked him
this question: Does not the gent,e.
man apprehend that an Indian that
has not the right of disposal of his
property, cannot make contract as
an individual, that congress, the
president or anybody else should rati-
fy? Are they not as incompetent to
contract as a minor or insane per
SOM"
Mr.. Carter replied: That is a legal
proposition that | will not pass upon,
not being a lawyer, etc
! | cite this part Of the Record to
show why | am not willing for the
president to pass on the question OF
ratifying these McMurray contracts.
! will now prove Oy Mr. Mcclure S
own statement on page 9565, Con
gressional Record of June %, 1910,
that he handed Mr.. Tawney the whole
amendment As agreed upon by the
conference committee, and his state
ment is as follows:
Mr. Speaker: In the proce edings
of the senate yesterday, when the
conference report of the deficiency
appropriation bill was under con
sideration, the statement was
made that in respect to a provi-
sion relating to certain contracts
(meaning the McMuIay con-
tracts the amendment as agreed
on by the conferees, had been
handed the chairman of the COM
mittee on appropriations by
/ member of this house who was
alleged to be interested in such
contracts. Today in this house the
chairman of the appropriations
committee has justly and fairly
stated the facts and with all pro-
priety has also stated that | am
the member who presented the
amendment in question.
Thus it appears from the Record
that Mcclure was responsible for the
substitute drawn by McMumay) and
set out in full above.
In the debate above alluded to in
the house, Mr.. Saunders of Virginia,
afterward appointed on the investiga-
ton committee, said with reference
| to this Mcclure amendment: ''We are
confronted now with situation call
/ ing for immediate action on our part.
/ This house is asked to validate. be-
cause that is all this amendment
means, contract which provides for
colossal fees TO the counsel (McMur-
ray, who holds the same.
Mr.. Cooper of Wisconsin said after
hearing the debate. Il think the
amendment ought to be defeated"
Mr.. Madden of Illinois said: Il un-
derstand that there are 100000 acres
of coal lands in the state of Okla
homa worth sl6O,0OO,O0O, of which the
attorneys are to get ten per cent and f.
which would make $16,O00,000 If this .
is the case then this amendment .
should not be allowed to remain in
the bill"
Mr.. Murphy of Missouri said: Now
We have another proposition here.
hio NOhAiANA AAitilllllS tllc hNhulldg
contractsl which is TO be approved, is
with the individual Indians. The gen.
tleman from Minnesota (Mr. Tawney)
says that he knows nothing about it,
but he agreed to this. want to say
to him that if he had known some
thing about it. which he did not know.
he would not have consented to it by
any means. The gentleman who has
been trying to put It through has
been lobbying all the year"
Mr.. Cox of lndiana-Who is he?
Mr.. Murphy-Mr. ]. f. McMurray.
and he has been ably assisted by Mr..
Cecil Lyon, chairman of the repubn-
can state committee Of Texas. and I
committeeman from tha I