The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-08-05
CHARGES
OISAYONED
Hamon Makes Flat
Denial of Gore
Charges

6 last formed the basis of sensational
| charges involving the names Of Vice
! President sherman Senator Charles
Curtis Of Kansas, Congressman 3. S
Mcguire OF Oklahoma and others ia
a hearing before q special coneression
! al investigating committee here to-
day.
During a conference held In that OF
fec, Senator Gore testified he had
been approached BY Jake l. Hamon
former chairman Of the Oklahoma ter
! rltorial Republican committee. and
also former chairman of the Oklahoma
state Republican central committee
and said that he had been offered a
brIbe OF $4,000 or $4,000 to remove
certain legislation pending In con.
| gress so that SS,000,lO0 might be
! paid J, F. McMurray, an attorney of
/ McAlester, Okla, and his associates.
Sherman Interested.
The money was 10 represent "attor-
ney's fees of ten per cent on $780,
600 600, which was to be secured from
a New York syndicate for 100000
acres of coal and asphalt land now
owned by the Choctaw and Chicka-
saw Indians in this state
Vice President Sherman's namc was
mentioned by MI Hamon, Senator
Gore testified. as being interested"
In the land deal 10 the extent Of ia
vorlng the approval by con7ress OF
what are known as the McMurray
contracts with the Indians.
"Talks" in e.vste Room.
What happened in another private
room In Washington and also where,
II is alleged, Hamon made more
'overtures" was told by Congressman
c. e Creager cf the third oklahoma
district Congressman Creager sup
plemented the testimony Of Senator
Gore. He said that on last June is
he had been invited by Hamon TO
meet him in a private room at the
Occidental hotel In Washington
Having gone there, Mr. Creager tes-
tilted, he was informed he could have
substantial interest in the land
deal If he would withdraw his oDposi-
tion to the approval Of the McMurray
contracts by congress.
No Pncc Named
Asked the question
Were any figures mentioned as TO
no" MUCH YOU were 10 IeNtlNSs MI
Creager replied NO, I did not let
IL go 30 far as that | made il plain
T was not open 10 being Influenced In
that way
II had already gone on record as be
ing firmly opposed 10 the granting OF
such an enormous fee to attorneys"
Congressman Mcclure OF Oklahoma,
who was charged by Senator Gore as
being interested" in the McMurTay
contract. was said by Mr. Creager in
his testimony, to have been at the
time of his visit, an occupant Of the
same suite of rooms with Hamon and
McMurray at the hotel,
Clerks Of Senator Gore testified to
having been invited by McMurray and
Hamou To frog leg" suppers at
Washington
All Turned Down.
These invitations, it was declared,
We're all turned down"
On one occasion, one of the clerks
testified, Hamon said Senator Gore
was "awfully hard on his friends"
Senator Gore in his testimony as
serted that the offer Of bribery went
so far that Hamon said the SIS 900
VI g1psuiu hbull libA bN Udlh bNtl llA
the form OF check or marked mon
ey. but that 1T would be all clean
hard cash"
The committee that heard the
charges was appointed by resolution
OF the house OF representatives TO in
yestlgate the McMurray contracts.
which are declared to have been made
by McMurray Individually with ten
thousand Indians, each OF whom
agreed to turn over ten per cent OF
their profit from the sale OF their
land. provided the contracts were ap-
proved by congress.
The committee headed by Con.
gTessman Charles II. Burke OF South
Dakota, chairman is composed OF
Congressman Phillip p Campbell OF
Kansas, Charles b. Miller Of Mime
sofa John J. Stevens Of Texas and
r. w. Sanders of Virginia It's initial
session was held today
Congressman Creager'S appearance
on the witness stand followed a series
of sensational statements. Among
Senator Cores assertions were the
following
Man Higher Up"
That Hamon told him man
higher up" in the government was
interested I'm the approval of the con
tracts and that therefore there was
no reason why Senator Gore should
not be: that when asked who was the
man higher up. Hamon had replied
the vice president
That Hamon told him Senator Cur
lis of Kansas was interested" in the
deal That Hamon told him Con.
gressman Mcclure OF Oklahoma was
interested" in the deal. That Ha-
mon told him an employe Of the de-
partment OF justice at Washington
was interested In the deal That
he (Senator Gore) knew the name
OF the employe, but would not diyulGe
his name or the name of his Inform
ant. especially because the latter
would lose his position.
That former Senator Long of Kan
sas, acting as counsel for McMurray,
had gone TO President Taft on April
2S to urge the approval OF the con-
tracts. but that the president had
said 1T would take a good deal TO
convince him that the amount OF the
fec asked by MoMurrsy was justi-
| fed"
Curtis Denies Charge.
Senator Curtis today sent tele-
gram TO the committee denying that
ne was in any way interested in the
contracts and offering TO appear be
fore the committee. Chairman Burke
| C.-,3o ,ynu1d ba