Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-05
SENATOR CORES CHARGES.

| SCNH ISn SSnC ST1Ah0C0.
| Muskogee, Okla, Aug. 4-What hap
pened in the private office of United
States Senator Thomas p Gore at
Washington at noon last May formed
| the basis Of sensational charges in
volving the names of Vice President
| Sherman, Senator Charles CurtiSS of
Kansas, Congressman b. S. Mcclure
of Oklahoma and others, in a hearing
before a special congressional investi-
| eating committee here today.
| During the 30 or 40 minutes of d con-
ference held in that office Senator Gore
testified that he had been approached
Iby Jake l.. Hamon, former chairman
of the Oklahoma Territorial Republi
| can committee and also former chair
man of the Oklahoma State Republican
committee, and that he had been Of
| fered n bride of $4,000 or $4,000 to re
move certain legislation pending in
| Congress SO that $4,000, 600 might be
paid to j. F. McMurray. an attorney
at McAlester. Okla, and his associates.
The money was to represent "attor-
ney's fees of 10 per cent. of 10000, OGG,
| which was to be obtained from New
| York syndicate for 100000 acres of coal
! and asphalt lands now owned by the
Choctaw and ChicasaW Indians in this
state.
| Vice President Shermans name was
mentioned by Mr. Hamon, Senator
Gore testified, as being interested in
the land deal to the extent of favoring
the approval of Congress Of what are
known as the McMurray contracts
with the Indians.
What happened in another private
room also in Washington. and where
| it was alleged Hamon made more
| ''oVcrtureS" relative to tine land deal,
| was told by Congressman G. f. Creag-
er of the Sd Oklahoma district Con-
| gresham Creager supplemented tn"
| testimony of Senator Gore. He said
| on June 16 last 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-
titled he was informed he could have
| a substantial interest" in the land
| deal if he would withdraw his opposi-
tion to the approval of the McMurray
| contracts by Congress.
Asked the question: Were any fig
ures mentioned as to how much you
VI
mo. l did not let it go so far as
that. l made it plain that | was not
| omen to being influenced in that way
| Il had already gone on record as be-
| ing firmly opposed to the granting of
such an enormous fee to attorneys.
| Congressman b. S. Mcguire, who
was charged by Senator Gore as being
''intarested'' in the McMurray con-
| In t
| 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
Hamon to Frog leg suppers in
| Washington, at which the Indian con-
| tracts were to be talked over" These
| invitations, it was declared. were 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 $685.
| or $4,000 would not be paid over in
| the form of a check or marked money.
| 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
vestigate the McMurray contracts.
| which are declared to have been made
by McMurray individually with 10000
Indians each of whom agreed to turn
| over 10 per cent. of his profits from
the sale of land, provided the con-
| tracts were approved by Congress
! The committee headed by Congress
| man Charles II. Burke of South Da
kota, chairman, is composed of Con-
gressmen Phillip P. Campbell of Kan
sas. Charles B. Miller of Minnesota.
John H. Stephens of Texas, and E. w.
| Saunders of Virginia. Its initial ses-
sion was held today Congressman
| Creager's appearance on the witness
stand followed a series of sensational
| statements. Among Senator Cores
| assertions were following:
| That Hamon told him that a man
Higher up in the government was
| interested in the approval OF the con-
tracts and therefore there was no
reason why Senator Gore should not
| be: that when asked who was the man
| Higher up Hamon had replied Vice
| President Sherman"
That Hamon told him that Senator
| Curtis of Kansas was Interested in
| the deal.
That Hamon told him Congress