Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-04
SENATOR GORE TO
LAY BARE FRAUDS
Blind Statesman to Detail Plan
to MuIct Indians Out
of 100000
TO PROBE BRIBERY CHARGES
Committee to Investigate MCMur-
ray Contracts with the
Civilized Tribes
TO PROBE BRIBERY CHARGES
(Associated Press)

MUSKOGEE, Okla, Aug. 3.-Inves-
legations of charges made in the Unit
ed States senate by Senator T. p.
Gore, that he and a MEMBER of the
house of representatives each mad been
offered a bribe of $4,000 to foster a
scheme whereby the Indians or Okla
\ homa were to be deprived of $3,OOO,O 600
profits due them through the sale OF
coal and asphalt lands in this state, is
to he begun here tomorrow.
On the eve of the Investigation, Sen
ator Gore tonight said:
IT will tell the full details of the
scheme Matched at Washington to
mulct these Indians out of $4,000, 600
through the sale of their lanus. I Will
give names, dates and other circum-
stances relative to the brlbe or $25,-
900 offered to me and to member of
the house of representatives to remove
our opposition to the scheme which
would throw that vast sum into the
hands of private attorneys.
The committee was appointed by the
house of representatives to investigate
what are known as the McMurray con-
tracts with the Chickasaw ana Choc-
taw tribes of Indians.
The charges, as made by Senator
Gore in the senate on June "a, and
which forms the basis for the present
investigation, were:
PLAN WASH fihACD
That j. F. McMurray Of McAlester,
Oklahoma, and his associates, mad OBJ
tained 10000 individual contracts with
the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians
for the sale of 45O,00 acres OF coal and
asphalt lands, estimated to be worth
from $50, 1000, 900 to $160, 100000.
That the profit to McMurray and his
associates was to be 10 per cent, on a
sum ranging from $3,000,OOO 10 $16,-
100000
That New York syndicate already
was prepared to take over the land at
$50, 000, 900.
That when opposition TO approve the
contracts arose in congress, ne (Sen-
ator Core, was approached ana was
told that S25,000 or perhaps S5O, OOO
would be available to him and that
like sum would be available TO a mem
ber of the house of representatives, II
all opposition was removed.
That if the contracts had been ap-
proved the Indians would have been
deprived of 10 per cent of the prohts
guaranteed them by the government
and the money would have gone to pay
attorneys fees" for which no material
service had been rendered.
WILL TELL NAMES
Senator Gore also charged that IAN
ex-senator from Nebraska and an ex-
.
in the contracts"
I'm my charges before the senate
did not give any names concerning the
offers of bribery" said Senator Gore
"That and other information l am now
ready to impart before the investigat-
ing committee. When the government
made it's treaties with the Indians II
agreed to sell the land and hand over
the full profit to those Indians. II
would be absurd for the government
to sanction a reduction of 10 per cent
4 to be handed out in the shape of at
torneys' fees. 1t is especially absurd
since no attorneys services are need-
ed"
Dennis l.. Flynn, counsel for j. f,
McMurray. said today that he would
contend that the contracts were valid
since the Indians were members OF
what are known as the Five Civilized
Tribes, and as such had the right of
citizenship to make contracts. He said
he would assert, however, that no offer
of bribery had ever been made.
Cecil Lyon, chairman of the Repub-
lican state committee of Texas, who
was charged by Congressman A. +.
Murphy on the floor of the house OF
, representatives with having assisted
Murphy in working for the approval of
{ the contracts, is expected here tomor-
h row, when the investigation begins.