The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-18
Sensational Developments in
Oklahoma Land Scandal
Arouse President.
INDIANS PAID ATTORNEYS
NEARLY FOUR MILLIONS
Chief of Chickasaws Still Be-
lieyes the Excessive Fees
We're Necessary.

SULPHUR, Okla, Aug. 17.-In re-
sponso TO request from Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs Valentine. the
special congressional committee investi-
eating Indian land affairs forwarded
today TO Beverly, Mass, a statement
covering the amount of attorneys fees
paid by the Indians. The statement
was sand to be for the use of President
Taft.
The statement covers q period of
twenty years, and embraces money paid
out az contingent fees.
1T shows the total money so paid WAS
S3,S93 ,304 ID. Among the largest fees
was $7S9,0O0 paid by the Chickasaw
Indians TO recover $2,S5S,79S. The New
York Indians paid $240,S43 to recover
less than $2,000,000 The eastern Chero-
KEGS paid fee of $4,000. In some in
stances the fees paid were as high as %
per cent of the property involved
President Interested
The request of the committee for the
figures is taken as Indicative that Pres-
dent Taft has decided to interest him.
self LII the present investigation which
grew out of Senator r. P. Cores
charges Of attempted bribery
The contracts now held by J. F. Nc
Murray call for ten per cent fee for
the sale of $30,000,000 worth of land in
THIS state In presenting the figures
before the committee Representative
Philip P. Campbell of Kansas said:
- 1t is rather startling condition of
affairs that such an amount of money
was paid by the Indians to American
lawyers when the government itself is
the guardian of the Indians.''
Indians have so much legal business
Z h hn<, hs,yv, 30 l..
half dozen, according TO Douglass H.
Johnson, governor of the Chickasaw
tribe of Indians, who testified today be-
fore the congressional committee.
Governor Johnson stated that. he was
unable TO say what service some Of the
lawyers were paid, for. The lawyers
were employed previous TO the exh,tence
of the present contracts which prSvide
for the sale of S30,000,000 worth Of
land with ten per cent fee TO Nc
Murray.
Startling Expenditures.
Hero are SOME of the expenditures,
which according to Governor Johnson,
were made by the Indians for legal SER
vices, most of the lawyers being EN-
ployed simultaneously:
Paid j. l.. McMurray's law firm
$4,000 year with 5000 expenses: paid
McMurray's firm another $4,000 wear
paid McMurray $750,0O0 as special fee
in the citizenship cases with an expense
account Of $300,000; paid four other at
torneys an aggregate of $4,000 a year
it was the belief. Governor Johnson
testified, that without tho employment
of so many attorneys the Indians would
have lost millions of dollars.
Governor Johnson testified that in
the sale of Indian property in Missis-
sippi ic had cost the government
$6,000,000 TO sell $2.o00,000 worth Of
land.
In reply to questions put to him in his
previous examination, IN which he was
asked to explain how he came to deposit
$4,000 to his personal account after
McMurray had been paid the S750,O00
fee, Governor Johnson declared he
never possessed $4,000
WASHINGTON. Aug. 1.-THE interior
department is preparing data for Presi-
dent Taft in regard to the Five Civilized
tribes In Oklahoma The information
will embrace all the facts in the de-
partments possession relating TO the
lands and funds of the Indians and the
amounts paid by the redmen in counsel
fees.
The statement will cover u number OF
years. 1t Is not known for what spe-
cliic purpose the president Is seeking
the data