The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-12-20
ASKED TO PROBE
GUARDIANS OF LO
Oklahoma Delegation in Congress viii
Present esolutlon-stirred BY
Attacks


in the house, may be answered before
the present session of congress ends,
the democratic members of the Okla
homa delegation today conferred and
drew up a resolution requesting Gov.
ernor Cruce to order a rigid investi.
cation into the activities of profes.
sional guardians for Indian children.
Charges of gross abuses in the ad.
ministratio nof affairs of Indian chill.
dren were filed with the secretary OF
interior and with members of congress
by M l.. Mott of Muskogee, attorney
for the Creek nation. In the consider.
alton of the Indian appropriation bill
these were carried to the floor of the
house by Representative Mann and
Representative Burke of South Dakota
who demanded why no provision had
been made in the appropriation meas.
ure for dealing with the question. Dur.
ing the course of their remarks they
made bitter attacks upon Oklahoma
for permitting the alleged practice of
courts to charge exorbitant fees for
the care of Indian affairs, while but
so small amount was charged for the
care of those of the whites, and de.
clared if the fees were as high as had
been charged there could be no doubt
of the crookedness of the courts.
connNance is lntimated.
The charges of the two representa-.
tives practically amounted to the state.
ment that there was connivance among
the courts and guardians. Representa-
tives Ferris, Carter and Davenport
took up the bludbeon in behalf of Ok
lahoma and declared that they were
much interested in seeing right condi-
tions prevail within the state as was
the minority leader, but they did not
believe the charges made, however,
they said that they were ready to sup
port those attacking the courts, pro
viding the charges could be proved to
be true. They maintained they did
not believe a word of what had been
said and created somewhat of a SEN
sation when they declared that the
charges preferred were only made to
create a rumpus so that sympathy
might be aroused for the hundreds of
Iemployes Of the Indian service in Ok
lahoma, whose places are endangered
by the Indian affairs committees at
titude in refusing to longer tolerate
exorbitant expenses in the administers
tion of the affairs of the Indians of
the state The attack of the renubli-
cans was based almost wholly on the
Mott statement Mott charges eXtrav-
agaQce an dtotally unwarranted allow
ance for personal expenses and main
tenance of wards and that in many
cases others than the wards them
selves get the benefits of the exces-
sive amounts; that there is lack Of
proper supervision is shown by the
fact that in eight counties of the Creek
nation there are 4,339 cases of guar
dianships in which the guardian has
made no report or in which the pa
pers and court files are inaccessible.
Attorney Mot says he made careful
of the administration of
the estate sof white minors and found
the average administration to be less
than ~ per cent o fthe money han
died, while the cost of administration
of estates of Indian minors amounts to
more than t9 per cent, both estates
being administered in the same juris-
diction and under the same law. With
regard to this discrepancy, the report
states
"The facts speak for themselves,
and show most unjust and destruc-
tive discrimination against the minor
Indian"
Mott Suggests Remedy.