The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-12-16
report cites individual instances
where the cost OF administration

report cites lnOlVluudl luotahN"S
where the cost OF administration
estates Of minor Indians has ex-
ceeded 80 per cent of the money
handled. Numerous cases are cited
where the cost ranges from 90 TO
75 per cent for the purpose of show
ing comparatively the cost OF ad-
ministration in Oklahoma and other
Jurisdictions. Attorney Mott OBJ
tanned data showing that the aver
age cost in thirty other states does
not exceed 3 per cent. The report
contends that conditions have been
aggravated by the discontinuance
of the district agency plan and in
this and other respects verifies many
statements made by the officers OF
the Oklahoma department OF chari-
ties and corrections, whose report
was transmitted to congress by the
president with his veto to the act
for the removal of restrictions from
some of the lands of allottees OF
the five civilized tribes on August
3, 1912.
The affairs of few minor In
dians in Oklahoma are administered
by competent relatives or business
men, the professional guardians, un-
der the present system, transact
ing thel arger amount of business
for the minor. Attorney Mott re-
ports that IN Muskogoe county, Ok
lahoma, since statehood, 5Si guar
dianships have been in the hands
of professional guardians. These
estates aggregate in value $1,172,OOO
| In handling these estates court
costs amounted to $4,000 and guar
dian fees $4,000, to total expenses
of guardianship being more than
$235,OOO. or an amount greater than
| 20 per cent of all the funds han
died, he says. OF 1l2 guardianshlps
in the hands of competent guar
| dians, the cost of administration In
Muskogee county was only per
cent Of the amount handled, he
charges, while forty nine guardian
ships of the estates of white minors
aggregated $1SS,OO0 and the cost
of administration was only II per
cent of the amount handled.
In Wagner county, the admins.
tration of the estates handled by
professional guardians, he says, cost
over "a per cent of their total val
uation, while the administration OF
estates handled by competent guar
dians cost only per cent of their
value.
In Mcintosh county, the cost of
administration by professional qua
dians amounted to Is per cent OF
the total amount handled, as against
23 per cent in the case of estates
handled by competent guardians, he
| dlleSeo. III lulS SouhlS' hS uNSi"i ~
the majority Of estates are handled
by professionals who have control
of $40 estates of minor Indians out
of a total 3S6 estates.
Administration by professional
guardians of minor Indian estates
in Tulsa county cost Is per cent
of the amount handled and by com
petent guardians only 4 per cent
of the amount handled.
Corresponding alleged differences
in the cost of administration by
the professional guardians as against
the administration by competent
business men is shown in other
counties.
Owing to the attack made upon
the state, Senator's Owen and Gore
and Representatives Ferris, Carter
and Davenport believe that Cover
nor Cruce should lose not a minute
in ordering the investigation. II
the charges are found to be true,
all will insist on just punishment
on those involved but if the
charges, as they have been regis
tered with government officials and
aired on the floor of the house,
are not true, then the members OF