The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-02-26
GORE'S RESOLUTION
S|DETRACKS FEES
CLAIMS OF McM.JRRAY AMOUNT
ING TO $27,500 AGAINST IN
DAMS SET ASIDE.


Tribes, the United States senate
Tuesday not only passed special
resolution designed to prevent COL
lection of $27,5O0 in fees declared
due in the settlement of the Choctaw
and Chickasaw freedmen cases, pay
ment of With was imminent, but
adopted an amendment to the Indian
appropriation bill which strikes at
contracts under which McMurray
claims that he has been authorized
to represent individual Indians in the
settlement of the tribal estate and
in the collection of the proceeds to
lie derived from such sale.
The McMurray claim in the freed
men case for $27,500 in fees has
been pending for some time, but the
present officials of the Choctaw and
ChickaTIw nations have steadfastly
maintained that they should not be
paid inasmuch as there is abou:
$IS2000, which according to depart
ment of interior records, has never
been properly accounted for, and
that appears to have been used WITH
out authority of law for the expense
of The firm of Mansfield, MoMurray
and Cornish of McAlester, in set
tlement of tribal matters.
On learning that pressure was be.
ing brought to bear TO settle the
McMurray claim of S27, 800 at once
and to stave off any such action.
Senator Gore today introduced the
resolution requiring that all papers in
the case be turned over to the SEN
ate for investigation of the claim.
The president is also requested to
make no further recommendations
in he case until the entire matter
is gone into. 1t is declared by tribal |
officials that when the matter Is
sifted the claim never will be auth
orized by congress.
Has 10 Per Cent Contracts.
J. F .McMurray, against whom the
resolution was aimed, also has con-
tracts sith hundreds of Indians |
whereby he is to receive 10 per cent
of all money collected from the gov
ernnent in the settlement of tribal
estates. It is estimated that the
residue of the tribal estates will |
reach S35,000,000. OF this amount
there is about s4,440,0OO in cash and
the remainder is represented BY
money due from the sale of unallot-
ted lands and unsold property such
as coal and timber lands.
The amendment attached to the In
dian appropriation bill provides that
all contracts with the Indians shall
he void and incapable of ratifica
ion without the consent of the Sec
-etary of the interior and without
he approval of congress. 1t further
that any persons attempt
ng to obtain contracts with the In
lians without the consent of the sec
'etary of interior shall be liable to
9th fine and Imprisonment. The
amendment is designed to Offset the
IcMurray contracts, it is claimed
hat all the money due in the set
I t,;1~ r{at xx-i1 hn
,aid by the government without the
of any attorney and the
contracts therefore existing are un-
ust to the Indians as they will be
orced to pay out thousands Of dol
ars to obtain rights which they will
eceive eventually anyway.
Strike Out Per Capita Payment.
During the consideration of the bill
he provision for per capita pay
nent of 800 to the Choctaws and
was stricken out The
Iherokees per capita paymen; of 81!
llso was lost. These payments, if
hey had been authorized, would have
laced s2,700,000 in the hands of the
indians in short time
The provision for $4,000 for thc :
ettlement of the land suits in the
astern section was stricken out, as
vas the provision authorizing the
ecretary of the interior to permit
he exchange of sale OF restricted
ands.
The amendment providing for the
qualiza'.1n of Creek payments also
tent out on point of order.
An effort was made to amend the
i'll by granting 100000 to the Iowa :.
rceks and freedmen, but on a point
T order b. Senator Curtis this also
as lost Senator McCumber made
strong plea for the approval of the
lain.
The appropriation measure now will