The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-09-30
SWANSON IS TO
BE INVESTIGATED
Charge of Extortionate
Fees in Paving Gases
Issue Involved
PAYERS NOT INVOLVED
Attorney Represents Pur-
chasers of Script Not
the Contractors

Following action Of tho city COM
mission Friday morning IN deciding
TO ark investigation on the part uf
The Tulsa County Bar association aud
the Rnr Commission OF oklahoma Of
alleged practiHcs of Attorney Thomas
&. Swanson relative 10 the fees he
charged for collection Of delinquent
Taxes. Swanson made a statement in
which no said that all that ne had
done along that line had been In
strict compliance with tho ordi-
nanccs authorizing collection. He
said further that he was not the
only attorney In Tulsa 10 he held up
TO public scorn because OF handling
delinquent paving tANcs.
Declaring that swAnEon had been
charging extortionRts foes Ia excess
OF that allowed by the city commits
sion for collection OF delinqucnt
taxes. the city commission Friday
morning oassed "a resolution aaklnE
investigation OF these alleged prac-
tisea by the bar association. The
resolution viii hv referred 10 the
grievance committee ot tho Tulsa
County Bar association, Gerald
O'Brien, secretary OF tho association
said yesterday.
Relative to tho charge that has
been made that tho firm OF Tibbets
A. Pleasant had brought swanson
here, Carl Pleasant eaid last night
that swanson was brought hero by
the paving firm Of Parker a. WASH
ington and that the first connection
his firm had with swanson was a
year ago when swanson made abb
atracta OF paving procedures for
them. This connection was severed
January OF this year. and who
Swanson's clients are now Plcasan,
said he did not know: tho people
who owned tho coupons, without
doubt The firm OF Tibbets &
Pleasant received their money on the
contracts six or eight months ago
and have nothing TO do with the
suits now being brought.
swanson Issued this statement last
night.
prior 10 the Herman complaint,
which IL tho only one received from
any property ownor In my office. |
was not personally supervising tax
collections because OF their small
nature. but since that time l have
personally handled most instances
and personally supervised other In
stances OF settlements. All OF these
have been conducted In strict COM
pllHrca with the ordinances author
izlng this manner of collection, and
the bar association, II they care To
investigate. will no find. ! am not
the only attorney in Tulsa whose
reputation has been held out to pub
lie soorn because OF handling re.n-
quent paving assessments Many in
stances have come to my attantion
Ia these September collections here
property owners called at the city
offices well within the payment pc
riod, requested full and complete
statements or their taxes, 'asoived
statements not containing their com
plete assessments: consequently, OF
these. some assessments go omitted
by tho city offices, have come to me
for collection. and l appreciate the
III feeling that must thus come about
'Thave collected many thousands
OF dollars In delinquent assessments
In the past three years. and IN many
instances whore my att ,ntlCn was
called to severe financial straits OF
debtors, including charitable asao-
ctations. the National Guard armory,
the Frances willard home and 9TH
erS, I have forsakan my fsss and
collected merely the normal tax:
there are numerous recent instances
In which have agreed TO walt nom
inAl periods OF time for property
owners to arrange payment.
"The alleged threat OF foreclosure
is n part OF the legal notice required
TO be given to property owners un-
der the charter of the city OF Tulsa,
and ] am not responsible for the
legal language Il contains"
tsigned) THOMAS Q. SWANSON.