Evening star., 1924-04-11
BANKER TELLS PART.
IN LAND DEAL CASE
Asked Daugherty to Go Into
Charges Against Miller Brothers
In Oklahoma.

The stay-at-home section of the
senate Daugherty investigating COM
mittee went on with its hearing to-
day. with Senator Moses, republican.
New, Hampshire, presiding In the, ,ab-
sence Of Chairman Brookhart, and
with j.. J. McGraw, Tulsa. Okla,
banker. on the stand.
McGraw said he knew Harry M.
Daugherty very well" and also knew
the defendants in the Miller brothers
Indian land frauds case in Oklahoma.
McGraw formerly was republican ma
tional committeeman from Oklahoma
and he explained his understanding
of the political affiliations of the
members of the Miller brothers group.
Advised to COntest.
lie had general knowledge" of
the Millers' land deals, the witness
said. but had not been consulted by
them in the deals, nor had he direct
ly financed those transactions in any
way through his banks. After in
dictments were returned the Millers
talked" to him, he said, and he AL
ways advised them to contest the
cases
Asked If he knew of the report of
Cox and Rankin, two investigators
who inquired into the case, the wit
ness replied:
"oh. no. don't think I ever mot
those men,"
One of the MiIlers, after the
Harding administration went in, he
added, came TO him with a view TO
getting Daugherty's attention at
tracted to the Cox and Rankin re-
port
Prosecution Threatened.
Il saw Attorney General Daugh-
erty once or twice in 1921" Mr.. Nc
Graw said. I'VE discussed the Cox
and Rankin report and l asked him
to go into it."
McGraw quoted Daugherty as say
ing: I'm going to prosecute these
cases; there is nothing else for me TO
do"
Daugherty also told him, he said.
that he was thinking of employing a
prominent democratic lawyer" in the
case. McGraw recommended Judge
Armstrong of Oklahoma, but Daugh-
erty selected former United States At
torney Peck.
The witness told of a conversation
with Senator Harreld of Oklahoma,
whose attitude toward the Millers was
very vicious" he said The senator
told him that he didn't want those
boys to get away with all those oil
lands down there" McGraw said.
The witness said he had told Sena-
tor Harreld there was no oil on the
lands" and that later Harreld went
with him to see Daugherty and with
draw any statement he had made TO
Daugherty indicating that the case
involved oil lands. He quoted Harreld
as saying:
'I am sorry for any misrepresenta-
tion ] may have made to you, Mr.. At
torney General, and any disposition you
make OF the case will be satisfactory
TO me-"
The Millers never contributed a
DOLLAR" McGraw said, to any of his
election expenses in Oklahoma. He
was defeated for reelection as ma
tional committeeman by the late Jake
Hamon. He said he had never
heard" stories of extraordinary ex-
penditures by Hamon in the Harding
campaign until they came before the
Senate investigating committee. He
doubted these stories because, he
said Hamon was in financial straits"
at the time of his death, five months
after the Chicago convention.
McGraw denied specifically that he had
ever given e. w. Jacobs or w. A
Brownley any money TO distribute" or
that he had raised any money for the
Harding campaign. AS TO the repub-
lican. committee deficit. he said. lit was