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AUGUST 1?, 1110
The Commoner.
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IN THE OKLAHOMA primaries, J. W. McNcal
was chosen as the republican nominee for
governor, while Lee Crucc of Ardmore defeated
W. H. Murray for the democratic nomination
for governor. The three republican congress
men, McGuire, Morgan and Creager, were re
nominated. The "grandfather" clause, denying
suffrage to negroes, was adopted.
THE INSURGENTS of Kansas won an almost
complete victory in the republican prima
ries of that stato. Six out of eight of the in
surgent candidates were nominated. Governor
W. R. Stubbs, the progressive candidate for re
nomination, defeated Thomas Wagstaff, a stand
patter, by a majority of 27,372. The contest
between these two men waged warm. Both
made extensive speaking tours. The results of
the republican congressional nominations fol
low: First district, R. D. Anthony, Incumbent,
standpatter, defeated T. A. McNeal by a ma
jority of 107. Second district, A. C. Mitchell,
insurgent, defeated -C. F. Scott, incumbent,
standpatter, by 1,000. Third district, P.
P. Campbell, incumbent, standpatter, defeated
Arthur Cranston. Fourth district, Fred S.
Jackson,, insurgent, defeated J. M. Miller, in
cumbent, standpatter, by a majority of 4,571.
Fifth district, R, R.- Rees, insurgent, defeated
W A. Calderhead, incumbent, standpatter,' by
2,500, Sixth district, I. D Young, insurgent,
defeated W. H. Reeder, incumbent, standpatter,
by 1,000 votes. Seventh district, E, H. Madi
son, insurgent,, no opposition. Eighth district,
Victor Murdock,' insurgent,-no opposition. The
democrats had no condidates for congress in the
First and Eighth districts. In the First, J. H.
Ca,lgers name ww,as written on the ballot. He,
was nominatedi .wThes other demotfraticnomina
tiqns were: Second, Grant Harrington, Kansas
City; Third,' J. D,. Botkin, Wirifield; Fourth,
Henderson Martin,. Marion; Fifth, G. T. Helver
ing, Marysville; , Sixth, -H. O. Caster, Oberlin;
Seventh, G. A. Neely, Hutchinson.
VICTOR MURDOCK, Kansas insurgent, gave
to the Associated Press this statement:
"The significance of ' the overwhelming insur
gency victory in Kansas is two-fold. First, it
is a complete repudiation of both Cannon and
the system by which ne has robbed the people
of free government in the house. Scott, Miller
and Reeder were chairmen of important house
cdmmittees while Calderhead was on the ways
and means committed., t All were beaten because
thfey subscribed to' the Cannon system. Second,
the Kansas insurgent victory is an effort by
the republicans of Kansas to say with emphasis
to the nation that the republican party of Kan
sas, by endorsing Governor Stubbs and Kansas
insurgents' fn congress stands for immediate and
effective legislation' framed to drive special and
selfish interests out of control in American
politics." ' . ,
SENATOR GORE .testified before the seriate
investigating tiommittee, in session at
Oklahoma' City in relation to the McMurray
Indian land contract. The senator's testimony
brought in the names of Vice President Sher
man, Senator Curtis of Kansas, and Representa
tive McGuire-of Oklahoma. The senator told of
a conference held In his office in Washington.
The Associated Press report says: "Senator
Gore testified that he had been approached by
Jake L. Hamon, former chairman of the Okla
homa territorial republican committee and also
former chairman of the Oklahoma state repub
lican committee and that he had been offered
a bribe of $25,000 or $50,000 to remove cer
tain legislation pending in congress so that
530,000,000 might be paid to J. F. McMurray, -an
attorney at McAlester, Oklahoma, and his
associates. The money was to represent 'attor
ney fees' of ten per cent of $30,000,000 which
was to be secured from a New York syndicate
for 450,000 acres of coal and asphalt land now
owned by the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians
In this state. Vice President Sherman's name
was mentioned by Mr. Hamon, Senator Gore
testified, as being 'interested in the land deal
to the extent of favoring the approval by con
gress of what are known as the McMurray con
tracts with the Indians. What happened in an
other private room in Washington and also
where, it was alleged, Hamon made more 'over
tures' relative to tho land deal, was told by
Congressman C. E. Creager, of the Third Okla
homa district. Congressman Creager supple
mented the testimony of Sdnator Gore. Ho said
on June 1G last ho had been invited by Hamon
to meet him in a' private room at the Occidental
hotel in Washington. Having gone there, Mr.
Creager testified, he was informed he could
have a substantial 'interest' in the land deal if
he would withdraw his opposition to the ap
proval of tho McMurray contracts by congress.
Asked the question, 'Were any figures mentioned
as to how much you were to receive?' Mr.
Creager replied, 'No, I did not let it go so far
as that. I made" it plain I was not open to
being influenced in that way. I had already
gone on record as being firmly opposed to tho
granting of such an enormous fee to attorneys.'
Congressman B. S. McGuire, who was charged
by Senator Gore as being 'interested' in the Mc
Murray contract, was said by Mr. Creager in
his testimony,' to have been at the time of his
visit an occupant of tho same suite of rooms
with Hamon and McMurray at the hotel. Clerks
of Senator Gore testified to having been Invited
by McMurray and Hamon to 'frog leg suppers
at Washington, at which the Indian contracts
wore to be 'talked over;' ' These invitations, it
is alleged were, all 'turned down'' On one oc
casion, one of the clerks testified, Hamon said
Senator Gore was awfully hard on his friends.
Senator Gore, 'in his testimony, asserted 'that
the 'Offernofi bribery iwentso" -far that UHamonr
said the $25r000 or '$50;000' would not be' paid
over In the form of a' check or marked money,
but 'that it would be all clean, hard cash.' "
SENATOR GORE'S testimony brought out tho
foll6wing charges; "That Hamon told him
that a man higher up in the government was
interested in the approval of the contrails and
therefore there was no reason why Senator Gore
should not be. That when asked who was the
man 'higher up Hamon had replied Vice Presi
dent Sherman. That Hamon told him Senator
Curtis of Kansas 'was interested' in the deal.
That Hamon told him an employe of the, de
partment of justice at Washington 'was 'inter
ested' in the deal; that he (Senator Gore) knew
the name of the eniploye, but would not divulge
his name or the name ,df his lpformarik' espe
cially because the latter would lose hisppsltion.
That Former Senator Long of Kansas, acting as
counsel fbr. McMuiYay, had gone to President
Taft on April 28 to urge the apprpyal of the
contracts, but that the president had' said, 'It
would take a good deal of . argument to con
vince hini tllajt the ' amount of fee .asked by
McMurray was' justified.' , ' ,'.,
AN ACCOUNT of that part of Senator. Gore's
testimony referring to Vice President Sher
man follows: "Mr. Burke: In your conversa
tion with Mr. Hamon you stated he named a
very high official, that ho said was interested
in these contracts. You omitted, his name?
Mr. Gore: 1 say again th'at I should very much
prefer not to name it. I am, however, subject
to the will of the committee. Mr. Burke: The
committee is here to get the facts and we must
have all this conversation. Mr. Gore: He sug
gested that Vice President Sherman was inter
ested in the contracts. Thomas H. Owen, coun
sel for Mr. Gore: In that connection you spoke
of an article appeartpg in a Kansas City news
paper that two gentlemen had called on the
president. I wish you would say who was
mentioned in that file. Mr. Gore: In the news
paper of April 14. Vice President Sherman
and Senator Curtis were named as having called
to discuss the segregated coal and asphalt lands.
I think before the seriate met the next day the
Information came to me, Senator Gore ex
plained that he believed Vice President Sher
man was favorable to the contracts, and a short
time later he introduced a resolution in the
senato that would require furthor notion of con
gress boforc tho contracts could bo approved."
VICE PRESIDENT Sherman, roforrlng to the
Gore charges, said: "The story that comes
to me about tho charges mado by Sorintor Goro
at Muskogee today is absolutely without tho
slightest shadow of foundation." Representa
tive Bird McGuire, speaking to the Associated
Press denied emphatically that ho had now, or
ever had, any interest in Indian contracts with
McMurray or anyone olse. Ho said ho would
go to Muskogee at once and appear before tho
congressional committee now in session there.
"I don't know what was said to Senator Gore,"
stated Mr. McGuire horo today, "or whether
anything was said to him by any persons, but
this much Is true: No living man who is hon
est and responsible will nay that I have now,
or havo over had any intorest in any Indian
contracts with McMurray or anybody else. A
man who would base a statement in tho United
States senato, on what some person may havo
told him in a mattor like that is nothing moro
or less than a common slanderer." After stat
ing that he would attend tho investigation to
morrow, Mr. McGuire said: "I oxpect they'll
want me to make a statement and to a dead cer
tainty I'll be ready to make one." . ....
THE REPUBLICAN Insurgents completely
dominated tho Iowa republican convention
in, session at Des Moines. Senator , Cummins
presided. Cummins and Dolllver received en
thusiastic endorsements. Tho now tariff law
was bran.dedt as a failuroand a luke-warm refer
ence was mado to President Taft. Tho Dubuquo
(Iowa) Herald gives the gist of Senator Cum
mins' speech as follows: "Tho republican party
can not endure permanently half progressive
and half standpat. Tho issue relates to tho un
due and disproportionate share, which corpor
ate capital is able, to wring from the profits of
industry and the injustice it Is able to Inflict
upon helpless Individuals and defenseless com
munities. The demand for revision of the tarlf
originated in the necessities of the people and
was founded upon the fundamental instinct for
justice. If there had been an honest attempt
to fix duties according to the cost of production
I might havo yielded my view on tho question
of fact, but there was no such attempt. There
is no pxigency in public affairs or party action
that can, induce me to say that a thing is
good when I believe it to be bad, or to say that
it Is true when I believe it to be false. I for
one refused to follow, and would again refuse
to follpw, Aldrlch, Hale, Lodge, Cannon, Payne,
and Dalzcjl Into a' sneering, contemptuous open
repudiation of my party platform. I do not
favor an immediate general revision ' of the
tariff, indeed I earnestly hope that we may
never he compelled to enter upon another gen
eral readjustment of the system. The demand
for an independent non-partisan tariff commis
sion has become well nigh unanimous among
republicans. We must Insist upon a law or rule
of congress that will allow one schedule to bo
amended or revised without going over tho
whole range of tho tariff. There came from the
hands1 of the attorney-general, a bill, on inter
state commerce, which, if it had passed, as
Aldrlch so emphatically declared it should pass,
would have consigned the republican party to
eternal disgrace and defeat. All that was good
in the bill was carefully preserved, and all that
was bad was either wholly rejected or materially
modified. The power of tho east over the west
in controlling the supply of money is already
too great and what we have done (in the postal
savings bill) will add immeasurably to the east
ern influence. The square deal is now, as al
ways, tho noblest expression of governmental
purposes. Wise and practical conservation is a
duty from wnlch we must not shrink. When all
is said, wo come to this, that justice Is the ob
ject toward, which we are striving. There is
no one thing that will do more toward filling
the land with peace and content than to enlarge
tho authority and increase tho responsibility of
the Individual man."
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