Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-03
TITLE in DISPUTE.
ottumwa Company Has Formidable
Obstacle in Its Path,

The right of the Ottumwa Oil & De-
velopment Co., of which some twenty
or more men are members. to three
quarter sections of land in Oklahoma,
which the company claimed with other
land when 1t was organized several
months ago, is about to be disproved
and the land may be turned over to
the government unless the decision of
Secretary Hitchcock, of the depart
ment of the Interior, at Washington,
is overruled by some higher power.
| The members of the local firm have
been notified that the governor of Ok
lahoma has received from Washington
telegram announcing the decision of
Secretary Hitchcock, to the effect that
the $1,000 acres of land which was Sc
lected by Governor Jenkins of Okla
homa, who preceded the present Off
cial, Governor Ferguson, in lieu of GER
tain lands pre-empted by the Indians,
is in reality territorial property and
shall remain so despite the contentious
of those holding mineral claims.
Where Trouble Lies.
Indians were allowed by the govern
ment to select for their own use a
large amount of land, called pasture
reserves. This land could be chosen
by the Indians in any part of the ter.
ritory, Notwithstanding the fact that in
the first survey of the new territory
every thirteenth, sixteenth, thirty-third
and thirty-sixth township was reserved
4 for the benefits of schools. When the
Indians selected their lands they paid
no attention to these prescriptions for
the territorial government, and the
authorities at Washington then decid-
ed that the territorial authorities, rath-
er than loose the 81 900 acres thus af-
sfected, should select for school lands
an equal amount of land outside of the
Indian claims.
A half section and a quarter section
fell under this edict from the grasp of
the Ottumwa Oil & Improvement Co
to that of the territory. complaint
was made by the loosers, including the
Ottumwa men who are interested, and
the matter was considered more fully
| by the secretary of the interior. In his
recent decision he states that the land
is without doubt the property of the
| territory.
CompanyS contention.
The Ottumwa Oil & Fuel Co. claim
that their instrument claiming the land
was filed before Governor Jenkins
made his selection, and that hence the
land belongs to the company. This
looks plausible, and there is no doubt
someone will make the complaint to
the high authorities for repeating OF
the Dill, although it will hardly be the
| Ottumwa parties. Nevertheless there
| will be test case to try the validity
of the decision made by Secretary
4 Hitchcock, and if that decision is up.
held there will doubtless be decided
falling off in the quotations on the
stock of several of the little companies
organized for the purpose of develop.
ing the mineral resources of the great
southwest.
Has More Land.
Even if the Ottumwa Oil & Develop.
! ment Co. should be deprived of the
land which was thought to be it's right.
! full property, it will not have to suffer
a great deal, for, according to the
statement made today by the attorney
| for the concern, Seneca Cornell, il
claims four sections. Should the en-
tire three quarter sections be handed
over, as it were to the territorial gov.
eminent the company will still own
3A sections of the land.
Is Lying Still.
The Ottumwa Oil & Development
Co. and the Iowa Oil & Development
Co. were both organized not long ago
and both have the same object in view
that of enriching their members from
the Oklahoma soil, not in the form OF
crops but with minerals. The Ottum.
wa is the only one affected by the de
cision of Secretary Hitchcock with re.
gard to land The Iowa, as it happens
had none of it's land chosen by the
governor of Oklahoma for school lands
Neither of the local companies has
done any real business in the way OF
starting work along the lines for
which it was organized. However, the
| Consolidated, big company whose
members reside in Oklahoma, Is test.
ing the truth of the oft-repeated state
ment that the mineral wealth of Okla.
homa is great, and the other companies
are lying on their oars waiting for a
show Of results. Some of the foremost
members of the Ottumwa company are
Fred w. Wilson, George Suits, A. W.
Buchanan and Seneca Cornell, and the
Iowa Oil & Development Co. is con
.trolled largely by A. G. Leighton, e.
c. French and others.
1 L..