Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-20
THE Usage LAND LEASE
Ex-sEcRETARY SMITHS ExPLA-
NATION READ WITH INTEREST
Secretary Hitchcock Declines to Add
Anything to His Recent State
ment to Congress.

u
night Mr.. Hoke Smith, ex-Secretary of
the Interior, takes exceptions to the
statements made by Secretary Hitchcock
in connection with the leasing of a tract
of 100000 acres belonging to the Usage
Indians to oil and gas prospectors in
1896 In his statement to Congress re-
garding the lease, which has been re-
newed, with notifications, Mr.. Hitchcock
referred to the original lease as IAN un-
heard-of monopoly and nothing short of
public scandal" Mr.. Smith was Secre-
tary of the Interior at the time the orig
inal lease was made, and he states that
the charge that he created an unheard-of
monopoly by leasing such a tract of land
is baseless. At the time the lease was
made, he explains, not an oil well had
been sunk nor a gas We'll sounded in the
entire territory. No one could foretell
what the result would be. In addition to
this, Mr.. Smith explains that he did not
sign the lease. but that Assistant Secre-
tary John M. Reynolds. acting as Secre-
tary, signed the paper. The statement
was given wide publicity this morning
and was read with interest by the OFF,
Gals of the Interior Department.
Secretary Hitchcock refused to make
any statement regarding 1t or to discuss
the matter in any way. Department Off
Gals say that it does not seem that the
Secretary has any explanations of his
part of the affair to make, He simply
said in his statement that the leasing of
a tract of so vast an extent, 100000
acres-to one man for the purpose of es-
tablishing oil wells thereon, even if there
was no single well at that time, seemed
to him an unheard-of monopoly and al
most approached public scandal. This
statement was made without any inten-
ton of charging ex-Secretary Smith or
any other official of the department with
dereliction of duty, it is said. but for the
sole purpose of laying before Congress
reasons why the concern that obtained
the lease should not be granted control
of so large a tract again, now that oil
has been found and gas located.
Ex-Secretary Smiths Statement.
The statement follows:
1.-THE statement furnished the press by
Secretary Hitchcock in which he criticises
the administration Of the Interior Depart
ment for approving an oil and gas lease
made by the Usage Indians in 1896 is mis-
leading and deceptive.
when the lease was approved no oil had
been found IN Texas, and not great deal
In Kansas. There was scant hope to
courage the expense of boring wells In 1.-THE
Usage country. Even if Oil could be dScov-
cred the problem of transportation was
then most serious.
"A lease was applied for by f. B. Foster
to prospect and bore for oil and gas. The
national council passed an act directing the
lease. The lease was carefully guarded
with provisions and forfeitures unless the
work of prospecting and mining was prose-
1.-The lease required payment Of ample
royalties to the Indians in oil gas
was found. The lease was recommended by
Colonel Freeman of the United States
army. acting Indian agent for the Usage
tribe.
1.-The records of the Indian office show
how carefully the lease was there consid-
cred. 1t finally went to the Secretary's
wi ha m n
dian commissioner that 1t be approved. The
letter recommending approval Is initiated
by Mr.. Larrabee the present assistant COM
missioner of Indian affairs, thereby carry
ing his approval. The records show the APP
prevail in the office of the Secretary of the
Interior was made by Assistant Secretary
Reynolds, as acting secretary, who has been
recently elected to Congress from Pennsyl-
vania.
During the month of July. 1896. the lease
was brought to my attention by letter
from ex-senator Blair, criticising the lease
This letter was sent to Colonel Freeman
through the Indian office for a report. Colo
mel Freeman reported against interfering
with the lease.
Hitchcock declared the lease was approved
by the then Secretary of the Interior, Mr..
Eoke Smith, and he uses this further Ian
guage: The original lease is an unheard
of monopoly, and nothing short of public,
scandal
..The mind of the Secretary must have
been overstrained when he discovered a
monopoly of oil on the Usage reservation
in 1896. before well had been bored,
pipe laid or railroad built within many
miles To his opinion on this subject 1 am
Indifferent.
But when Secretary Hitchcock stated
that the original lease was nothing short
of public scandal he uttered charge for
which he was entirely without excuse. He
placed himself in the class of common SLAM
derers. He bore false witness against a
predecessor in office, knowing at the time
there was no truth in his baseless charge"