The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-22
RumOr That President Would
Look After This Himself.
MISSOURI BILLS IN.
They Follow Closely the Kansas
Measures.
Indians Are Taking Interest in
Foster Lease.

oil field will be Investigated simulta-
neously with the inquiry into the Kan
sas field. The promise of the president
to have the Texas inquiry started at
once was distorted in some quarters
into a promise on the part Of the pres
ident to personally make an investiga-
ton while on his Texas outing. The
great popular interest in the proposed
Standard Oil investigation has led to
some extravagant newspaper state
ments. One story printed alleged that
William J. Bryan, Senator Stone and
Thomas Taggart were lessees in the
Usage oil field. Senator Stone asserted
that he had no interest whatever in
any Usage oil lease.
There are in the Usage fields $50
sub-lessees. It is possible that several
well known public men are interested
in one or more of these companies. 1t
the parent company, the Indian Fer
ritory Illuminating Oil company (Stan-
dard Oil) one-eighth. The contract
made with the Indians by the Indian
Territory Illuminating Oil company is
for one-tenth.
Representative Cooper, of Beau
mont, Tex, in discussing the proposed
investigation in that field, said:
The offenses charged against the
Standard Oil company in Texas or
against the companies of which the
Standard is known to be the holder.
consist chiefly in the innumerable diff
flculties that small producers are con-
fronted with, difficulties that cannot
but be thrown Intentionally in their
path. These occur in the use of pipe
line or tank facilities.
Texas, however, has a state rail-
road commission that amounts to
something. 1t does regulate and it
does control rates. I believe that the
pipe line bill now pending in the Texas
matters. The pipe lines are all within
the state, forming a network at the
fields leading to Port Arthur and Sa-
bine pass. The use of them is not
to make the lines common carriers
and to regulate their rates as we do
those of the railroads"
Missouri After Standard.
Jefferson City. No, Feb. 22.-Lyons
of Kansas City introduced three bills
in the house Tuesday afternoon, all of
which are measures said to be direct
ed against the Standard Oil company.
The first bill fixes a scale of railroad
freight rates for the transportation or
crude oil and assesses a heavy punish
ment against any railroad ALLOWING
rebates. fnT "tr Tan
The second bill prohibits the sale of
a common commodity at a lower rate
in one community than in another.
The person or corporation doing this
shall be guilty of unfair discrimina-
ton and shall be liable to a fine of
$4,000 Prosecutions shall be in the
hands of the attorney general.
The third bill makes pipe lines COM
mon carriers and fixes this scale of
prices for a barrel for transportation:
Six miles or less, five cents; six to fif-
teen miles, eight cents; fifteen to forty
miles, twelve cents; forty to eighty
miles, fifteen cents; eighty to 100
miles, sixteen cents; 100 to $50 miles.
twenty cents; $50 to 200 miles, TWEEN
ty-five cents; 200 to $50 miles twenty
six cents; $50 to SEQ miles, thirty,
cents.
Just before the senate adjourned
Clark introduced three bills to make
oil pipe companies common carriers
and fix the rates for pumping oil. One
on the railroads. The bills are the
same as those in Kansas except that
they. were rewritten to apply to Mis-
souri, constitutional limitations.
Oklahoma Is Active
Guthrie, Ok, Feb. 22.-By a vote of
Is to 10 the lower house of the legis-
lature last night passed a Joint resolu-
ton introduced by Senator Decker
memorializing PresidentRoosevelt to in
vestigate the blanket lease of the oil
lands OF the Usage nation, a part of Ok
lahoma- held by the Indian Territory
Oil Illuminating company commonly
believed as the resolution states to be
representative of the StandardOiI COM
pass the upper house today.
The perpetuation Of the Usage lease
1t is asserted. viii greatly injure the
commercial interests of Oklahoma ns
well as the Usage Indian tribe The re-
duction of the lease from one and a
half million acres to $50, 900 by the SEN
ate committee is condemned as a sub
terfuge as it is stated that it includes
all the actual oil and gas lands of the
reservation
The president is asked to investigate,
first. the conditions under which the
original lease was approved. secon5.
whether the lesses have complied with
their contract, and third, whether or
not Standard Oil is the actual owner
of the lease.
Indians Are Aroused.
Washington. Feb. 22-ATr. Leahv. who
gave the Associated Press a statement
Tuesday. is one of ten Indians who
came to Washington and according to
the statement of Mr. Ieahv thew "a me-
things, adequate royalty for leases on
their oil lands. They were fairly treat
ed before the house committee on IN
dian affairs the statement recites b1lt
when the senate committee on Indian
affairs gave a hearing on the Penrose
amendment they expressed a desire 10
be heard, 1t is recited, but the senate
cOmmitte declined to give their deler1-
ton hearing, saying they could make
their statement to the secretary of the
interior The statement continues saws:
The secretary of the interior assurn-
ed to represent US before that commit
tee at that hearing and stated that he
would be in favor of renewing the lease
on 100000 acres of the territory on terms
similar to those of the original lease
that is. with royalty of 10 per cent to
the Indians.
1T is then added that $4,000 acres gives
the entire oil district of the territory own
ed by the tribe and is all the oil company
desires. The statement takes issue with
a statement attributed to the secretary of
the interior that the Indians consented to
such compromise The original lease,
it is stated, covered 1.50O, 900 acres
We relied upon the support of the de-
partment before congress, . the statement |