The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-05
OIL FIGHT STORY.
We. COnnelley, One of Leaders,
Gives Its History.
How Kansas Producers Organic
ed Against Standard.
MUCH GOOD DONE.
State Took Forward Step in Oil
Legislation.
Has a Good Word for the
Legislature.
MUCH GOOD DONE.


VIM. e. ConneIley. one of the leaders in
the revolt against the Standard Oil |
company in Kansas, read a paper this |
afternoon on the subject. The title Of
his paper was 'The Kansas Oil Pro- |
ducers' Against the Standard Oil Com
pany-The Organization of the Kansas
Producers to Secure Legislation in 1905 |
for the Protection of the Kansas Oil |
Industry
Among other things, Mr.. Connelley
said
production at Chanute, Kan, in Au-
gust, 1908.
ION Thursday. January -, 1905.
was in Peru, Kan. In the office OF
H E. West the Kansas City daily pa
pers We're found. They contained Gov
ernor Hoch's message. It created much
discussion during which it was sug-
Kested that we begin then and there TO
form some organization embracing ali
the producers of crude Oil IN Kansas,
Mr. West decided to call together in
his office at O'Clock that evening, all
the oil producers in the vicinity OF
Peru. Some eight or ten producers re
sponded to the call. They formed the
ChautauQua County Oil Producers as
ISOLATION, and the newly formed body
, decided to issue a call for a meeting OF
the oil producers Of the entire oil field.
I was requested to prepare the call.
! went into room apart from the one
in which the meeting was in progress;
there I wrote the call which was adopt
ed without change, though the 18th
was substituted for the oath as the day
for the meeting which was made for
Thursday, the 18th day of January,
1905, in the ThrOop hotel, Topeka,
Kan.
"On the night of the 18th in Topeka,
matters We're in a chaotic condition. A
/ large attendance had been secured and
the producers were enthusiastic, but
| there seemed a lac kof leadership, and no
on had any plan for even the meeting
to be held on the 18th: Plans for
handling the general situation were al
most as numerous as the producers
present.
ION the morning Of the 18th I went
early into the writing room of the hotel
and sat down at a small desk and wrote
nine resolutions. During the night had
| studied the whole movement carefully
and reflected upon the expressions of
/ the producers gathered in the hotel
1 lobby I had arrived at a conclusion as
to what should be done in the meeting,
and these resolutions embodied that
4 conclusion. Some of the resolutions
were in effect the same that l had
/ helped prepare for our Chanute associ-
| alton. In forming the other resolutions
/ ] had not even a suggestion from any
one. 1 finished writing the resolutions
just as the hotel lobby began to fill,
and at the same time the operator of a
typewriter came in and took her seat at
a machine on a small desk across the
door from me. 1 had her make half
dozen copies of the resolutions. While
talking to her r. C. Rawlings, of Cha
mute. came in with q resolution express
| ing the gratitude of the producers to
Governor Hoch.F had prepared a sim
liar resolution, but as that of MT. Raw
lings was better than mine [ asked
leave to use it, which he readily grant
ed. The copies were finished about ten
o'clock. I had not seen Mr. West up
! to that time that morning, nor had /
talked with any of the principal pro-
ducers that day.
4 took my resolution directly from
4 the typewriter to the room of Mr.. West
I There found MI. West, Mr.. Mcbride,
Charles Noble. and also Senator Lock
| wood, who was writing q resolution
( covering the rate question. These gen
tlemen were discussing the situation IN
an effort to mark out course - be
pursued in the meeting. but nothing
definite had beent concluded. l present
ed my resolutions and went over them
carefully. They agreed that had Gov
cred the situation and pronounced the
resolutions satisfactory. I handed them
to Mr. West and started to go out, but
he called me back and requested me 10
submit the resolutions to the meeting,
; which I agreed to do. And then we
started to the hall where the meeting
was to be held.
"Within an hour after President
/ West inquired the pleasure of the meet
ing all the resolutions had been adopt
ed. the work for which the oil producers
, had Assem- bled was fully accomplished,
and there had been scarcely hVe MN
utes' discussion Of the resolution ofIeied-
/ So RAPIDLY and with SO little friction
had the work been done that all We're
surprised to find there was really noth-
ing else to do.
@At the afternoon meeting President
west announced the names of the four
! members appointed by him on the ex-
/ ecutjve committee. They were ". ).
Perkins. of Lawrence; Senator S. J.
Stewart, of Humboldt; (not Inennpei
| OF the legislature); j. W. Rafker, Oh III
dependence, and J. o. Fife, for Chanute.
The committee was good one. II or
eanized by the election of H E. West.
PRESIDENT: J. o. Fife vice president;
NJ Parker secretary and treasurer.
ssNTr West assumed the real work
, of the COMMITTEES. It IS safe 70 say
that no man was ever more faithful
to a trust, nor was one ever more De
voted TO a cause; and It IS sate 10
saw also that no man ever did more
effective work. He directed cam
paign TO secure the cooperation OF the
| people of Kansas in his efforts tc Sc
: cure legislation along the INES talo
| down in the resolution. Petitions and
letters poured in upon the legislature
| from every quarter. The ne~sps pefS
. took ,lt,..fI1fa work Public gatherings
S passed resolutions. There was an up
81 rising such as can occur nowhere but
III Kansas. It spread to other states
f Illinois offered to loan Kansas the
: money to build the state refinery
The whole country was aroused Con
S eress ordered an investigation of con-
=, ditions existing in the oil fields
1.-THE accomplishments Of the asso-
3 citation were truly remarkable. 1ne
third. fourth. fifth. sixth and seventh
resolutions were in effect requests for
the enactment of laws. Of these five
requests, four We're compiled with by
the legislature. They are as follows: