The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-19
H0KE SMITH
ON WARPATH
Singing Reply to Criticism of Sec
rotary Hitchcock.
GE0RGIAM'S DANDER Is UP
FACTS ABOUT THE LEASE OF
Usage OIL LANDS.

iAIASHINGTON. Feb. IS.-In an au-
w thorized statement given out to-
night, former Secretary of the In
terror dOke Smith. replying 70 a state
sarding the action of Mr. Smith in APP
proving an oil and gas lease made with
, the Usage Indians in 1896. severely ar
raiSns Secretary Hitchcock as making
"a baseless charge
Mr.. Smith arrived in Washington to-
leaving Georgia he telegraphed a friend
in this city to make search of the
records, and the result of that search
WAS placed before him today upon his
arrival. Mr.. Smith said tonight that he
had not found it necessary TO go TO the
person. His statement follows:
No Oil Had Been Found.
THE statement furnished to the press
| by Secretary Hitchcock. in which he
criticises the administration of the in
terror department for approving an oil
and gas lease made by the Usage In
dams in 1896. is most misleading. When
the lease was approved no oil had been
! found in Texas and not great deal
! in Kansas. There was scant hope to
encourage the expense of boring wells
| in the Usage country. Even if oil could
! be discovered, the problem of transpOr-
tation was then most serious
"a lease applied for by +. Is.
) Foster TO prospect and bore for oil and
I gas The property belonged to the tribe
act directing the lease. The lease was
1 carefully guarded with provisions and
! forfeitureS unless the work of prospect
/ ing and mining was prosecuted with dill
| Gence.
What the Records Show.
THE lease required the payment Of
ample royalties TO the Indians in case
oil or gas was found The lease was
| United states army, acting Indian agent
for the Usage tribe.
! -'rhe records of the Indian office show
| how carefully the lease was then con-
sidered. 1t finally went TO the Secre-
tary's office with the recommendation
of the Indian commissioner than it be
approved. The letter recommending APP
prevail is initiated by Mr. Larrabee, the
present assistant commissioner of IN
dian affairs, thereby carrying his APP
proval. The records show that the ap.
prevail in the office of the secretary of
the interior was made by Assistant Sec
rotary Reynolds, as acting secretary, VINO
| has heen recently elected to congress
from Pennsylvania
Lease Was Criticised.
During the month of July. 1886. the
a letter from ex-senator Blair. criticising
the lease This letter was sent to Colonel
Freeman, through the Indian office. for
against Interference with the lease.
with this secord in the office, Sec
approved by the then secretary Of the
interior, Hoke Smith, and he uses this
an unheard-of monopoly, and nothing
short of A public scandal
THE mind of the secretary must have
been overstrained when he discovered d
monopoly of oil on the Usage reservation
in 1886 before well had been bored
a pipe laid or a railroad built within
many miles. To his opinion on this sub
ject L am Indifferent.
Hitchcock a sIanderer.-
| but when Secretary Hitchcock stated
| that the original lease was nothing ShOr
of a public scandal, he uttered A charg'
> for which he entirely without eX
! cuse. He placed himself in the class o.
i lcommon sianderers. He bore false Wit
ness against a predecessor in office
! knowing at the time there was no trutl
! in his baseless charge.