The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-22
ROOSEVELT WIELDs- PROBE
President VIII Investigate Oil Fields In
Texas.
ew York Sun Special Service.

New York Sun spaoial Service.
Washington, Feb. President
Roosevelt will personally inquire into
the com plants against the Standard Oil
company. He expects to be in Texas
on March 80, and will then 90 on a
bear-hunting expedition into the big
thicket which adjoins the Beaumont oil
fields. The president has taken so much
interest in the Standard Oil investiga
he will consult with the producers there
and get their ideas on the subject.
Under the instructions he has issued
to Commissioner Garfield of the bureau
of corporations the investigation must
include every state in which the Stan
dard Oil company has an interest. The
investigation is being fastened in Kan
sas only because Of the conditions ex-
listing there at the present time. The
49, president has no intention Of combining
the investigation to that particular
state.
President Impartial.
That the president is disposed to
treat the Standard Oil company with
absolute impartiality was shown today.
Senator Long of Kansas called to pre-
sent a resolution adopted by the Kan
sas legislature protesting against the
- leasing Of the oil and gas lands Of the
dard Oil company, This is the lease
which Secretary Hitchcock said had
been secured thru fraud.
Senator Long wanted the president,
thru Secretary Hitchcock, to take action
to abrogate the lease. This the presi-
dent declined to do.
"The leases were granted in good
~ faith,' he told Senator Long, "and
shall do nothing unfair toward the
Standard Oil company,'
The president said he does not intend
to abrogate the leases and that it would
do no good for the Kansas Legislature
to pass resolutions on that subject.
Horde of Investigators,
Commissioner Garfield now has many
more special agents in the field
investigating the affairs of the Stan
dard Oil company than were employed
at any time during the Investigation OF
the beef trust. The special agents who
have been sent out are being followed
by expert accountants and by stenOg
raphers to take the statements of thu
officials of the Standard Oil company
- The special agents and expert &C
counta1ts are required to make lmme
date reports to the bureau of corpo
rations of their work. This is commu
nicated to the president by Commits
sioner Garfield. When the reports o
"S
countants warrant, the lawyers iron
the department of justice will be sen
out to secure legal evidence. The in
- vestigation is to be conducted on
plan that will insure perfect cas-
against the Standard Oil company
should the facts secured warrant
criminal prosecution.
The expert accountants are require
to make extracts from the books Of tn
Standard Oil company and it's tributar.
companies. In many instances thes
will be exact copies Of certain accounts
See Producers First.
The investigation has not yet reache
the offices Of the Standard company
The energies of the bureau of corpe
rations are now being devoted to sc
curing the statements and whateve
evidence there may be in the possession
of the producers of oil. The depart
ment has found that the Standard O.
- company is an expert in notifying dis
gruntled producers, and it now wishe
to secure the statements before tn
agents of the trust get chance to al
proach the producers. The Standar
Oil company, by resuming the purchas
of oil in Kansas fields, is doing muc
to pacify the oil men.