The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-03-02
WHAT STARTED The
KANSAS OIL FIGHT
Revolt OF the State Against the
State House Machine
Caused Trouble.
HOCH ANOTHER PlNGREE
And He is Backed by Bill Stubs, Who
Has Millions and Is a Fighter
Getting Even for Some
Political Debts.

Washington, Feb. 2S.-Here is the
story oG kansas oil and the Standard
Oil company'S order of February II to
boycott it, which prompted President
Roosevelt to issue an order to the de-
ipartment IT m1ner to make an in
v~estigation that may lead to criminal
prosecutions of Standard Oil men of
millions.
The Kansas oil belt comprises five
countless: Neosho, Wilson, Montgom-
cry. Chautauqua n Allen. Oil was
first struck in large quantities about
TWO years ago. I,he belt developed
wonderfully well. Last year it pro-
duccd 5000, 600 barrels, Today there
are $500 producing wells in the belt.
The yield of the $500 is 10000 barrels
daily.
Last November Kansas elected q re-
publican governor of the Pingree school
iof politics. He is edward w. Hoch-
I (kansanS pronounce 1t Hoke(-a coun-
try editor. A millionaire railroad con-
tractor who began life carrying drink
ing water for a railroad construction
igang was Hoch's hacker. Stubs, plain
Stubs. is this contractors name.
While 4 state senator Stubs refused to
he a niece tool of the republican
statehouse ring, so the ring-controlled
senate swatted to death every bill that
Stubs introduced. Stubs didn't scold.
He laid low until the legislature adj
ijourned. Then he started a crusade
against the state house gang. 1t was an
appeal to the plain people. The plain
people responded nobly. Stubs put
was the statehouse gang scared that
Governor Bailey, their man, withdrew
as a candidate for denomination.
Hoch Got Busy at Once.
Governor Hoch, Stubs backing him,
urged the legislature, when it convened
in January, to enact legislation to re-
tlieve the Kansas oil belt from the *
actions of the oil trust. Two bills We're
accordingly introduced. one fixes rail-
road rates for crude oil, naming a max
imum charge. The second was for an
appropriation of 100000 to build a
state refinery of 1000 barrels daily ca
pacity. Standard Oil lobbyists fought
both bills in their accustomed guerrilla
style. But they lost. Both bills passed
the legislature.
Directly the Standard Oil company
ISSUED It's boycott order. Specifically
II declares that, so long as these two
laws remained on the Kansas statute
books, the Standard will not buy or
handle a single barrel of Kansas oil.
of course, there was CONSERVATION in
the oil fields right away. The indie
pendent companies could take but a
small percentage of the daily
yield of 10000 barrels. The producers
could not begin to build anks fast
enough to store it. The loss of millions
millions of dollars confronted them
so long as the boycott stood.
- Campbell Enlisted Roosevelt.
The representative in whose district
four of the five oil counties lie, Philip
p. Campbell, himself was much con-
.cerned. The state authorities We're
helpless. He saw no relief at the
White House. Representative Camp
bell is a Nova Scotian by birth, who
grew up on a farm on the Kansas prai-
RES, a flrst-termer from a farmer DEM
ocratic district. and about 40. How
ton when he had listened to MI. Camp
bells recital as here told is seer in.
the promptness with which he decreed
that the whole power of the federal
government shall be used to discipline
the Standard Oil company.