The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-02-22
0SAGES
OBJECT To
OIL LEASE

Washington. Feb. zz-william r. Lether
q member OF the council OF the Usage In
Clan tribe. in a statement given out to-
day, says the Indians are opposed 70 a
renewal OF the oil lease on their lands
upon the existing terms and are protest
ing against a renewal. Tho original lease.
gwen 10 r. B. Foster for a period OF 10
years, the statement says, was approved
contrary TO the wishes OF the Indians.
The statement asks that the president
have an investigation 10 disclose all the
facts
Mr., Lether Is one OF 10 Indians who
came 10 Washington and. according 10
his statement. they came as delegation
70 secure among other things adequate
royalty for leases on their oil lands. They
were fairly treated before the house COM
mittee on Indian affairs. the statement
recites. but when the senate committee on
Indians affairs gave a hearing on the
Penrose amendment they expressed de-
sire 20 be heard. IL Is recited. but the SEN
ate committee declined to give their dele
gation hearing. saying they could make
their statement TO the secretary OF the In
terror
LIMITED EXTENSION.
Senator Long yesterday conferred with
the president in regard 10 the protest OF
the Kansas legislature against the re-
newal OF the lease OF 100000 acres OF oil
lands OF the Usage Indian reservation
in Oklahoma Territory.
The protest alleged that under the lease
the lands were held by the Standard OIL
company through a company subsidiary
10 that corporation, but this Is not the
understanding OF the president the sec
retary OF the interior or the members
or the Kansas delegation In congress.
The decision was reached and the an
nouncement authorized that the admin
istration will stand by the limited extern
sion contained in a senate amendment 10
the Indian appropriation bill.
The senate amendment provides that
any allotments which may he made OF
the Usage reservation In Oklahoma Ter
ritory shall be made subject 10 the terms
and conditions OF lease dated March
16. 1896. given by the Usage nation 10
Edwin B. Foster
The lease was approved by the secre-
tary OF the interior, and. through as
signments similarly approved. Is now
owned by the Indian Territory Illumina-
ting Oil company. The extension of the
Foster lease for n term OF 10 years is
limited by the amendm' II TO the property
actually developed under the original
lease. The lands developed amount to
about 6S0O00 acres.
MERCILESS OCTOPUS.
Springfield III, Feb. 22.-Theh ouse to-
day adopted two resolutions affecting
the Standard oil company. One resolu-
ton offers 10 lend the state OF Kansas
$4,000 without interest for six years, TO
aid in establishing a state oil refinery. and
refers 10 the Standard oil company as
that merciless octopus whose tentacles
now encircle every state I'm the Union"
The resolution was adopted by a close
vivi voce vote amid considerable confi-
sion and laughter.
The other resolution asks for an In
vestigatior VI the laying OF pipe lines
through li..aois by the Standard OIL COM
pany. and provides for the appointment
of a joint committee to confer with the
state officials OF Kansas to agree on steps
TO be taken toward declaring such pipe
lines common carriers.
This resolution was carried without
dissenting vote. As the resolution Is
joint one no action will re taken by
Speaker Shurtler until the senate has
acted upon II.