Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-15
SAVED TO THE STATE
VALUABLE LANDS PRESERVED
FOR OKLAHOMA.
How Secretary Hitchcock Checked
Legislation, Which He Deemed
Injurious to Commonwealth.

In statement issued today by the In
terror Department the claim is made that
through the activity of Secretary Hitch
cock and the officials Of the department
while the statehood bill was being consid-
cred by Congress at the recent session, the
government, or rather the unborn state OF
Oklahoma, was saved from a raid of spec
ulators which would have cost it nearly
100000.
To quote the statement:
There were about twelve different open
ings of public lands in Oklahoma, from
1880 to 1901 and in most cases the acts
provided that the lands should be open to
settlement under the homestead and town
site laws only. thus excluding mineral en-
tries. In reserying portions of the various
tracts to the territory, Congress did not
except mineral lands, SO that the territory
took all the specified sections, whether min-
eral or not. The original statehood bill
contained no exception of mineral lands In
the grants to be made to Oklahoma. though
1t did except such lands from grants to the
state OF Arizona.
Secretary Hitchcock's Discovery.
EARLY in March, however, Secretary
Hitchcock learned that an amendment had
been slipped into the statehood bill in the
Senate Rnown as the Warren Amend
ment), by which alleged mineral locations
under the federal mining laws upon Okla
homa school lands would be validated and
the new state would have to pick out other
lands In the place of those thus lost. The
Interior Department had already examined
and reported upon the statehood bill, at the
request of the Senate and House commit
tees, but this provision was not in the bill
when the report was made. The Secretary,
on looking into the matter. reached the con-
clusion that the claims of the parties who
would benefit by the amendment were en-
tirely without merit, and that the whole
scheme bore some resemblance to a raid
upon the treasury.
'At this time the bill had already been
passed by the Senate, with amendments,
and had gone back to the House. and there
We're reports that 1t might pass the latter
oody' as amended, at any moment"
Checked the Legislation.
How the Secretary sent kilograms and
letters to both houses Of Congress giving
his view Of the situation is told in detail
Through these efforts and briefs prepared
by the Interior Department in answer to
briefs submitted by attorneys for the al
legged spectators, it is claimed, the War
rem amendment was stricken out of the
Dill and substitute, prepared by the de-
partment, inserted.
When the people of Oklahoma were cele-
brating the passage Of the statehood bill, -
says the statement, lit Is probable that
tney ulo not KNOW now near the new COM
monwealth came to losing some of its most
valuable possessions, besides having a blot
on its escutcheon from having been made
the victim of INSCRIPTIONS spectators upon
Its first entrance into the union of states.
'The most valuable mineral lands belong
Ing to the territory are probably those near
the town Of Cleveland, in Pawnee county.
One school section alone containing Oil and
gas Is estimated to be worth half million
dollars, and there are others in the imme-
date vicinity. 1t is also reported that an
Oil and gas field is being developed in Kiowa
county, near school lands, and there are
also rumors of discoveries in Greer and
Comanche counties. There are also depos-
its of cement, gypsum and salt in various
parts of the territory, and it has been
claimed by prospectors that Beaver county
contains considerable deposits of lead, cop
per and silver. All lands known to contain
oil or other minerals will probably be leas-
ed soon after the creation of the new state. y