The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-06-30
Oil and Gas Cos
In the Limel1ght

Continued from First PaSe-)
era! salts over 4 period Of Twelve
years. this great combine was forced
to return for taxation its leaseholds
for oil and gas the same as the farmer
was compelled TO return his farm
products.
We have in this county of GIococga.
liza one farm known as the Uriah
Taught farm. containing 125 acres,
and which was developed for oil and
gas about fifteen years ago by tie
South Penn OIL Company. which is
the main branch of the Standard Oil
Company in the Development Of oil
il this State During that time this
one farm produced over a million dol
lars in value in oil, and yet while the
farm itself was paying taxes, the lease
hold on j. for oil was worth more
than ! thousaid times the value of the
farm. Nevertheless. John D. Rookie
escaped paying taxes either on the
leasehold or the oil itself. for after
producing the oil and storing ii in
great storage tanks. situated in the
city and suburbs of MorSantown, and
which hold from TWO and one-half to
three million dollars worth OF oil 1t
one time. instead of playing fair witt
the people and having their oil. which
they would have on hand on the first
day of April. assessed. the STANDARD
Oil Company would deliberately, be-
fore the first day of April wlthdra"
all of its oil from the great storage
tanks and did so this year, and re-
fused and failed to pay any taxes on
the oil which should have been there
on the first day of April. After April
the first passes by the tanks are then
filed up until few days before the
next April, and by such tricks and de-
vices the Standard has not only escap'
ed paying on its leaseholds, but also
paying upon the Oil which it had IN
storage in this city.
In order to smoke out the great
STANDARD Oh Company and compel II
to return its leaseholds, it became
necessary for me last year, as counsel
for the County Court and the asses
sors. to send special runners out to
find out what the Is was doing for the
farmer, and then TO get as near as pos
sible what the Is was producing to
the oil company, or companies, Tor
they refused absolutely to make any
return ever after we had an Act OF
the legislature saying they should
pay their taxes.
I have before me the letter OF Peter
3. Tenant, a farmer in this county.
who. in response TO letter written
to him by me, makes the report that
after his farm had been drilled in for
a number of years. probably ten or
twelve years yet it produces to his
interest on an average, to the Is, the
sum of s3,6o0.o0 per month Or in
other words, the Standard Oil Cons
pany is getting seven times that much
per month, OF S25,20o per month"; or
during this past year the Standard Oh
Company has received from that farm
alone the sum Of $500. 10000 Yet last
year, when l made Speclal request
Of them to give their runs. they abso-
lutely refused to make any return at
all for any OF the farms in this coun-
ty, and yet were receiving from this
farm alone over one-third Of million
dollars per year on ZIG acres Of
ground. Is there any reason why the
Indignation, as well as the disgust, OF
the people has not been aroused all
over the State since these facts nave
been photographed to them. through
the press Of the State?
This is only a fair Illustration of
many farms IN this county and
throughout the State. and If tne as
SCISSORS of each county of the State
viii do their duty fearlessly. and will
take the trouble to Investigate each
one of thees OIL and gas companies,l