New-York tribune., 1908-09-28

;e.6 =, . co6s-t af law although you wen know
that as regards the worst Of them no aoliol @ a -
q corrt OF law would lie You say you WEI
ignorant Of Mr.. Haskells record II So II We
wilful ignorance on your part / can your - e.
tention 10 the letter of L. T Russeil, the 9,1o
of The Morning Democrat" of 8Tonlors Csnoo'
in which writing 10 you on September "a 1f"o'
he states:
If you were ignorant Of such charges y Is oe e.
cause YOU refused read them when presence =.
Won when YOU visited Oklahoma last fail IN me III IN
terest Of Candidate Haskell Al ina na OF
charges against Mr.. Haskell. covering nls ope.ra5
tions IN Ohio New YORK. ArkansaS Iaee1,tT made by
AIr Hearst were all made by me at that time
You ask that leave the courts TO deal VIE
Mr.. Haskell. As 10 some matters tne ecu @
have already dealt with him. AS 10 o'liSia 80 :,
various private individuals whom ne Has
wronged and the United States I.a,s,e al
behalf Of helpless Indians whom ne mas WIonsI, s.t
are striving 20 have the courts SO oeaI VIII
him Mr.. NJ. L. Mott. national attorney for lhe
Creek nation. writes as follows:
In October, 1906 Mr.. Foulke, Of Richmona, m nd
Ind was sent 10 investigate the matter OF tne
townsite frauds in the Greek nauon- hI.
Foulke's report is in the hands of the secretary
OF the Interior. All parties connected Win
these row-usite frauds have used the same means
and methods Upou the report filed by MT
Foulke. / as attorney for the Creek nation was
directed By the Secretary of the Interior 10 NE
suits in equity for the cancellation OF all oeeds
10 town lots in the Creek nation where the same
had been secured by fraud. Proceeding upon
instructions and after full investigation. found
that Governor c. y. Haskell. among others had
secured deeds to quite a number OF lois IN
Muskogee by conspiracy and fraud; that ne
had had these lots scheduled in the name OF
dummies or straw men, who lived in the state
Of Ohio and elsewhere. and had them quit claim
hack 70 him without consideration. BY this dis
honest means he succeeded in getting oeeds 70
q large number OF lots belonging 10 the Creeks
at one-half their appraised value nave nIeo
quite number of suits against Governor Has-
keu in which conspiracy and fraud is charged
and the manner Of communicating 1t Is set out IN
detail Haskell has not fled any answer IN
has Sf--1so1z Th-OflE
attorney fled dilatory motions, such as De
rnurrers. pleading 10 the Jurisdiction. etc. he
up in our bill; such answer would be a
sworn lie and known 70 be by the large number
OF straw men and dummies he used in per
fecting the fraud
JUDGMENTS AGAINST Haskell
For this particular act of the man whose pub
lie record you inderse you may rest assured
that the Interior Department will endeavor 10
see that the courts do Justice" TO him
When MI Haskell was in New York various
judgments were fled against him. I will not at
the moment discuss the charges OF perjury ana
fraud made against him by Attorney Albert n
Walker Of New York, in connection with the
suit decided by Judge Lacombe in March 1892
But the records of the County Clerk of New
York County show that on February p, 1900,
judgment for damages and costs amounting 70
Sz2. .235 SO, recovered in the Supreme Court OF
the county was fled against Charles N Has
kell on April 2 1900, this Judgment was
returned on the Sherifs execution salts
fed TO the extent Of only s29 so, and the
remainder Of II remains still unSaIlsneu III
this instance your proposal that Mr.. Haskell be
left TO the court does not seem TO have produced
Jhoroughgoing justice. Neither shall touch
upon the various suits of all kinds now pending
against him for all kinds of reasons. Thus, II
is reported in the press under date Of September
10. 1905. that $500 judgment had been OBJ
Ialned against Mr.. Haskell by an attorney OF
Arkansas. who employed by him TO lobby
before the City Council Of Muskogee 10 get
through a franchise The attorneys fee was
-7er lF+ T<a n a
Nor, again. shall I touch upon the fac-simile
published in the press Of September - last,
showing Mr. Haskell's having three years ago
joined an organization 10 prevent union labor
from entering the city in which he lived. In
deed. as regards this last statement. ! wish dis
tinctly 10 acquir Mr. Haskell of being opposed
on principle TO either trade unions or corpora
tions, for I wish acquit him OF being opposed
on principle TO anything.
HASKELL AND STANDARD OIL.
Now as to Governor HaskelTs connection with
the Standard Oil Company in Oklahoma Gov
ernor Haskell advances the fact that the United
States government permitted the Standard Oil
Company the same terms any and all
other companies 10 enjoy the legal privileges 10
which il was entitled on the Indian reservations
ef Oklahoma as his justification for having
given Il Illegal privileges TO which il not
entitled in the State Of Oklahoma The excuse
furnishes the measure Of Governor HaskelIs
1904. conferred upon the Secretary Of the In
terror the right 10 grant permits for oil and
Regulations 10 carry out the law were drawn up
by the Indian Office and approved by the Secre-
tary OF the Interior April y, 1904. In compli-
ance with the law and the regulations the De-
partnent of the Interior permitted the Standard
Oil Pipe Line Company (the Prairie Oil and Gas
Company and the various rival pipe line COM
panies (suCh as the Oklahoma Natural Gas Com
pany. the Cary River Gas Company, the DEM
Portland Cement Company and others, including
Texas and Gulf companiesl, all on the same
terms and under the same conditions, the right
Of way across the Indian reservations. No pref
erence or privilege was granted to any company
that was not also granted 10 all the others.
Any other action than that actually taken by
the Interior Department would have been as
grossly improper the actions of Governor
Haskell himself. The government stood neither
for nor against any company: but il required
each TO obey the law. Its action was precisely
like the action which il took. for instance. in
proceeding against the Standard Oil Company
IN the rebate matter; II did not thus proceed
because the Standard OIL Company in
volVed. but because rebates had been granted :
the rivals Of the Standard OIL as against the
Standard Oil itself our only concern was 10
punish any guilty party. Our effort Is 10 do
equal justice 10 all and 10 exact justice from all
alike. We are no more TO be swayed from this
course by desire to punish a corporation than
by desire TO favor il, no matter whether 1t is
the Standard Oil any other. The permit of
the national government. as set forth in the
telegram Of the Secretary Of the Interior 10
Governor Haskell OF April % last merely
10 cross or the restricted aIIOtments and
tribal property Of the Indians: II had nothing
70 do with the question of compliance with the
laws Of the State of Oklahoma, and conferred
privilege 10 cross territory in Oklahoma out
side OF these reservations. Governor Haskell re-
fuses TO permit any proceedings to be taken
against the Standard Oil Company, although
this company declines 10 obey the law of Okla
homa. He claims that the Standard OILS rights
were superior 70 the requirements of the Okla
homa constitution, for which he himself
mainly responsible; he took the decision of this
question away from the courts, and. against
the opinion OF his Attorney General, he decided
IL in favor Of the Standard Oil corporation. The
Attorney General Of Oklahoma has made the
following statement in this matter:
The Presidents statement as 10 the Prairie oil