The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-09-29
HASKELL BLAMEs ROOSEVELT
Writes President a Letter Charging
Him With Being Responsible for
Oil company's Having Pipe
Line in Oklahoma.

Kansas City, Mo-, Sept. 26.-Gov.
Charles N. Haskell, passing through
this city tonight on his way from Chi
cago to Guthrie, gave out letter ad-
dressed to President Roosevelt defend
ing his (Haskell's) attitude toward
the Prairie Oil and Gas company and
assailing the president for granting,
before statehood, franchise in In
dian Territory for Standard Oil pipe
line at the request Of Senator Chaun-
cey NJ. Depcw.
"1ou knew" writes Gov. Haskell,
that Senator Dcpew was the great
est Standard Oil agent in the senate"
Gov. Haskell says:
81 said that uhe secretary of the in
terror granted the Prairie Oil and
Gas company q franchise before state
hood; that the federal courts would
prevent our States Interference and
that we are compelled to treat it as
we find the grant and that hence I
properly dismissed the suit brought
by our attorney general without my
approval. Ex-Secretary Hitchcock
says he did not grant any franchise.
Secretary Garfield says he did, but
that the States power is not in any
way limited to control it, and that 7
am quiabbling. The press reports this
morning say that Hitchcock is hear
ing that company's application for
franchise in the year 1908 (three
years before statohood) hesitated
about granting it, whcreupon Senator
Depew and others went over Hitch
cocks head to you, Mr. President,
and got an order to the secretary to
make the grant.
"The Prairie Oil and Gas company
was Kansas corporation and under
that franchise at once built it's main
line, from Kansas down about 100
miles into Indian Territory, now the
State of Oklahoma, and began opera
tlon. A night was also included to
lay lateral lines to assemble oil from
wells into the main line, three such
laterals being laid to the nearby
cluster of wells now in question. Thus
statehood found this foreign corpora
ton with its vested rights under the
interior department grant embracing
all interstate property.
Mr.. President, can we ignore your
grant and tear up that line under
State authority9 You know we can
not Will domestic corporation
come in row with that interstate line
existing and parallel it to the same
wells? Certainly not, no more than a
new state railroad would build paral-
lei with an existing interstate road
TO carry an amount Of grain produc-
ton not ample for both. Who wants
an additional lateral line in this in
stance? The owners of that cluster
or wells who produce the oil and must
market 1t on go into bankruptcy; the
land owners who want their ROYALTIES :;
the laborers who want employment; :;
the local merchants whose trade de-
pends upon production and sale of nu-
merous small producers. We would
all like to see this company take out
! domestic charter; our attorney gen
eral brought suit to prevent it's laying
( the additional lateral line until it
Z should domestieate. The oil pipe
company said: 'All right, stop us, Mr..
J. Attorney General. IF you wish, we
3 can wait
S 'But our interested citizens above
3s mentioned appealed to me in their
q distress. I saw that our people were
,8thc only sufferers and that we could
al not compel the oil pipe line to domeS-
81 tlcatc and stopped the ease, and for
& this reason, Mr.. President. You say 7
&E'havc been corrupted to aid the oil
$eppe company.'
ST TT