Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-28

ruary 10, 1908, that $500 Judgment
had been obtained against Mr.. Has
kell by an attorney of Arkansas, who
was employed by him to lobby before
the city council of Muskogee to put
through a franchise. The attorneys
fee was never paid, but the franchise
was granted.
Standard Oil
''Now, as to Governor Haskell's con-
nection with the Standard Oil company
in Oklahoma, Governor Haskell ad-
yances the fact that the United States
government permitted the Standard
any and all other companies, to enjoy
the legal privileges to which it was
entitled on the Indian reservation of
Oklahoma as his justification for hav-
ing given 1t Illegal privileges to which
1t was not entitled in the state of Ok
lahoma. The excuse furnishes the
measure of Governor Haskell's moral
quality. The federal act of March II,
1904, conferred upon the secretary of
the interior the right to grant permits
for oil and gas pipe lines to cross In
dian reservations. Regulations to
carry out this law were drawn up by
the Indian Office and approved by the
secretary of the interior April u, 1904.
In compliance with the law and the
regulations the department of the in
terror permitted the Standard Oil Pipe
Line company (the Prairie Oil and
Gas company and the various rival
pipe line companies the right of way
across the Indian reservations.
mo preference or privilege was given
to any company that was not also
granted to all the others. Any other
action than that actually taken by the
interior department would have been
as grossly improper as the actions of
Governor Haskell himself The govern
ment is neither for nor against any
company, but it required each to obey
the law. It's action was precisely like
the action which it took, for instance,
in proceeding against the Standard Oil
company in the rebate matter; it did
not thus proceed because the Standard
Oil company was Involved, but because
rebates had been granted; 1t would
have proceeded just as quickly against
the rivals of the Standard Oil as against
the Standard Oil itself. Our only con-
cern was to punish any guilty party.
Our effort is to do equal justice to all
and to exact justice from all alike.
"We are no more to be swayed from
this course by desire to punish cor
poration than by desire to favor 1t, no
matter whether it is the Standard Oil
or any other company The permit of
the national government as set forth in
lIle LeleSrdIl uI lne SeCI0ldIy Ol the
interior to Governor Haskell on April
23 last, was merely to cross or use the
restricted allotments and tribal prop
erty of the Indians; it had nothing to
do with the question of compliance
with the laws of the state of Okla
homa and conferred no other privilege
to cross territory in Oklahoma outside
of these reservations.
Governor Haskell refuses to permit
any proceedings to be taken against
the Standard Oil company, although
this company declines to obey the laws
of Oklahoma. He claims that the
Standard OILS rights were superior to
the requirements of the Oklahoma
legislature, for which he was himself
mainly responsible; he took the de-
cision of this question away from the
courts and against the opinion Of his
attorney general, he decided it in favor
of the Standard Oil corporation