The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
JUDGE WOODRUFF
ATTACKS HASKELL
Assistant Attorney General
Takes Up Pipe Line Case
ROOSEVELT IS DEFENDED
Woodruff Declares That the President
Had Nothing to Do With Franchise
Granted to Oil Company for
Laying Pipe Line.
ROOSEVELT IS DEFENDED

Washington September 26.-tSpe-
cial)-President Roosevelt had planned
to issue another statement tonight re-
sarding William r. Hearst's Standard
Oil exposures until he learned that
Judge George w. Woodruff, assistant
attorney general. had already made a
public statement along that line. II
was then announced at the executive
office that the President would let
Judge Woodruff's statement stand for
the night. The statement of Judge
woodruff is in response to Gov. Has
kells public charge that the President
insisted upon granting a franchise to
the Prairie Oil and Gas company and
that all that Haskell did to favor the
company was necessary TO comply with
the law. Judge Woodruff's statement
was made after the records of the in
terror department had been fully eX-
amined. The statement is as follows.
with reference to the recent con-
tention about Gov. Haskell's action IN
the case of the Prairie oil and Gas
company oil pipe line in Ok lahoma. and
the action of former Secretary of the
Interior Hitchcock and Secretary Car
field concerning the pipe line privileges
to that same company 1 will state
brify and definitely without argument
of any kind, the exact points at issue
and the exact facts concerning them so
far as they are: From the records Of
the department of the interior:
Congress. on March Il. 1904, passed
IA a
pipe line privileges in the then Indian
Territory, now a part of the state of
Oklahoma.
THE secretary of the interior, Is he
is always obliged to do when any law
is passed affecting his department.
issued, April -. the rules and regula-
lions to effectuate that law.
Pipe Line Privilege.
"The Prairie Oil and Gas company
applied even before the regulations
were promulgated for pipe line priyi-
lege and after the most careful con-
sideration Mr.. Hitchcock in letter
which is and always has been a public
document, found that it had complied
fully with the law and his rules and
lHeTeloIef Apiil J. dppAoNtN Us iSN"
ton for pipe and it proceeded to build
and which thereby has been able to
furnish a means of transportation to
millions of barrels of oil from Okla
homa.
1T is absolutely impossible to find
any paper, memo or letter of record in
connection with the granting of this
pipe line privilege which shows that
President Roosevelt had anything
whatever to do with it.
1T is extremely probable that in the
course of a new law involving a moment
Gus question like this. one, Secretary
Hitchcock conferred with the President
before issuing his rules and regulations
Proper Custom.
THAT is the custom and a very proper
custom l know, of Secretary Garfield S
in all cases of new and important legis-
lation. Such conferences may possibly
have led to a misunderstanding from
which Governor Haskells claim that the
President ordered Mr.. Hitchcock to grant
the privilege might have arisen. l haven t
the slightest doubt that there were no
orders of any description and the best