The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
HASKELL AGAIN
TALKS PLAINLY
Governor Gives Facts In Pipe
Line Controversy
ROOSEVELT GETS BLAME
Haskell Shows That Roosevelt Was
Himself Behind the Grant of the
Franchise to the Oil Com
pany In Oklahoma.
ROOSEVELT GETS BLAME

Kansas City, Mo-, September 26.-Gover-
nor Charles N Haskell. passing through
this city tonight on his way from Chi
cago to Guthrie, gave the Associated
Press a letter addressed to President
Roosevelt, defending HaskelPs attitude
toward the Prairie Oil and Gas company
and assailing the President for granting
before statehood a franchise in Indian
Territory for a Standard Oil pipe line at
the request of Senator Chauncey NJ. De-
pew.
You know" writes Governor Haskell
that Senator Depew was the greatest
Standard Oil agent in the senate"
Governor Haskell's letter says:
In regard to the Prairie Oil and Gas
company oil pipe lines franchise in Okla
homa I said that the secretary of the
interior granted this franchise before
statehood, that federal courts would pre-
vent our states Interference and that
we are compelled to treat 1t as we find
the grant and hence properly dismissed
the suit brought by out attorney general
without my approval. Ex-Secretary
Hitchcock says he did not grant any
did but that the states power is not
in any way limited to control 1t and
that I am clubbing. The press reports
this morning say that Hitchcock, In hear
ing that company's application for fran
chise in the year 1903 (the three years
| before statehood), hesitated about grant
ing it, whereupon Senator Depew and
others went'over Hitchcock's head to you.
Mr.. President, and got an order to the
| secretary to make the grant.
1.-THE Prairie Oil and Gas company was
Kansas corporation, and under that
franchise at once built its main line from
Kansas down to about 100 miles into In
dian Territory, now the state of Okla
homa, and began, and still continues OPP
Grafton. Right 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
in question. Thus statehood found this
foreign corporation, with its vested rights
under the interior department grant, en-
bracing an interstate property.
Mr.. President, can we ignore your
grant and tear up that line under state
authority? You know we cannot. VIII a
domestic corporation come in now with
that interstate line existing and parallel it
than a new state railroad would build
a parallel with an existing interstate
road to carry an amount of grain produc-
ton not ample for both. Who wants an
additional lateral lines in this instance?
The owners of that cluster of wells who
produce the oil and must market it or go
into bankruptcy; the landowners who
want their royalties; the 'laborers who
want employment; the local merchants
whose trade depends upon production and
sale of numerous small producers We
would all like to see this company take
out domestic charter our attorney gen.
eral brought suit to prevent it laying the
additional lateral line until it should do
mesticate.
1.-The oil pipe company said:
"'All right, stop us Mr.. Attorney Gen.
eral. If you wish we can wait
But our interested citizens above men,
toned appealed to me in their distress, l
saw that our people were the only suf-
ferers, and that we could not compel the
pipe line to domesticate and / stopped the
case, and for this reason, Mr.. President
you say have been corrupted to aid the
oil pipe company"