Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-11-02
DEMANDS OIL LEASES
Be DECLARED VOID
6y CONGRESS
Haskell Writes Letter TO Pres
ident Roosevelt Asking
Justice" TO
Indians.
SECRETARY ROOT
CALLS HIM INS0lENT
Governor Quotes Letter From
Secretary OF State In Which tie
Is Accused OF Seeking No
tOriety--ThIealens to
Use Congress-.

Guthrie, Nov. "A letter from
Governor Haskell to President Roos-
eve.t regarding the lease OF Usage
indian oil lands. in which the govern
or asks that the ase be dec ared
void, was made public here today. The
letter quotes a letter from Secretary
Root. 1t says:
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, President,
Washington, d. C.
Sir: In september called your at
tention to complaint at the renewal
of the oil lease on 6SO000 acres of
Usage Indian tribal lands. You ig-
nored the matter.
On October 8. having further pres
sure for Investigation Of the unjust
character of that lease. and having
ascertained from that the Osages, be-
ing our citizens, it was my duty be-
yond question to demand of you ~
the chief guardian OF these particua ar
lands an explanation as To what good
reason. II any. there might have been
Tor the renewal of the lease, at condi-
tons fixed by you. L. ON tat date.
made the formal demand of you in
writing.
/ October 8 the acting secretary OF
.hs .rite .ior. 'N Sling a. he sssted. on
account of your having referred my
letter to him, his explanation was
i that you had nothing to do with the
/ lease except fixing the compensation
! that the land owners were to receive.
] was not satisfied with the answer
because that was the very thing we
objected to. namely. the grossly nade-
quate compensation to the land own
ers, which was the real complaint
On October IL l answered you. re-
ferring to the interior departments
explanation. ard stating to you:
(a) That you had refused to give
the Osages an opportunity t. produce
evidence before you to show the
amount of compensation justly due 10
them as the land owners.
CD That the oil field, OF which
their lands were a part. was an estab-
lished, rich, producing field. where
royalties and bonuses to land owners
were established by long practices
and precedents.
(c) That among the lowest aver
ages the Osages were at that time en-
titled to at least seven million dol
lars cash bonus and ones xtn royalty.
| (d) That the Indian 7, rritoIy IL
Eliminating Oil company, a sub OF the
Standard oil company, as the assignee
, of the original Foster lease. was by
subletting this same Osase property
to operating companies reeeiv ng
! much more as a bonus than the
Osages would receive as tle owners
of the land on a one-eightn basis.
(e) That against the original judg-
ment of the department OF the In
terror and upon the request OF Messrs.
Guffey, arnsdale. Senator Depew and
other well known agents of the stan
dard OIL company. you + ad granted
an extension OF the lease on this $780,
600 acres of land at the grossly made
quate compensation of one-eignth
royalty and not one cent of cash
bonus.
Pursuing my duties TO the Usage
Indians as citizens OF our state. re-
quested that you cancel that lease
to the end that the o ag4 India 8
might have an opportun tv o re-
ceive by competitive bids or otherwise
an in ONE from tie oil lues of
their lands which they could readily
J obtain equal to the average obtained d
by the adjoining land owners to the
north. east and the south of their
lands.
am today IN receipt OF the fol-
lowing letter from your secretary II
state;
&c. n. Haskell. Governor Of Okla
hOma.
"Sir: Your letter OF October IL,
1908. to the pres,d mt OF the United
states, and signed by yoc as govern
or OF Okllhoma, has been referred
20 the department Of state, which IS
charged with the conduct of corre-
= spondence between the pres dent and
| (Coufinued On pnRts PNDur.A