Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-14
HASKELL AGAIN
GIVES FACTS IN
OSAGE DISPUTE
ADDRESSES SIGNED LETTER
TO ROOSEVELT
WILL INSIST ON CANCELLATION
OF UNJUST LEASE"
Tells President That Explanation of
Frank Pierce Does Not Explain.
Seeks Fair Treatment
for Indians
TBy Associated Press.l

who arrived mere InlS liOIillAS
from Guthrie, gave to the Associated
Press a signed statement addressed 10
President Roosevelt contributing an
other important chapter in the famous
controversy arising over the leasing OF
6S0,000 acres of Usage Indian oil lands.
II SHALL" says the governor in the
course of his statement, Insist upon
cancellation OF this lease in the In
terest of these citizens of our state,
or that congress take action to declare
this improvident and unjust lease Volo,
and secure for the Usage nation the
Just and reasonable compensation that
other owners are receiving"
The letter in full follows:
ITO Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Presi-
dent, Washington, d. c.
"Sir: / have just received letter
from Frank Pierce, acting secretary
of the interior department, dated Oc-
tober 8, stating that my letter to you
asking for an explanation as to the
oil lease on the Usage lands had been
referred to his department.
Explanation Not Satisfactory
"He attaches an explanation which
is not at all satisfactory; it contains
practically nothing in conflict with
my complaint.
"I agree that in 1896 the Democratic
Foster on the entire Usage nation for
ten years at 10 per cent royalty.
AT that time the nearest known oil
production was about 700 miles from
the Usage nation, so that the Foster
lease in 1896 was rank wildcat prop
osition and the usual pioneer royalty
of 10 per cent was allowed.
But during the ten years the held
was developed and found to be un-
II and at this low
royalty was an ample reward to those
who developed it.
'By 1905 Foster had transferred his
lease to the Indian Territory Illumfnat-
ing Oil company, well known sub
sidiary to the Standard Oil company.
Developments showed that oil covered
eS0,000 acres being the east part OF the
Usage nation, also extending north into
Kansas, east into Indian territory and
south into Oklahoma, and the whole
area is known as the richest oil ,coun-
try in existence at this date. The re-
mainder of the Usage nation was bar
rem.
Congress Gave Him Power
Congress gave you the power to fix
the consideration that the Usage people
should receive as their part of the Oil
value after the expiration of the ten
year lease.
TT was well known to you at that
time what the sub-leSsees were paying
for small tracts in the Usage nation
and adjoining lands III the Cherokee
nation, as the Cherokee leases passed
through the interior department and
their approval and the royalties and
bonuses received by the land owners
were a matter of record and approval
in the interior department records.
1T is scarcely possible that with
these records before you, you failed to
hot aD zi1
one-siXth royalty was much below the
average compensation of the land own
erS. Indeed, in many instances cash
bonuses of from $50 to $100 per acre
were received by the land owners
few cases found in the interior depart
ment records are as follows:
Cites One Example
"'The Lannon .family-Seven hundred
acres: Cherokee nation, Immediately
adjoining Usage nation; interior de-
partment lease, made in 1903, cash bo-
nus $4,000 royalty one-eighth'
1--WE have eight or ten similar leases
where general public information shows
cash bonuses substantially as large as
the above and royalties running at one
sixth, but your subordinate officers In
charge of the Indian Office at MuSkogee
on orders from the interior department
this morning refused to permit exam
accurately but they are subject to
your Investigation and you will find,
no doubt. that the Lannon lease was
only an average lease.
"And numerous other leases adjoin-
ing the Usage Nation give you the op-
portunity to know that a bare one
eighth royalty, without any cash bonus
to the Osages, was gross outrage on
that nation.
'Congress no sooner gave you the
authority to fix the amount of Compen-
sation than the Osages filed written
request with you for an opportunity to
be heard and produce evidence, which
they could easily have produced. show
ing you that a cash bonus of $10OO0OO
and one-siXth royalty would be indeed a
moderate compensation to them.
Hearing Refused
''You neglected to give the Osages an
opportunity to be heard. The fact that
6S00O0 acres OF rich oil land was the
stake that the Standard Oil company
was playing for, and the land owners
were denied the right to be heard, Is
something that Will require a more
lucid explanation than Mr.. Pierce has
seen fit to give.
"Any practical business man is ready
to recognize that 6S0,000 acres in one
tract of land is Of far greater proper
tionate value than the small tracts of a
few hundred acres each. and therefore
the greater surprise you should have
fixed a royalty Cwithout any cash
bonus) much lower than the individual
land owners We're securing on small
tracts. There was no such improVident
leases being made in that whole COM
bined field.
'Mr. Pierce suggests in his letter rG
me that as a matter of fact It was not
known at the time that the Standard
Oil company was the real party in in
terest.
'I submit 20 you the very fact that
Messrs. Guffey, I3arnsdale and senator
DepeW-all we'll known Standard Oil
Representatives. with others, IN making
a personal appeal to you for this low
royalty to the land owners-should
have been ample evidence that the
Standard Oil company was the real
beneficiary
The Same DepeW
1T was the Same Senator Depew who
induced you to grant the Prairie Oil
and Gas company franchise over the
protest of Secretary Hitchcock, less
than one year before that time, and
in this one transaction you gave the
STANDARD Oil company a donation from
the property of the Usage Indians Of
more than enough to pay the famous
$29 600 fine.
IL shall insist upon the cancellation
of this case in the interest of these
citizens of our state or that congress