Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-10-16
HASKELL SUIT ON
Hearst IS TARGET
LAWYERS FOR OKLAHOMA HEAD
TOLD TO FILE PROCEEDINGS
AGAINST EDITOR.
PRESIDENT ACCUSED
IN LATEST MiSSIvE

Letter to Roosevelt Given Out by
Former Democratic Treasurer
Says Chief Gave Too Little Cash
for Usage Oil Lands.
Kansas City, Oct. 14.-Gov. Charles
N. Haskell of Oklahoma, who arrived
here Tuesday from Guthrie with the
avowed intention of suing w. R..
Hearst, gave out q signed statement,
addressed to President Roosevelt, con-
corning the leasing of $4,000 acres of
Usage Indian oil lands.
Il shall insist" says the governor
In his statement, upon the cancella-
ton Of this lease In the interest Of
these citizens of our state, or shall
demand that Congress take action to
declare this improvident and unjust
lease void. and secure for the Usage
nation the Just and reasonable COM
pensation that other owners are re-
ceiving."
Start Suit at Once.
Gov. Haskell said Tuesday after q
lengthy conference with his attorneys
that he had given his counsel author
lily to bring suit against Mr. Hearst az
soon as he could get service on the
New York editor This, he said. he
believed would be possible at some
point between Kansas City ana st.
Paul when Mr.. Hearst makes his re-
turn trip to the east. Mr.. Hearst Is
now on the Pacific coast, and spoke
ut Seattle Tuesday night.
The letter In full follows:
ITO the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt.
President Washington, d. C.-Sir:
l have just received a letter from
Frank Pierce, acting secretary, interior
department, dated October 9, stating
that my letter to you asking for an ex-
PLANTATION as to the oil lease on the
Usage lands had been referred to his
department.
'He attaches an explanation which
Is not at all satisfactory. 1t contains
practically nothing in conflict with my
complaint
Agrees on One Point.
Il agree that In 1898 the Democratic
administration made a lease to B. B.
toster on the entire Usage nation for
ten years at ten per cent royalty. At
that time the nearest known oil pro-
duction was about TOO miles from the
Usage nation, SO that the Foster lease
In 1896 was rank wildcat proposi-
ton, and, of course, the usual pioneer
royalty of ten per cent. was allowed.
But during the ten years the field was
developed and found to be unusually
rich, and ten years at this low royalty
was an ample reward to those who de-
yeloped It,.
Lease to; Standard OIL.
by 1905 Foster had transferred his
lease to the Indian Territory Illuminat-
Ing OIL Company, a well-known sub
sidiary Of the Standard Oil Company.
Development showed that oil Gov
cred $4,000 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 country In existence at
this date. The remainder of the Usage
nation was barren.
Congress gave you the power. to fix
the consideration that the Usage peo
pie should receive as their part Of the
oil value after the expiration of the
ten-year lease
Accuses Chief Of Knowledge.
ut was we'll known to you at that
time what the sublessees were paying
for small tracts In the Usage nation
and adjoining lands in the Cherokee
nation. as the Cherokee leases passed
through the interior department, and
their approval and the royalties and
bonuses received by the landowners
were matter of record and approved
In the interior department records. 1t
is scarcely possible. that, with tsese
records before you, you failed to notice
that ten dollars per acre cash bonus
and one-sixth royalty was much below
the average compensation to the land
owners. Indeed, in many instances
cash bonuses of from $50 to even 800
per acre were received by the land
owners.
"A few cases found in the interior
department records are as follows:
" The Lannon family, 700 acres,
Cherokee nation, Immediately joining
the Usage nation, interior department
lease. made in 1903. cash bonus $40,-
900, royalty one-eighth.'
Says osages Were Ignored.
You neglected to give the Osages
any opportunity whatever to be heard.
The fact that 100000 acres Of rich oil
land was the stake that the Standard
OIL Company was playing for, and the
landowners denied the right to be
heard, is something that will require
. more lucid explanation than Mr..
Pierce has seen At to give.
ANY practical business man is
ready to recognize that $4,000 acres
In one tract of land Is of far greater
proportionate value than the small
tracts of few hundred acres each,
ana. therefore. greater attention
should have been paid.
CHARLES N HASKELL"
80 -
eunko Game costs $1,000.
Youngstown. o., Oct. 14.-Willism
Writ, aged SO years. a well-known res.
tdent Of this city, was bunkoed out of
$4,000 by two unknown men, one rep
senting himself as agent for a Colum-
bus co. lottery and the other O
cashier.