The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-11-01
cAuSTic LETTER FROM OKLA
HoMA EXECUTIVE REGARD
ING oSAGES' INTERESTS
VALUABLE OIL RIGHTS
Alleged TO Have Been Hsrtcred TO
Standard OH Co. Under Gcv.
ernment ease-Sccretsry
Root Replies.


lowing open letter of Gov. Charles n,
Haskell to President Roosevelt re-
lating to the interests of the Osase
Indians OF this state in the oil lands
is made public today:
Guthrie. Okla, Oct. o. 1908.
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Presid Mt,
! Washington, ID. G.
Sir: In September called your at
ftention To complaint at the renewal
/ Of the oil lease on six hunderd and
eighty thousand acres Of Usage In
| dian Tribal lands. You ignored tie
matter.
On October fifth, having further
pressure for investigption. Of the Iu-
just character sc that lease, aud haf-
! ing asecrtained that the Osag IS.
heht; cur citizens, 1t was my duty
beyond question to demand of YOU rs
chief guardian of these particular
lanGs. an explanation as to what good
reascn. II any there might have been
for the renewal of the lease, at con-
ditions fixed by you. l. on that date.
made the formal demand Of you ia
writing
October ninth, the acting secretary
Of the interior, writing rs he stated.
on account of your having referred
my letter to him. bis explanation vaE
that you had nothing TO do with tho
lease. except fixing the compensate Il
that the land owners were to receive.
j was not satisfied with the answer
because that was the very thing cb-
iected to. namely the grossly made
quate compensation to the land
owners, which was the real COM
plant
Or October twelfth | answered you
lralerring to the interior department
lexpianatieil} and stating to youf
TAI THAT YOU had refused ID give
the Osages an opportunity 10 produce
evidence before You to show the
amount of compensation Justly due TO
them as the land owners;
\ th) That the oil field, OF which
their lands We're part was an es
tahlshed. rich. producing field, where
royalties aud bonuses to land owners
were established by lcng practices
and preeedents;
tcl That among the lowest aver
ages the Osa"es were at that en-
titled TO at least seven million dollars
cash bonus and one-sixth royalty.
tdD That the Indian Terr tory
Illuminating Oil company. sub of
the Standard Oil company, as the as.
sgnee. of the original Foster lease.
was by subletting this same Usage
property TO operating companies. re-
ceiving much more as bonus than
the Osages would receive as the
owners of the land ON one eighth
basis.
tel That against the original iudg-
ment of the department of the n
terror and upon the request of
Mcssrs. Guffey. Barusdale. Senator
OeTew and other well known agents
of the Standard OIL company. you
had granted an extension of the lease
on this six hundred and eighty thou
sand acres Of land at the grossly in.
adequate compensation of oDe-eighth
roy atty and not one cent Of cash
bonus
Pursuing my dUties 10 tho Usage
indians. as citizens OF our state.
requested that YOU cancel that lease
20 the end that the OsaFc fmliars
might have an opportunity to receive
by competitive bids or otherwise. an
nCome from the oil values of their
aHds which they could really oh
'ain equal 20 the average obtained hv
th adjoining laud owners 20 te
north. east and south of their lands.
/ am today I'M receipt of the follow
ing letter from your secretary q
state.
r. y. Haskell Governor cf Okla
homa
Sir. Your letter 81 Ottober -
1905. to the President Of the United
states. and signed by you a. Gov
fruor Of Oklahoma. has been rcfc-rsi
20 the department Of state. which T.
.harged with the coniuct cf cCrrs
3ponlcuce between the president anr
he chief executives Of the scscrE
states.
. slF l.fia aA' ts.a w NAlNa HN'AN-'AA..NA
ion. which Z understand 10 bc mai1
" false and which ! perceive t. D.
Vhoiiy insolent Is srch that a-
forced 60 regard it - a device o.
lttract from the president fer tie
lurpcse of a personal controversy
1sErec Cf notice which Yourself WCud
lct receive personally. Respcct fu
be- state cf Oklahoma. upon Rhich
ru have inflicted the injury Cf siEn
NJ such q letter over your title ~
sot ternsr. beads me % acknoHlesiEs
Is receipt The sutStaucr C TIE
,ommunicsticn precluEes any furtscf
fetal notice q IT,
Nsry respectfully.
fSignedf ELIHU ROOT.
regret that ms duty forces me