The Topeka state journal., 1908-09-24
HASKELL TO ROOSEVELT.
The Governor Replies TO the Presi-
dents Letter. to BRYAN - p

The Governor Replies TO the Presi-
dents Letter to Bryan.
Guthrie. Sept. 24.-Gov. C. N. Has
kell has issued statement to the As
sociated Press in reply to President
Roosevelt's letter to w. J. Bryan deal
ing with four specific charges against
Mr Haskell: namely, that he is sub
serVient to Standard Oil; that he vetoed
child labor bill; that he dealt exten-
slVely in Greek Indian lands, and that
he had allowed politics to dominate
him in the removal of members of the
faculty of the state university and the
appointment of others to succeed them
Gov. Haskell took up the foul
charges as dilated upon by President
Roosevelt in turn, dealing with each in
a characteristic manner.
The Prairie Oil and Gas company
charges, Gov. Haskell declared to be a
Joke on Mr.. Roosevelt's stupidity
asserting that he had done nothing
which would confer upon the STANDARD
Oil subsidiary company more authority
than it already possessed under a
franchise granted it by Secretary
Hitchcock. The statement in part fol-
lows:
ITO the Associated Press:
President Roosevelts letter is before
me and while this is the first time in
my life have been made the subject
of a cabinet meeting, / am thankful
for the distinction and / wish to ex-
president and my profound respect for
the wisdom of our fathers in making
it possible to change the occupant of
that high office every four years Tlth-
out the right granted to a crown prince
to succeed the king.
II assert that it is fair for me to
assume that If my case was to be dig
nified by an all day cabinet meeting
that beyond question Mr.. Hearst and
his campaign associate, President
~ LOT
blacken my character. That being true,
they certainly raked Ohio fore and aft
concerning the Ohio Standard Oil cases
of 1899 and finding nothing rejecting
on me the president tried to waive his
charge of last Monday aside by say
ing: We will make no allusion to that
He dropped this subject because his
original statement was untruthful and
he must know from what he and Hearst
tried to find in Ohio and failed, that
/ spoke the truth when l said never
in all my life had any interest in con-
nection with nor service for the COM
pany.
II say the president knows now
that my statement IS true and l re-
gret that he tries to brush 1t aside
without doing me candid justice. Were
to adopt the character of language
SO commonly used by the president l
would spell it in fewer letters than
sfaIsehood.' Mr. Roosevelt, 1 hope to
divide the time with some partisan of
yours or Prince William who will de-
fend your action in this instance?
president Roosevelt comes to
oklahoma and finds substitute for
his Ohio failure, does he, in the case
of the state against the Prairie Oil &
Gas company which he complains +
compelled to be dismissed.
"Yes, did have it dismissed.
"Yes we all know that the Prairie
company is a Standard Oil company
offspring and don't forget the presi-
dent claims to have known this also,
and 1 charge that the political allies
Hearst and Roosevelt-both know
that / acted properly.
First. the Prairie Oil company got
its franchise in our state not from
me, but from Roosevelt,s secretary of
the interior. long before statehood be-
gan, and had it's main line built and
operating and congress in our state |
hood bill was careful to declare that
our new state, when organized, must |
respect all such vested rights and |
existing franchises. That was all ]
did and the federal court stood ready |
to call me down if violated the |
Roosevelt territorial franchises.
Now Mr.. President, why did your