The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-11-03
GOES FOR TEDDY
Haskell Says Roosevelt Gave
Lands of the Indians to
THE STANDARD OIL

gu1 - U PuNUfAHAU Uu1
In an Open Letter to the President
the Governor Says the Wrong to
the Indians Must be Righted or
the Matter Will be Investigated
by Congress.
Guthrie, Okla, Oct. q, 1908.
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, President,
Washington, D. c.
Sir: In September I called your
attention to complaint at the renewal
Of the oil lease on 100000 acres of
Usage Indian tribal lands. You ig-
nored the matter.
On October 5th, having further
pressure for investigation of the
unjust character of the lease, and
having ascertained that the Usage,
being our citizens, it was my duty
beyond question to demand of you,
as the chief guardian of these par
ticular lands, an explanation as to
what good reason, If any, there
might have been for the renewal Of
the lease at conditions fixed by you.
/, on that date, made the formal de-
mand of you in writing.
October 9th the acting secretary
of the interior, writing, as he stated,
on account of your having referred
my letter to him, his explanation was
that you had nothing to do with the
lease except fixing the compensation
| that the land owners were to receive,
because that was the very thing we
object to, namely, the grossly made
quate compensation to the land own
ers, which was the real complaint.
On October 18th l answered you,
referring to the interior departments
explanation, and stating to you:
(a) That you had refused to give
the Usage an. opportunity to produce
evidence before you to show that
amount of compensation justly due
to them as the land owners.
(b) That the oil field, Of which
their lands were q part, was an es-
tablished, rich, producing field,
where royalties and bonuses to land
owners were established by long prac-
tiaes and precedents.
(c) That among the lowest aver
ages the Osages were at that time
entitled to at least s7,000,000 cash
bonus and one-sixth royalty.
(d) That the Indian Territory IL
Eliminating OIL Company, sub Of
the Standard Oil Company, as the
assignee of the original Foster lease,
was by subletting this same Usage
property to operating companies,
receiving much more as bonus than
the Usage would receive as the
owners Of the land on a one-eighth
basis.
(e) That against the original judg-
ment Of the department of the in.
terror and upon the request of
Messrs. Guffey, Barnsdale. Senator
DePew and other well known agents
Of the Standard Oil Company, you
had granted an extension of the lease
on this 680,000 acres of land at the
grossly inadequate compensation OF
one-eighth royalty and not one cent
Of cash bonus.
Pursuing my duties to the Usage
Indians, as citizens Of our State, |
requested that you cancel that lease
to the end that the Usage Indians
might have an opportunity to receive
competitive bids or otherwise an
income from the oil values of their
lands, which they could readily OBJ
tain equal to the average obtained
by the adjoining land owners to the
north, east and the south of their
lands.
l am today in receipt Of the fol-
lowing letter from your secretary Of
state:
&C. N. Haskell, Governor OF Okla
homa.
"Sir: Your letter Of October 12.
1908, to the president of the United
States, and signed by you as gov
ernor of Oklahoma, has been referred
to the department of state, which is
charged with the conduct of CORES
pondence between the president and
the chief executive Of the several
States.
THE character of this communica-
tion, which l understand to be main
ly false and which l perceive to be
wholly insolent, is such that | am
forced TO regard is as a device to a.
tract from the president for the pur-
pose of Il personal controversy de-
gree of notice which yourself woull
not receive personally. Respect for
the State of Oklahoma, upon which |
you have inflicted the injury OF sign
ing such a letter over your title as
governor, leads me to acknowledge its
receipt. lie substance of the conf
precludcs any further Of
fetal notice of it.
Very respectfully,
(Sgned) "Elihu Root"
l regret that my duty forces me,