The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-28
Oklahoma Governor Addresses
Letter to Roosevelt
Defending His Position in
Prairie Oil Matter.
REASON HE RESIGNED.
Was That He Might Better
Fight His Enemies.
Threatens to Bring a Number
CT Libel Suits.

Kansas City, MO, sept. ZS--W hen
Governor c. n. Haskell OF Oklahoma.
former treasurer of the Democratic ma
tional committee. came into Kansas
City from Chicago he was the same
man who passed through Kansas City
on his way to Chicago Friday morning
But deep lines on his face showed
lack of sleep.
I've got something that will make
'em sit up and take notice. he said as
he greeted a reporter on the depot plat
FORM Il guess the president and tn
secretary of the interior will have some
food for thought when they see this"
and the governor pulled out of his
pocket several sheets of manuscript
which he had evidently written on the
train.
I suppose you want to know why I
resigned. Well. I want to get even
with the gang that is slandering me-
couldn't do il and hold down an Office
for the Democratic committee
With the manuscript on the telegraph
counter the governor read his open. let
ter to President Roosevelt aloud 4
curious crowd gathered around and
listened intentIy as he read the follow
ing letter addressed to the president:
Sir: In Prairie OiP and Gas com
pany oil pipe line franchise in Okla
homa I said secretary interior granted
this franchise before statehood That
federal courts would prevent our
states interference and that We ara
compelled to treat il as We find the
grant. and that hence 1 properly dis
missed the suit brought by our attor-
ney general without my approval. Ex-
Secretary Hitchcock says he did not
grant any franchise; but Secretary
Garfield says he did. but that the
states power is not in any way limited
20 j. nd I n1TihhiinO
The press reports say Hitchcock in
hearing that company's application for
franchise in the year 1904 (three years
before statehood) hesitated about
granting it Whereupon Senator De-
pew and others went over Hitchcock's
head to you. Mr.. President, and got an
order to the secretary to make the
grant. Now with these facts, let Us
find the quibbler. The prairie Oil and
Gas company was a Kansas corpora
ton and under that franchise at once
built its main line from Kansas down
about 100 miles into Indian territory
(now state of Oklahoma), and began
and still continues operation Right
was also included to lay lateral lines
TO assemble oil from wells into the
main line, three such laterals being
laid to the nearby cluster of wells now
in question Thus statehood found TINS
foreign corporation with its vested
rights under the interior department
grant embracing an interstate prop
erty.
Describes Conditions.
Mr. President. can we ignore your
grant and tear up that line under state
authority You know we can't Will
a domestic corporation come in now
with that interstate line existing and
parallel it to the same wells? Certainly
not no more than a new state railroad
would build parallel with an existing
interstate road to carry an amount of
grain production not ample for both.
Who wants an additional lateral line
in this instance? The owners of that
cluster of wells who produce the oil
and must market it or go into bank
ruptcy the owners who want their
ROYALTIES. the laboTers who want EN-
ployment, the local merchants whose
trade depends on production and sale
of oil by numerous small producers.
The three lateral lines carry twenty
two thousand barrels daily but those
wells now produce about sixty thou
sand barrels. What shall become of
this excess? Oil without means of
is as worthless as
farmers surplus wheat hundreds of
miles from a railroad. The Prairie
company don't object to delay: it can
wait. 1t says We have a franchise and
will furnish the oil owners transporta-
ton il the state does not stop us
What should the state do? Certainly
not bankrupt its own people. These
are the conditions as we found them
and so must we deal with them.
I'VE would all like to see this COM
pany take out a domestic charter. Our
attorney general brought suit to pre-
vent it laying the additional lateral
line until it should domesticate. The
Oil Pipe company said All right, stop
US. Mr. Attorney General. If you
- De-
above mentioned appealed to
me in their distress. 1 saw that our
own people were the only sufferers.
and that we could not compel the oil
pine line TO domesticate, and 1 stop
ped the case, and for this reason, Mr.
President, you say l have been cor
rupted to aid the Oil Pipe company.
Now. Mr. President, where does
your own record place you? When
Senator Depew came to you in 1904
(shortly before the election wherein
you were candidate) you knew the
senator was the greatest corporation
Oil agent in the senate; you
knew Indian territory would soon be
a state and that its people would be
benefited by having corporations do
nestle instead of foreign. With one
stroke of your pen in the franchise
YOU ordered granted you could have
required that Oil Pipe Line company
to incorporate in the territory as
condition of that grant Your interior
department had our territory in its
complete control. and granted fran
chises arbitrarily to suit yourselves.
Now. Mr. President, you are so
ready to accuse me for not changing
conditions that you created, tell me,
please, did they corrupt you to obtain
those conditions? Remember. now, it
was almost election time in 1904 and
campaign funds were an object with
you. so much 80 that about this time
you sent for Mr.. Hartman and made
your historic appeal to him for cam