The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-06-24
GET RID OF GRAFTERS
THEN BUILD ARDMORE
EXPERIENCES or WELL KNOWN
OIL MAN VINO EXPECTS TO DO
DEVELOPMENT WORK.

city out OF Ardmur' until You E''
rid of thc oil and land graitors.'
The speaker WAS Mr. Robert Mid
dlcbrook. e well known eastern oil
man. vino is here looking over the
oil field with Wow to starting some
development work.
Continuing Mr. Mddlebrook said.
81 have been in thc business for
ten years aud have met with such
conditions as have found here at
Ardmorc. ( know 900 not a pleasant
thing to be- told. but il is ract
nevertheless
You people will never be able to
get the development for this coun-
try that you are after so long ns
you allow such grating practises as
] have found here Why. have ac.
tually been forced to change my no
tDl three times in the few days
have been here TO- escape the persist
cut oil land men. every one Of whom,
if Won were to believe him. has the
only piece of land in the county ON
which oil IS absolutely sure to be
found
"oNu have got some pretty pro.
grcssiye men here. but YOU have
also some of the worst 'ncstors'
have over met with. Your CONNER
cial club is an active and well or
ganilcd institution. but against these
graftcrs and ucftors it is able to
accomplish not half of what it
should.
Mr. Nlddlobrook. who has moth
ing TO conceal about his business,
and who has been looking mp some
leases near here. was asked to tell
what his experiences here with
graftors had been.
said he Just yesterday man
came 10 me az the hotel and Of
fcrcd me- lease ON what believe
is known as the lmpson tract of
ground. east of here some few miles.
There Is 100 acres In one tract
and 500 acres in another. There is
not wen down in five miles of
the land What do YOU think he Of
fcrod To let mo have the lease for?
$1,000 that's all | was advised that
it might be- a good prospect before
| came here and 20 look at it. But
not with that price asked for It,"
What have YOU been in the habit
Of paying for oil leases" was askct
of Mr. Middldebrook.
In developed fields We pay an av
eragc of dollar an acre. This is
fair price for leases in such fields
rs the Glenn Pool the West Nir
ginia field. the California fields, anC
these are all developed mind you
DO YOU think for minute that ont
side capital is going to come II
here and develop your oil lands fo
YOU with any such prices as tina
asked OF them? The fellow who mad,
the proposition declined 10 cousidc
putting i'm any money to put dowi
one or more wells TO see II the oi
was to bc had.
Nearly every one of these fellow
think they have the only surc spo
whore oil may bc found Such
thing lis an ahsurdity Why, couldn'
any more tell whore ] could strik,
III N-.1 "a,
appears 20 bc a good prospect from
the formations and such things; hu
as 20 locating oil wl'h certainty
that is a different thing Some O
them have land ten miles from wher,
there is even suspicion Of oil ant
ask a big price for a lease
To-day was approached by ,
man who said ne had an oil leas,
hc wanted me 90 take. Said his wifi,
owned it ! knew the land and haC
thought it might 6p "a good prospoc
and was about TO take a lease, bu'
went first 90 am ahstraotor for ar
opinion, and found that the man ol
his Wife did not and had ucyo'
owned the land and had mo- show OF
ever owning it
"Igst another ease. One fellow had
1870 acres which hc said was sur,
TO have oil ou tt Tie said i' had
never been filed ON. but that D.,
could get 10 for me- Told me he