Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-22
OIL MEN IGNORED IN
LAND OFFICE RULING
Meeting Is Called to Adjust Mat
ter inconsistent with Coed
Legislation

Recent rulings by the general land
office, says the California Oil World,
indicate that policy of strict con-
struction of the statutes has been
adopted together with determination
to take all for the government and to
give nothing to the oil operator upon
the public domain in every instance
wherein the interior department Off
cials have any discretionary power
whatever.
is thoroughly understood this is a
REVERSAL Of policy, the government hay
ing formerly, with the express object
of developing the country's re-
sources, given a loose construction to
the statutes. Discretionary power has
been used for the benefit of the opera
tor, therefore.
Recognizing this attitude and antici-
pating it's continuance hundreds of
companies and individuals have
worked for months, and even years in
some instances, eXpending millions of
dollars in the aggregate developing pc
troleum lands. These have conformed
as far as possible to the course Of pro-
partment, and naturally they have also
taken advantage Of such privileges as
have been freely given. For instance,
consent to assign interests to a trus-
tee having never been withheld on the
contrary being acquiesced in, has been
accepted owing to the extreme busi-
ness convenience bI ought about by del
egating to one member of a group of
locators authority to act for all.
fFafr ftNA
ernment, has ever been injured by the
adoption of this innocent device for
the simplification of business. Yet the
interior department has now ruled that
q group of locators forfeit their rights
by taking such action and the harm
fulness of this reversed position is in
calculable. Many a small fortune is
certain to evaporate and many an en-
terprise entirely honest, honorable,
well conceived ana intelligently di-
rected-typical of ali that has made
the American great among the nations
of the earth-will end in wreck and
collapse.
There may be legal grounds for the
changed attitude Of the department,
Notwithstanding the fact that there
have been no changes in the laws, but
there can be found no grounds in fair
ness or in equity. No government,
especially the government of the re-
public of the United States OF Amer
lea, has a moral right to assent to a
proceeding upon the part of a single
Individual among its citizens and then,
in the absence of statutory provision,
to exert it's power in a manner such
that the individual is injured and OPP
pressed. This, however, is to be the
result of the reversal of policy made
by the land office as indicated by the
decision in the applications of Munzer
and others for patents to lands lying
in the Sunset oil fields of Kern county,
Cal.
NO ULrERIoR MOTIVE
The California Oil World is not look
ing for 'ulterior motives and base
designs" to attribute to the officers
responsible for the ruling. Rather, it
sincerely believes them to be acting
in what they conceive to be man
ner altogether and completely con-
forming to the spirit and the letter of
the law, but it also believes that they
have not been able, by reason of a
lack of exact and detailed knowledge
concerning conditions surrounding the
circumstances of the case of Califor-
MAS oilbearing lands and their de-
velopment, to appreciate the fact that
their new Interpretation of the law
will work widespread disaster among
this states operators, bringing ruin to
thousands of locators and great loss to
tens of thousands who have made in
vestments in those ventures the new
ruling will annihila.e.
If it is true, then, that these officers
have made their ruling in ignorance of
its injustice and unaware of it's true
and full import, the only logical and
rational course to pursue in order to
counteract that rulings alarming eff
feet is to proceed TO enlighten the de-
partment, to give to it's officials all
the information obtainable in order
that they may square their opinions
with the true conditions and the deep
grounded principle of fair play in
VolVed.
The better to secure results the Cal
ifornia Oil World Suggests, and hereby
takes the liberty of calling, a conven-
tion of those most vitality interested to
meet in Bakersfield on Sunday, Sep
tember 4, to devise ways and means of
relief.
In the event that the interior de-
partment officials finally insist that
they have not legal authority to act
otherwise than in the manner COM
planned of, the matter can be taken
before congress at the approaching
session for such action as that body
may see fit to take in the direction of
protecting a particularly valuable por-
tion of the countrys most active men
and of preserving peculiarly impor-
tant industry.
1t is not by any means yet too late
to avert the danger confronting those
who have gone upon and proceeded to
develop government oil lands upon the
implied understanding that they should
receive such payment as their serV-
ices deserved-that they should get,
to have and to hold, all they earned
according to q promise given years
since and lived up to conscientiously