Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-16

From whatever standpoint the pres
ent endeavor to prevent unfair legis-
lation concerning oil lands is viewed,
the ordinary right of the citizen to
his day in court manifests itself, says
the California Oil World. Whether or
not conservation in general and the
particular conservation assumed to be
applicable to petroleum lands, is right
or wrong it is undeniable that the ad-
ministration will be wrong if it ig-
nores, as it seems to be ignoring, those
who have been deVoting themselves
to the development of those lands by
proceeding along the only way open
that is, by considering an oil claim as a
placer location. BY acceding to this
system for a great many years, the
government has virtually indOrsed the
method of acquiring possession. Radl-
cally to change the whole method by
suddenly withdrawing a vast region
from entry and occupation and coupl7
ing with this withdrawal an implied
threat that the government will resist
and repudiate any supposed rights
gained in the past or to be gained in
the immediate future by the following
of existing though insufficient laws and
| local customs, as seems to have been
the course of Secretary Ballinger, con-
| stitutes an actual and disastrous in
! NdSlOn OIL Iie IlSHlS VI the NlAiHCll-
Mr.. Ballinger's action, so far as IL
| is understood, makes for a wholesale
destruction of rights and wrongs, for
the sake of the destruction of the
wrongs alone, and allows for no dis
elimination whatever, whereas an eX-
haustive inquiry into the affairs OF
each and every individual and corpora
tion affected, is the only rational and
fair course to pursue. In the mean
time, let US have some constructive
legislation that will give protection
to the legitimate oil operator and, at
the same time, will guarantee that all
public interests shall be conserved and
preserved.
PUBLIC NECESSITY
It should be borne in mind that eX-
tensive and rapid development of the
California oil fields is an imperative
public necessity, and that legislation
providing for and favoring extensive
and rapid development will act toward
the public interest much more surely
and effectively than will legisldtinon
which aims to bring about d produc-
tion of fuel oil in jots and iotas. The
public of the west coast is as much
entitled to make use of natural re-
sources now as it will be in the flu
ture. There may not be an abun-
dance of oil for succeeding genera
tions-these will doubtless have, and
be able to solve, problems of their
oWn-but there is certainly a lack OF
fuel on the Pacific coast now. This
generation has "prior right" over those
which are to follow and it has urgent
need now for all the oil that can be
produced. To deprive society of a
prime present necessity would be to
contradict every announced intention
on the part of those noted for their
advocacy of conservation, the only
justification for which policy being the
good that can be accomplished through
it, To accomplish a wrong would be
to 20 against this object and defeat
the purpose. Restriction of drilling
operations would accomplish wrong
to the whole public on this coast, and
would delay the upbuilding of great
community here with which all sec
tions of the country and the earth
could proftably trade.
California oil is being used to full
advantage None is wasted. None is
place or to the nation at large. Rather,
it is being translated, all of 1T, into
other forms of wealth. and while 1t is
an asset il Is such only when being
consumed It's value exists only In
its description and of a permanent
character. Hence, the greater the use
of oil the greater will there be adj
things which make useful, usable ana
things which make up the useful,
and enduring possessions constituting
the valuable assets of commonwealth
NOT SOCIAL QUESTION
This, we take it, is not a question
of the rich and the poor. To date
there has been no monopoly of oil
lands. Outside of patented oil lands
in California, it occurs that ownership
is widely distributed. Large tracts ap-
pear on the maps as belonging to large
companies, but 1t is almost universally
the case that these companies are un-
der contract to give up large pro
norton of their production in the
form of royalties which in turn are di-
vided into many ownerships; and the
leasing companies themselves must
scatter their profits widely because OF
their many shareholders. Also, 1t
should be emphasized, in California
there is not a monopoly, nor anything
approaching a monopoly, in the mar
| keting of the OIL Leaving out of con-
sideration the worlds greatest mar
keting concern, fully 10000 persons In
| California are directly or indirectly
| 4, from