Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-05-24

\ grave suspicion that the govern.
ment. la its attempt at conservation
has been hoodwinked TOR the benefi
Of private ~monopolies IS voiced by ,
prominent citizen OF the Pccos NalleA
la regard 10 the recent hldnke
order Withdrawing ID vast area q
the Hrtcsian water and oil BEN ii
southeastern New Mexico bY an order
Of the department of the interior. Thu
following letter from this gentleman
has been received Us the Morning
journal.
Roswell, y. NJ. May 20. la10.
by an order of the assistant com
missioner of the general land office.
=. Y. Proudfit, dated MAY 70, 1910.
AS published in The Roswell Record
OF May IS, fl7,12G acres of land in
northwestern Eddy county have been
Withdrawn from entry The With
drHwal Is made upon recommended.
ton of the director of the United
states geological survey. in aid 81
proposed legislation affecting the use
ana disposition of the petroleum de-
posts In the public domain and ape
plies to "ull forms of location. settle
posal under The mineral or nou-min-
erAl public land laws"
l'pon whose representations the
geological survey has made this order
is not known. while the withdrawal
itself may bc regarded as encouraging
in one sense inasmuch as it indicates
"a belief on the part Of the govern
mcnt that oil exists in the lands with
drawn, II Is certainly "a very discour-
aging blow to Those who are sincere
Is dosirious of developing an oil field
ta tl4 a..Ht. Llsut fIAf .a- Isa AfI4a=
part OF Now McXico. The withdrawal
an aid OF proposed legislation affect
ing The use and disposition of the
petroleum deposits in the public do
main makes 1t practically impossible
for anyone TO do any prospecting on
a huge area, covering all lands in the
Dayton district. on which there arc
indications OF oil az all. except
on u very small percentage OF these
lands which had already gone To
putput before the existence al any
oil in the district was suspected
While oil has been found on some
patented land nca Dayton, just about
enough prospecting has been done to
indicate that the source Of supply
mny be ON lands az some distance
which are not patented and
upon which Il is impossihle, under
tho ordcf. HtO 40 any prospecting
While TIE order of withdrawal Is
temporary" the intimation is that u
win be maintninrd until certain pro-
posed legislation affecting The use of
oil ana petroleum Is passed IN Wath
Pending this legislation
which may take months. or years. or
never pass, it looks as though
nj individual enterprises including
not onlN oil Development. but farm
ing and irrigation on All unentered
parts of tho largo area WithdraWn-
Nas TO DE absolutely checked
Unless his order IS withdrawn, it,
operation Win WILDLY illustrate an
unfortunate side of the Roosevelt
pinchot s|o-callcd conservation policy
rhe only persons benefited viii he
ne standard and Texas OIL com
ianics. II Is notorious that neither
these companies wish the develop
ucut of more oil at the present time
Here In the Pecos valley, where
jumping operations and other power
necessities make the use Of gasoline
ON the increase, il would
lot suit these companies To have
,hoap flol IN the form OF crude OIL
lvNeloncd on nv" ground ON the
,ontrary. such cheap fuel would he
ne greatest boon that could possibly
,omc to the people of this vicinity
fhc effect of this government order
presumably i'm aid of national eon-
.,crvation les. I'm TACT ike SO many
simply in AID OF one or more
lriNatc mouopolics
Is 1t possible that the government
hecu hoodwinked
There are other possible oil hearing /
,reos in the pccos valley and other
larts ct New Mexico beside that in
.ludrd Ina this Withdrawal and. lust