Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-01


anyone should advocate a change
in the law that would secure for
the government some return for the
property 1t owns. In the opinion
of some. the man who is advocat-
ing the disposition of government
owned lands under fair competi-
tive conditions is at the best a So
cialist with a strong tendency to-
ward anarchy.
1 submit that any man in any
business ought to be willing to op-
crate under fair competitive condi-
tions. and, il he is not willing, he
should be compelled to submit to
such conditions. Under fair COM
petition in the business of produc-
ing oil, as in everything else, a man
will secure what his ability and his
industry entitle him to. Anyone
wanting or demanding more should
receive no consideration whatever.
If advocating a change that will
result in giving to each man what
he is justly and fairly entitled to,
no more and no less, is Socialism,
then I am "a Socialist. But I con-
tend that my position and that of
others who are advocating the same
principles is the reverse of Social
ism. The idea entertained that all
of the publicly owned oil lands be-
long to the men engaged in the oil
business is absolutely a mistaken
one. Their interest in these lands
Is just the same as that of any
other citizen of the United States.
The only way in which the value
of these lands can be distributed
among the real owners Is to secure
for them as much as anyone is viii
ling to give. If there is any other
way to accomplish it, 1t has not
yet been called to my attention.
It has been said that the oil men
who go into new districts and take
the risk of spending their money
where they may receive no return
should, when successful, be enti-
tied to keep for themselves what
ever the land contained. The fact
is that generally only one man or
corporation is interested in drilling
the first well in a district. If they
are successful not only the value
Of the land which they hold Is en-
hanced, but also that Of sometimes
thousands of acres of adjoining
property. The assertion made by
some that those who have partic-
ipated in no way in the risk in
drilling the first well should be
given the adjoining land seems to
me without foundation in justice
or reason.
CONSIDERATION FOR PIONEERS
The men putting down the first
well do deserve consideration, and
under fair conditions they would
receive 1t, because they would Sc
cure their land at the minimum
cost fixed by law. When well
has been started in an unproven
section the practice has been gen
eral for others than those engaged
in the enterprise and who were for
tunate enough to be located In the
vicinity, to file claims upon ada
cent land and to hold 1t without
any cost to themselves until the
territory was proven.
Some Of the best posted men in
the business claim that no piece of
land is proven oil territory until 1t
is producing oil. This in a sense is
true, but that does not alter the
fact that lands adjoining produc-
ing territory have a large pros
pective or speculative value. That
is, they would sell for a big price
because of the strong probability
that they contained oil
If a private individual owned the
property adjoining or in the vicin-
ity of a producing well, his right
to dispose of his holdings to the
person willing to give him the most
for 1t would not be questioned by
anyone. There would seem to be
no good and sufficient reasons why
the people should not have the same
right in disposing of the property
belonging to themselves.
In - fhA oYfY-if
of 1t were observed, would be VIC
ious, because 1t encourages and al
most compels wasteful and uneco-
nomic development.
Today in the Kern county fields
there are more strings of tools run
ming than in all of the other fields
of the state combined. Drilling is
not being done there for the pur-
pose of producing oil to meet the
requirements of the market, but
because that is the only way in
which title to the land can be Sc
cured.
Oil is being produced for which
there is no market and of which
large proportion Is lost through
evaporation, seepage and leakage;
and this waste is reducing the fuel
supply upon which the industries
OF tIl6 COdSI 1nuSI uCPOAAO Al NAAo ~
ture.
SPIRIT OF Law VIOLATED
But the spirit of the law is not
observed. Men who themselves
have had no intention of doing any
development work have located
thousands of acres of land for the
purpose of turning over their claims
to those financially able to do the
work required by law.
A short time ago 1 received a
copy of the records in the land Of
fee in Kern county, which records
show that large tracts of land have
been filed upon recently by COM
paratively few men, one group OF
men, and presumably only one man
using seven names as his own, has
located almost 5000 acres of land.
Most of thees locations were filed