Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-18
ACCUSE FISHER OF
. COERCING INDIANS
TO AID OIL TRUST
Independent Company
Makes Charges Be-
fore House.
CONTEMPORARIES MADE
BY INTERIOR SECRETARY
Asserts Uncle Sam Co. Is A.
tempting to Take Advan-
tage of Tribesmen.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1s-charges
that Secretary Of the Interior Fisher
had attempted to coerce the Usage
Indians into leasing valuable oil fields
to the Standard Oil Company. and a
counter charge by the secretary that
the Uncle Sam Oil Company had at
tempted to acquire the fields under
circumstances which were threaten
ing proceedings by Attorney General
Wickersham. were aired today before
the House committee on Indian af-
fairs.
Meanwhile seven Osages, members
Of the tribal council who were re-
moved on January 3 by Secretary
Fisher, because, he said, it had been
found they had been "unduly in
fiueneed" in making lease to the
Uncle Sam company. went to the Dis
trict Supreme Court and got out a
mandamus calling on the secretary to
show cause next Tuesday why they
should not be reinstated. Certain
leases to the Uncle Sam company
have been thrown out by the secre-
tary and bill Is now pending in the
House to compel the secretary to
validate them.
Albert Wilson, representing the
Uncle Sam Oil Company, in a brief,
declared that the STANDARD Oil Com
pany is endeavoring to block the
efforts of the Uncle Sam company to
secure this lease. because the Uncle
Sam company could then become a
competitor of the Standard Oil Conn
pany subsidiaries in the fielo.
But the Uncle Sam Company" he
continued, "has been harassed by
every device known to the oil trust,
and has met with the constant, per-
sistent, unreasonable and unwarrant-
ed opposition of the interior depart
ment.
1.-THE secretary of the interior. for
the purpose of intimidating and coer-c
ing TIE Usage Indians into electing a
new council. which will obey his in
structions- has published and caused
to be published statements intimat-
ing that many of the Indians would
be arrested or indicted upon some
charge because they were in favor Of
the leases to the Uncle Sam Oil Com
pany.
THE stockholders of the Uncle
Sam Oil Company have fought long,
hard fight against the Vaccinations
of the oil trust. The oil trust has
had the advantage of having the
assistance of a former president,
cabinet officers, the postoffice depart
ment. the interior department, some
torney and many other lesser Federal
officials, but they have fought the
fight to establish their company as a
genuine, independent oil company
and actual. bona-fide competitor of
the oil trust"
Secretary Fisher replied to the
charges. He said: "The negotiations
for the so-called leases have been re-
ported to the department of justice
and an investigation is being made
by the attorney-general." The secre-
tary added that the Uncle Sam leases
would work a grave injustice to
the 0sages and would encourage pro-
moters to exploit the lands of the
Indians, and that a majority of the
Osages were opposed to the granting
VI tiib lcdStS 10 the Uncle sam COM
pany.
II regard an attack from the Uncle
Sam OIL Company as a badge of
honor" declared the secretary. cit
is conclusive recognition of the fact
that I have effectively checked the
attempt of this concern TO acquire
an immense oil field belonging to the
Usage Indians under circumstances
which have been investigated by a
special agent of the Indian office. As
a result of this report I removed the
entire tribal council and referred the
report to the attorney general, who
will take appropriate action just as
soon as he can decide what the
action should be.
The Uncle Sam Oil Company hav-
ing been turned down all along the
line from the superintendent of the
Usage Indian agency through the
Continued on Fourth Page.)