Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-17
country should
BUY OIL RATHER
Than SEIZE IT
Senator PheIan Answers Words
of Secretary Roosevelt as
TO California Lands

IN the United states navy wants
p California oil il should buy il and not
attempt 10 seize il says United
States Senator James % Phelan who
Is visiting here. when shown an AssC
c!ated Tress despatch, as published on
IF. . of this edition. which credits r.
ID Roosevelt assistant secretary
u the navy. with saving that the life
Of the United States navy is al stake
in the fight OF The federal government
TO retain control of portions Of CALI
fornia oil fields as petroleum. reserves
The senator Is thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with the present status oil pend
ing patents 10 oil land in California
in which the Honolulu Consolidated
Oil Company with many local stock
holders is vitality Interested along with
numerous other concerns He was IN
strumental In introducing legislation
in the last session of congress IN an
effort 20 straiglten ont the tansle and
10 give people who had spent hun
dra1s Of thou sands OF dollars In de-
yeloping the iii districts only TO be
denied final tile to their properties
their rights.
President Taft Did II
Honolulans interested in the present
situation will 'elnember, as the SEN
ator explains today, that ex President
Taft in 1909 withdrew from entry
practically all OF the oil land, that
two federal courts later held against
his action and that he was finally up
held in the supreme court o. the Unit
ed States by narrow margin OF 4
TO 3. Last summer the secretary of
the interior was about TO grant patents
when the secretary of the navy and
the attorney general objected. Now
congress is trying TO pass remedial
legislation recognizing the equity OF
. certain operators in California and
the whole matter viii again be in
court.
Had no Right to Withdraw
tThe president had absolutely no
right TO withdraw the land, says SEN
ator Phelan. 1T was ridiculous con-
fusion of the law The only reason
the supreme court upheld him was
because of the fact that presidents
had done the same thing before with
the silent acquiescence of congress.
The power lies solely with congress.
whether the Honolulu Oil Com
pany and the many others will win or
not / do not know but they certainly
should. The laid was taken correctly
enough under the old placer laws
and developments were prosecuted in
many cases to the discovery of oil.
When the interior department had
clear-listed the Claims for patents last
summer the navy department said the
government needed the oil. That's no
excuse for taking it if II is the legal
properly of another"
The senator explains that many of
the California oil wells affected by the
pending legislation are operating I'M
der an impouAding action with govern.
ment receivers in absolute charge I'M
til the matter is settled.
Impressed with Pearl Harbor
Showing his interest in the navy in
other ways than California oil the SEN
ator went yesterday along with
Governor I.ucius f. Pinkham to in
sBect the government work under pro-
gress at Pearl Harbor as the guest OF
the commandment, Capt George Il.
Clark.
Senator Phelan has had consider
able Ito do with the legislation rela-
tive to government defense plans here
and was glad of an oppcrtmity to see
the project first hand.
Il have little to say about Pearl
Harbor. he said, except that there is
no doubt in my mind that the govern
ment is making adequate preparations
there for defense and viii undoubtedly
continue the work
The party scent the entire morning
. on the works. The senator was par
ticularly impressed With the great
dryd0ck under construction.