Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-08-26
No One Has Least Idea What
President Will Do If
Situation Gets Worse
LITTLE CAUSE FOR WORRY
Everyone Can Rest Assured
No Damaging Steps.
Will Be Taken
OMER K. BENEDICT.

(World Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25.-Has the
government already fixed the price
OF oil?
This is a question that arises today
In the national capital and 1t is u,,-
derstood maximum price for mid-con-
tinent crude will he $3.50 a barrei be-
fore any action is taken by the gov
ernment, and IL Is said that the gov
ernment will permit the Standard, or
the Prairie to make probably twv
more voluntary increases. which viii
bring crude to $3.50. This is done, it
is said, so that when the government
does exercise authority of price ,oh-
troll, IL II does find 1t necessary to fix
the prices. 1t will not be placed in tnv
anomalous position of encouraging
economy and low prices and at the
same time be a party to, or wholly re-
sponsible for, increased prices or tfe
crude product. which will OF necessary
increase the price OF by-product. An
other item that also entered into the
consideration of the price of mid con
tinent was the demand of certain
government officials to Increase IT un-
til it was in proportion to price or
eastern oil.
There Is a great deal of fore,us,-
lUB EOlllE OF lHIuOul lnP COuIlll III ~
the government is about to take con-
troll of the oil industry. and all these
forecasts are purely guesses In the
first place no human mind can appre-
hend the intention of President VIII
son, and no person can speak authori-
tatively i'm regard to his future pans
because no one Is allowed to quote
him and even his secretary, Mr.
Tumulty, does not know the nina u,
the president i'm regard to oil contro
or price fixation Of oil or oil products
No person is in position to appre-
hend the intention OF the fedora
trades commission, any further than
that an official Of that body has
threatened to control oil prices ir tn,
price of crude advances materially.
Above and beyond all this is the
question of authority of either the pres
| ident or the federal trades commits
sion to do anything that would seri
ously affect the oil industry.
Food Bill Construction Peculiar.
The construction of tho TODD bill 4,
peculiar, and it might be said svms
| what ambiguous The preamble reads
foods, feeds, fuel, including fuel oi
and natural gas" Note the absence
of comma after the first fuel :" Th'
intent of the conferees was to have {
| lawyers opinion, or perhaps Il court
judgment, to determine its meaning
Section 25, which originally con
tanned oil wells and gas wells petrol
cum. etc. now applies only to Goa
and coke, therefore petroleum and IT.
by-products cannot be controlled un
der that section of the bill; ant
courts have held that items must b'
specifically mentioned outside of th'
preamble.
In the peramble, "fuel, includin.
fuel oil and natural gas are defined
as thereafter in this act called neces
saries." In 'necessaries,' 1t is contender
by those who are supposed to know
that section ~ gives the presiden
authority to exercise almost unlimited
super, ,ision, under this language of tn
sec ton, as follows: as authorized T.
requisition and take over, for use o
operation for the government. an
factory. packinghouse or pipe line
mine or other plant, or any part there
of. in or thru which any necessarie
are or may be manufactured, pro
duccd. prepared. or mined and TO oper
ate the same" "F'rel including fuel o
and natural gas" having beer define
as "necessaries.' 1t is contended thi
gives the president authority to ac
CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHTEEN