The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-08-22
REPUBLICANS MAKE
OIL LAND LEASING
'vb|LL LESS LIBERAL
OTHERWISE THEIR PASSAGE OF
MEASURE Is CONFESSION OF
. GUILT IN FlLlBUSTER

Washington. Aug. 2l.-Almost daily
the republicans in congress disclose the
utter ruthlessness of their senate fill.
buster of last March which killed many
vital measures on the Administrators
legislation program The latest con
fession of guilt In this regard Is found
In the action of the senate committee
on public lands in agreeing upon the
general leasing bill in practically the
same form in which 1t was approved
by the senate and house conferees last
| spring. The only changes made have
, the effect of making the bill less lib
! eral toward the prospector than the
measure recommended for passage in
the closing days of the recent democrat
ic congress.
The democratic conference bill grant.
: ed the prospector upon oil lands
patent to one.fourth of the area of his
prospecting permit upon discovery OF
oil. The present bill grants him
lease of royalty of one-eighth of the
production, but no patent.
In the bill introduced at the begin
ming of the present session by Sen
ator Smoot of Utah. republican chair
man of the senate public lands com
amount of royalty TO be paid by OPP
orators by fixing the range at not
less than five per cent nor more than
% per cent of the proceeds. This pro-
vision, however, was stricken out in
k-committee, and. the royalty fixed on
Hthe old basis of n minimum of II IL
per cent, and NO maximum.
The democratic conference bill pro
|
$50 acres within u known field, and
upon '2,5GO acres in wildcat terri
tory. The present bill eliminates all
provision for prospecting permits with
in a known field,
The terms of the bill as now agreed
upon by the senate committee show
that nothing was gained by the M
buster which Senators Smoot and La
Toilette fathered last March, and that
the only result was to delay, If not
to endanger, the final enactment OF
the measure, which the West regards
as of pressing necessity in the deVel'
opment of its natural resources.
The amendment, which was urged
by Senator kendrick, democrat, OF
Wyoming, when the bill was before
the senate in 1918, protecting bona
fiGe prospectors upon lands Withdrawn
from entry before they had discovered
oil, has been retained in the commit
tee bill in practically the same form
in which it was approved by the con
ferees of the democratic congress. rms
guarantees a prospecting permit 10
The bona fde occupant or claimant ol
oil or gas lands in withdrawn areas
who were, in good faith, endeavoring
to develop their claims when Wlth-
drawal orders were issued.
The provision, also advocated py
Senator kendrick, for the Immediate
lpayment to the state Of portion ol
Hhe royalty derived from leases, IKE
wise has been Incorporated in the
new bill but with a slight chanSe'
Instead of dividing the royalty INTO
halves, one half to go to reclamation
fund and one-half to the state, the
present committee bill gives 10 per
cent of the royalty to the state, 40
per cent to the reclamation 1uhd anu
ten percent to the federal treasury
This new division will have the effect
of giving the federal government II
self a new source of revenue to De
used for general purposes.
There is also new amendment
which provides for the sale by the
government at competitive bidding Tor
tive.year periods of the royalty OIL |
General leases will be granted by the
secretary of the interior under the
provisions of the proposed law, at
ROYALTY to be fixed by him to the ap- |
plicant paying the government the
largest bonus.
The inconsequential changes III the
-1,ill by the republican filibuster last
March serves merely to emphasize the
needlessness of this partisan deStruc-
tive action The West has long craVed
the massage of the general leasing pul'
President Wilson has Indicated ms
svmpathy with this demand for rellei
from a situation that has grown IN
+olerable because of arbitrary ACTON
bv previous republican officials Whlch
disregarded the rights of the average
man. Just when relief was to pe
Granted by the recent democratic con
aress. the republicans in the senate
killed the whole administration legls-
Ilative program, not because it didn't
E,ossess merit, but for the purpose
Sn1y to force the call of an extra ses-
,ion of the new republican congress-
a session that to date has been pro-
ductive only of obstructive tactics and
useless oratory.