The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-05-14

Danlcis, mas Otptnueu 30 Hucn ON
| transportation. that II can be laid
down as a basic principle that no
| nation that does not control an ade-
| quate oil supply can successfully
maintain its forces. The navy mus.
be supplied with fuel and with lub-
ricants IL operations are to be con-
| Quoted successfully.
THAT the navy may be justified In
building oil-burning vessels possess
ing great military advantages 1t
must be assured of an adequate fu-
ture supply OF fuel. and TO assure
this vital supply for the future de-
fense. the president set aside re-
serves one and Two In California
and Three In Wyoming. the Teapot
Dome"
The secretary then called atten-
tlon to the Introduction In congress
OF many bills bearing upon the with
drawal OF these oil reserves.
But few of these bills" he added.
have recognized the navy's right
or offered adequate protection to the
| oil deposits set aside for it's exclu-
sive use and benefit. Any legisla-
tion which may be passed that does
not recognize that navy's right and
requirements would be fraught with
great danger to our national welfare
and defense. Wisdom and foresight
alike demand the preservation un-
touched of the naval reserves and
| the setting aside or obtaining of
other oil lands for an additional re-
serve supply"
II was recalled during the senate
| debate on the Teapot Dome PROPOSE
] tion that on one occasion. when
private interests threatened to drill
sr..1t l.t Ill tsa.. l.,
| government reserves In California.
| Secretary Daniels annoynced that If
such drilling were attempted he
! would drill two wells for every one
OF the private owners. and that IL
| necessary to further safeguard the
| naval reserves he would order ma
rines to the oil fields.
II was Senator John B. Kendrick
OF Wyoming who brought the mat
ter OF the Teapot Dome lease to tho
attention of the senate. Senator
| kendrlck is noted as one of the
fairest minded men IN congress, and.
although inclined to the view that
the government has not acted the
part Of wisdom in leasing this treas
ure field to a private corporation,
he has announced that he would
| maintain an "open mind" until Sec
retaries Fall and DENLY have had a
chance to state their case.
| Senator kcndrick Doubtful.
I'm the Salt Creek oil field OF
| Wyoming" said Senator Kendrick.
which field lies Immediately ada
| cent to the naval reserve known as
| the Teapot Dome, drilling require
| ments on government leases have
been suspended for a year because
1t was recognized that there was not
| llurLnt hn nn ~
wells which are producing are not
being allowed to deliver their full
| capacity.
Under such circumstances Il is
| difficult to understand what COM
| pelling motive neCessitated the teas-
ing OF the navel reserve at this time.
| II IL be true that there is not oil
enough for the future. we are
prompted to ask whether the policy
of conservation of our natural re-
sources as laid down by President
Roosevelt and followed by President
TAFT and President Wilson is to be
a fact or fiction. particularly with
respect to the naval reserves.
1t has been asserted in state
ment emanating from the depart
| ment of the interior that the Teapot
Dome Is being tapped by wells in the
adjacent Salt Creek field, but the
opinion of no geologist has yet been
presented in support of this view,
while the state geologist OF Wyoming
and allthe independent oil operators
who have knowledge of local condi-
tons are a unit in saying that the
Teapot Dome cannot possibly be
tapped by any we'll that has vet
been drilled. The determination of
what the exact fact is will, of course,
have to await the senate investiga-
| ton which has now been ordered,
but IL 1t should be demonstrated that
the independent operators are wrong
In their opinion, there would still
remain the question as to why this
great field was leased to private sale
without notice to the state of Wyo-
ming or to all the Independent oil
men who are vitality interested in
th3 matter.
1T is worthy of note that, accord
inc to the information now afforded
us by the department of the Interior,
the lease to the Mammoth oil com
pany was signed on April 7. On
April i3, when l introduced my bill
to provide that the state of Wyoming
should have small royalty upon all
the qrl and gas produced from the
Teapot Dome. officials of the de-
partment of the interior were deny
ing that any lease had been exc
cuted, and on April IS, when | intro
duced the first resolution calling for
information as to the negotiations,
| acted because 1t was impossible 10
learn from the department what, II
anything, had been done. It is also
worthy of note that the text OF the
lease OF April was not given out
until after Senator La Folletts reso-
luton was introduced calling for an
investigation OF the whole matter
and that this contract makes ref
some time In March providing for
the terms of exchange Of royalty oil
between the United States govern
ment and the Mammoth Oil COM
pany, which has not yet been made
available.
| nIrnfn all Tho tnrrna q rh nnr liAIn..