The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1924-10-17

the world. 1t appears that he has no
interest whatever in any of the pro-
perty within the Naval reserve. If
he has any interest in the bill at all
Of an individual or personal character
it would be to see the bill killed, be-
cause thus the volume of oil would
be restricted and limited, if not re-
duced, and the value of his product
would be proportionately increased.
l cannot believe, however, that he is
Influenced one way or the other by
that consideration"
This is the Mr.. Dcheny who a little
later sent his son with 500 900 in
satchel to Secretary of Interior Fall
out Of which grew the Teapot Dome
Scandal
Continuing his address Senator
Walsh said, "In that situation Of az
fairs, Mr.. President, it occurs To me
that the cOmmitte have acted wisely
in providing that the wells already
uDOn the reserve should be leased and
that the president should have the au-
thoritv to direct the drilling of other
wills, whenever in his judgment, 1t be-
came necessary to subserve the public
interest. [ do not believe, therefore
that these provisions of the bill are
open to any serious objection"
Such direct testimony by Senator
Walsh needs no comment. On page
Att La Toilette says, 81 have offered
some amendments which would impair
the power of the great corporations
which are, l believe, going to receive
large benefits under it. / regret to
say that when an amendemtn was
pending here that would deprive the
Standard Oil and the other companies
which vii derive large benefits under
this bill, of their power to charge IN
reasonable prices for the products de-
rived from these leased lands. l could
net secure the support of more than
ten Of the senators upon the floor for
gu-h an amendment"
It is needless to say that Senator
Walsh was not one of the ten who
voted with La Toilette
Continuing, La Toilette said, page
4771. Il do not expect that the pend
ing amendment offered by me, or that
any. amendment that can be offered
here to curtail the rights and powers
that will be conferred upon these mon
opclies will meet with the approval OF
the Senate and will be Incorporated
as a part of the message.
Page 4743 La Toilette says, Il do
not like the provisions of this bill as
to the railroads and for that reason
have drawn amendments to it." etc.
Mr.. Smoot, "Mr. President in that
connection, l wish to say to the Sen
ator that this bill effects only one
railroad in the United States, and that
is the Milwaukee Railroad.
! Senator Walsh saw to it that q
! large amount of coal lands would go
to the Milwaukee Railroad under this
! leasing bill. Several years before he
had attempted to have congress pass
special legislation for the Milwaukee
Railroad granting them valuable coal
J lands at Roundup, Montana, see Is
! ]. Res. Al SO congress End session
Senator Kenyon denounced this as
most vicious legisltiOn."
The general leasing bill known as
the conference report bill, OF fine pre-
/ vidus congress and which was sup
ported by Senator Walsh and defeated
by Senator La Toilette, was very gen
erOus to the railroads" See page
4743.
Mr.. La Toilette. "Under the bill a,
presented in the conference report il
March, a very large area CT the Goa
lands of the country would have pass
ed into the control of the railroad
and would have been tied up by tn,
provisions of that bill. AS I YEMEN
Der it, as it applied to the railroads
something over 125 900 acres would
have been controlled in that way b!
the ST. Paul road and I think nearly
million acres by less than a dozen raj
roads running west from the Missipp
river"
This conference bill was so ba,
that we find on page 4743, this state
ment. Mr.. SmOOt, 81 owuld not evel
again sign the report" referring t
the conference report on this Leasing
bill.
What was the position of Senate
Walsh cn this conference leasing bill
that even Smoot could not supper
and that would have given a Milo
SENATOR WALSH AND HIS Gal.
of acres of coal lands TO the railroad
and opened up our Naval oil reserves
On page 1912 of the Record, Sena
tor Walsh said, "Mr. President,
will be recalled that after many year
of labor, a bill was passed by the las
congress looking to the further devel
opments of the oil fields of the cour
: try, "a conference report was sui
mitted embodying apparently the bes
possible thought Of the two branche
of congress upon this rather dificul
; subject It was impossible to get cor
sideration for that conference repot
at the last session.
The reason why Senator Walsh an
his Standard Oil friends could nc
+ "get consideration for that conferenC
7 report" was because LaFOllette wOul
! not let it come to a vote but a fiji
: buster defeated this and a number {
2 appropriation bills when an attemI
t was made them through in the closin
: hours of congress that ended Marc
4, 1916.
I This herioc fight by La Follett