| OCR Text |
Show Oil Producers ' Appeal to President Kansans Beg Chief Magistrate to Aid Them in Their Battle. Against Standard Oil. TOPEKA, Kan., Fob. 15. Tho Kansas Oil Producers' association today sent the following telegram to President Roosevelt: Roose-velt: Topelta, Kan., Fob. 15." IMS. To Theodore Roosevelt. Washington. D, C The under-oigncd, under-oigncd, representing iho oil producers of the fatato 0f Kanpas, nnd Hpeaklng for the intelligent in-telligent nnd Industrious peoplo of tho Stato, and voicing the spirit of American fair play evorysvhero, apcal to you. nnd through your Secretary of tho Interior, and by you to tho Congress of tho United Stntcs for help in tho undertaking of tho Leglelaturo of tho State to protect tho oil Industry of tho State from tho oppression of tho Standard Oil trust. Bccauso thc Legislature presumes to ex-erc ex-erc so 11 natural function of government by eglolatlng for the welfare and protoctlOn of Industries within tho borders of the Stnto against tho oppression ot all monopolies; nnd becoute tho Legislature proposes to try tho experiment of a public oil reiinerv as a means of preserving nnd niahlng prontablo the oil Industry, the general manager of the Standard Oil company has declared a boycott upon Kan-sail Kan-sail oil. and one of his mibordlnates has In-eulted In-eulted our people by expressing In the public prints a groundless fenr that they will destroy tho company'n property Wo further represent to you that a monnce to the crude oil market Is n. contlnuod ownership owner-ship by tho Standard Oil company of what Is known as tho "Foster lease" ot the Ornga Indian reservation. This reservation Includes one nnd one-half million acres of land, which contains a reservoir of petroleum so rich that if the Standard Oil company should own and develop It. that company will hav a. supply of oil that will mako It Independent of private production, not only In the west, but all over thu United States. The Jenso Is nominally held by "straw men,'1 but It renllr is in the grip of the Standard Oil company and the oil producers appeal to tho President, the Secrotnry of thc Interior and the Congress to refuse the application now pending for ltn extension It Is too much for the Government Govern-ment to give tho Standard Oil Company, or Its agentu on organization which Is aln ady so lwwcrful thnt It presumes to be greater than thn people and tho Government. Tho Kansas oil Held has been developed on tho promise of fnlr play and good prices by tho Standard Oil company, but now that the supply In sufficient for tho needs of the company, com-pany, It, as It hns dono In other fleldsi has reduced the prlco below n protlt, and tho mni who have Invested their money will lose It and th field will langulnh. unless Government. Govern-ment. Stato and Nation refuse to confer upon up-on tho company additional right and franchises fran-chises and turns In the other direction and legislates for tho peoplo a while. Respectfully submitted. Kansas Oil Producers' Pro-ducers' association. By H. D. "West, president, presi-dent, AV E. Baker, secretary |
