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Show s Published Every Saturday GOODWINS WEEKLY PUBLISHING CO., INC. FRANK E. SCHEFSKI, Editor and Manager :t SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: in the United States, Canada and Mexico, $2.50 per year, Ineluding postage $0 for six months. Subscriptions to all foreign countries, within the Postal ion, $4.50 per year. BY i ; To every nation, to every state and to every individual are comes an opportunity at some time or other in life, that grasped, would bring about a great beneficial reform in gov-ament and wealth in the country, or probably create wealth for )6 3 individual. That time arrived for Utah during the past twelve months, Y t the people of this great state were so sleepy that the golden portunity is about to pass out of Utahs grasp, and only one iiiniin in the nation can save the day, and that is President Cool- -- No twithstanding that Utah is supposed to be represented for lip brainy men in Washington, who wereof sent there more their state, of our ,3 purpose of watching the interests tte, than to perform any other work, these men actually fell eep at the switch, in allowing a tricky leasing oil bill to pass, iich if it does become a law, the officials of the Indian Bu- in and the Standard Oil company will dictate to Utah how this shall be developed and we will lose all revenues from oil M,3ept a few superficial improvements on top of the ground ich may be taxed. ERS Jn allowing this bill to be passed in its present form witli-P- putting up a stiff opposition fight, there may be some excuse Mom Senator Reed Smoot, who has not only been a very sick in, but who has also been so crowded with foreign affairs it it all proved too much work for one man. But there were three other healthy men on the job and at least one of them )uld have been able to discover the joker in this tricky bill ich has every earmark of intentionally beating Utah out of r legitimate oil lands and preventing our own people from iping any benefits from their present holdings or to secure r : holdings. If this bill is not vetoed by the President of the United Ates, it will prove to be the greatest financial debacle in the nwjtory of this state, and our people will be virtually robbed out millions of dollars. Here is another case of allowing the federal government , enter states and virtually usurp our states rights, provided .tf: Constitution of the United States. How could Senator King, Congressmen Colton and Leather-- l od overlook so important a measure? Just a short time ago appropriation for Fort Douglas was overlooked! Senator Borah of Idaho admits that a grievous mistake 3 been made and he has written letters to President Coolidgc, ling the President s attention to the inequalities of this par-- . alar oil bill, stating the many faults in the bill and asking to veto it. What will the President do? Thats the big question. The bill cuts off the right to prospect on Navajo lands, .$ under lease, which virtual!' bars from that territory all but altliy oil companies. But few individuals have the means to y in-th- e - ex-!j(i- t!.l 311-121- UTAH LOSES OIL RIGHTS r. x Payments should be made by Check, Money Order or Registered Letter, payable to The Citizen. Address all communications to The Citizen. Entered as second-clas-s matter, June 21, 1919, at the poetofflce at 8alt Lake March 3, 1879. Act of under the City, Utah, 3 Neee Bldg. Salt Lake City, Utah Phone Waeatch 5409 )t buy a lease for the mere privilege of prospecting, as provided for in this bill. Geologists are admitting that this oil field in Utah will no doubt prove to be among the largest in the world, and if such are the facts, the good people of this state are asking what our representatives were doing when this trick bill was being framed and was passed by Congress and sent to the President of the United States for his signature. It is a knockout punch to the average businessman. The Indian Rights Association got behind the bill and with their usual money grabbing propaganda forced the committees of Congress to strike out that provision which would have given to our state 37 per cent of the oil and gas royalties, and instead would compel us to give these royalties to the Indian bureau, for disposition by the white man, but the red man would see very little of it, because the bill provides that no per capita payment shall be made to the Indians except by act of Congress. Thats one of the big jokers in the bill!"If our Utah representatives cannot see it, they should send to Sears & Roebuck or to Montgomery Ward & Company and get one of their big telescopes, and they might discover something in this bill detrimental to the people of Utah. The bill also provides that local authorities may levy improvement tax, provided that such taxes shall not become a lien or charge of any kind against the land or other property of such Indians. The bill also provides that the Secretary of the Interior may cancel any lease wherein the party has failed to expend money in geologically surveying the lands covered by application, has built a road for the benefit of such lands, and has drilled or contributed toward drilling upon .the geologic structure. If the bill could be recalled to the Senate, it would he killed. This bill has gone through both houses and is up to the President. Senator Borah says that while the bill should be vetoed, the responsibility for killing it should be assumed by Congress, and had there been as much known of the bill as at present, it would never have passed the Senate. If states rights are so loosely guarded at Washington, it is about time that we return to the Constitution and get rid of all our present frills, autocratic bureaus and boards and commissions, and return to common sense. There is no indication from the White House what course the President will follow when he comes to act on this legislation. He has ten days from last Wednesday, either to sign or veto, and if he fails to sign within ten days, and does not veto, the bill becomes a law, anyway; unless Congress should adjourn before the ten days are up. In that event, failure of the President' to sign would kill the bill. There are some 400 applications for leases. Most of them 825261 - |