Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1889 — A TRIUMPH OF GALL. [ARTICLE]

A TRIUMPH OF GALL.

The Standard Oil Company Claims to Literally Own the Earth. In a case on trial at Findlay, O-, .Friday the Standard Oil Company gave an example of its far-reaching gall. The Standard seeks to restrain a railroad from passing over land on which it has oil and gas leases. The Standard people assume that when a farmer leases them his land for oil and gas purposes, he, by that act, relinquishes all control of his property, except for agricultural uses; that he can not even lay out a race track upon it for his own use, or divide it into town lojs, without first obtaining the consent of the oil company ; that the farmer has no rights whatever in,on or about the premises, only such as pertain to purely agricultural pursuits; that hb cannot construct a roadway or drain a swamp upon his own lands without infringing upon the rights which the Standard, jxflppany obtained when it secured an oil and gas lease upon his premises; in short, the Standard oil company in this suit claims an absolute control of all lands upon which they hold leases for ail uses, purposes and privileges other than those of a purely agricultural character.