The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-15
Dealing With Critics OF the Pan
anna Canal Transaction.
HE BLAMES PULITZER.
President Makes Clean Cut Con-
vincing Statements.
Ought to Be Prosecuted for Ii
beling the Government.

Roosevelt today sent to the senate a
statement concerning the purchase
of the Panama canal property by the
United States, denouncing in strong
language charges that there was any
thing wrong in the acquisition by the
United States of the canal property.
''These STORIES" he continues,
'were first brought to my attention as
published in a paper in indianapolis,
called The News edited by Mr..
Delavan Smith. The stories were
scurrilous and libelous in character
and false in every essential par
ticular Mr.. Smith shelters himself
behind the excuse that he merely ac-
cepted the statements which had ap-
-peared in paper published in New
York The World owned by Mr..
. Joseph Pulitzer. 1t is idle to say that
the known character of Mr.. Pulitzer
and his newspaper are such that the
statements in that paper will be be-
lieved by nobody; unfortunately, thou
sands of people are il-informed IN
this respect and believe the state
ments they see printed, even though
they appear in newspaper published
by Mr.. Pulitzer
Summarizing charges made in this
connection, the president says:
These statements sometimes ap-
peared in the editorials, sometimes in
the news columns, sometimes in the
shape of contributions from in
dlE1duaiS elIneT unknown OF hnOWn "
be of a bad character. They are false
in every particular from beginning to
end.
'"The wickedness of the statements
is only surpassed by their faulty.
So utterly baseleSs are the stories that
apparently they represent in part ma
teriaI collected for campaign pur-
poses and in part stories originally
concocted with a view of positive
blackmail.
Defends Man AssaiIed
''The inventor of the story about
Mr.. Charles P. Taft. for instance, evil
IDENTIFY supposed that at some period
of the Panama purchase Mr.. w. H
Taft was secretary of war, whereas
in reality Mr w. H. Taft never be-
came secretary of war until long af-
ter the whole transaction in question
had been closed. The inventor of the
story about Mr.. Douglas Robinson had
not taken the trouble to find out the
fact that Mr.. Robinson had not had
the slightest connection directly or
Indirectly, of any kind or sort with
any phase of the Panama transaction
from beginning to end. The men
who attacked Mr.. Root, in the mat
ter had not taken the trouble to read
the public document which would
have informed them that Mr.. Root
had nothing to do with the purchase,
which was entirely arranged through
the department of justice under the
then attorney general Mr.. Knox.
Now, these stories a matter of
fact need no investigation whatever.
No shadow of proof has been, or can
be. produced in behalf of any of them.
They consist simply of a string of in
famous libels. In form they are part
libels upon individuals, upon Mr.. Taft
and Mr.. Robinson, for instance, but
they are in fact wholly, and in form
partly a libel upon the United States
government 1 do not believe we
should concern ourselves with the
particular individuals who wrote the
Iv-fr, H.
from correspondents or articles in
the news columns. The real offender
is Mr. Joseph Pulitzer. editor and
proprietor of the World. While the
criminal offense of which Mr.. Pulitzer
has been guilty is in form a libel upon
individuals the great injury done is in
blackening the good name of the
American people. 1t should not be
Pulitzer for libel. He should be
prosecuted for libel by the govern |
mental authorities. In point of en-
management of iniQuity, in point of
tnfamy, of wrong doing, there is moth |
ing to choose between a public ser
want who betrays his trust, a public /
servant who is guilty of blackmail, or
theft, or financial dishonesty of any
kind. and a man guilty as Mr.. joseph |
PuI1tzer has been guilty in this in |
stance.
A National Duty.
1T is therefore a high national |
t.oeS ~ bAlIS 10 justice In1S wilmer OF
the American people. this man who |
Wantonly and wickedly and without |
one shadow of justification seeks to |
blacken the character of reputable |
private citizens and to convict the
government of his own country in the |
eyes of the civilized world of wrong |
doing of the basest and foulest kind |
When ne has not one shadow of
Justification of any sort, or description |
for the charge he has made The at |
torney general has under considera-
tton the form in which the proceed |
ings against Mr.. Pulitzer shall be ,
brought"
The president refers to various pa
perS which he transmits with his mos
sage and calls attention to numerons
utteranceS and acts relating to the
canal and its purchase. He cites the /
act Of congress by which he was au
thorized to pay S40,OOO,OOO for the |
cern of the president what the new
Panama Canal company did with the
money.
Explaining the method of concIud- |
ing the purchase, the president saws.
The Panama canal transaction was !
actually carried through not by either
the then secretary of state Mr. John
Hay, or the then secretary of war Mr.
Elihu Root, both of whom however
were cognizant of ali the essential |
features; but by the then attorney
general, Mr.. P. G. Knox at present |
senator from Pennsylvania. / directed |
or approved every action and am re-
sponsible for all that was done in |
carrying out the will of congress; and /
the provisions of the law enacted by |
congress after exhaustive examination |
ana discussion, We're serupulously COM |
piled with by the executive While