The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1908-12-11
EDITORS FLLAYED
BY ROOSEVELT
Attacks Indianapolis New
and New York Sun.
lie USES THAT UGLY WORD

Writes to William Dudley FouIke In
Reply to Charges In Connection
with Panama canal-Says That Pub-
locations He Discusses Continually
Practice Every Form of Mendacity
Known to Man From Suppression of
Truth to Suggestion of the False.
The following correspondence be-
tween President Roosevelt and William
Dudley Foulke has beeen made public
by the latter.
Mr.. Foulke wrote:
''Thc Indianapolis News, not only
during the campaign, but even after
its close, has been repeatedly and con-
against your administration as well as
against Mr.. Taft in connection with
the Panama purchase
IF the statements of the News are.
true, our people ought to know it. and
If not true they ought to have some
just means of estimating what credit
should be given in other matters to
journal which thus disseminates false.
I hoods"
The Answer.
Tie president replied:
.tMy Dear Mr.. Foulke: n have re-
ceived your letter and have read it in
connection with your previous letters
inclosing quotations from the Indian
apolis News. paper edited by Mr..
Delavan Smith.
THE News states that probably
some of the documents dealing with
the matter have been destroyed. This
is false Not one has been destroyed.
"The News gives currency to the
charge that the United States bought
from American citizens for $4O,00O,000
property that cost these citizens only
$12,0OO,OO0 The statement is false.
The United States did not pay a cent
of the $40, 100000 to any American citi-
zen. The News says that there is no
doubt that the government paid $40,-
100000 for the property and continues
but who got the money? We are
not to know. The administration and
Mr.. Taft do not think it right that the
people should know
$50 Ludicrous."
Really this is SO ludicrous as to
make one feel little impatient at hav-
ing to answer it. The fact has been
officially published again and again
that the government paid $40,000000
and that it paid this S4O,0OOO00 direct
to the French government. The Unit
ed States government has not the
slightest knowledge as to the particu-
lar individuals among whom the
French government distributed the
sum.
"Any reputable man can have full
access to the documents. If you or
Mr.. Booth Harrington or Mr.. George
Ade-in short, if any reputable man
will come on here he shall have free
access to the documents and can look
over everything for himself.
"You are quite welcome to print my
answer, but must frankly add that !
don't think any good will come from
doing so. Mr.. Delavan Smith Is a con
spicuous offender against the laws of
honesty and truthfulness; but he does
not stand alone. He occupies, for in
stance, the same evil eminence with
such men of Mr.. Laffan of the New
York Sun. editorials of whose papers
you or others have from time to time
called to my attention
tine fact is that these particular
newspapers habitually and continually
and as a matter of business, practice
every form of mendacity known to
man, from the suppression of the truth
and the suggestion of the false, to the
lie direct. Those who write or pro-
cure others to write these articles are
for hire
Editor Laffan Replies.
Mr., Laffan replies to the presidents
letter as follows:
Notwithstanding the directness OF
his challenge, the editor of The Sun
declines controversy with Mr.. Roose-
vent He is by no means Indifferent
to the implied compliment discernible
in Mr. Roosevelt's TRADE, but Mr..
Roosevelt has shown in his frequent
collisions with various persons of dis
tinction that he has an overwhelming
advantage over any respectable antag-
onist in his, Mr.. Roosevelt's complete
freedom from any sense of personal
obligation in respect of the truth.
in saying this. we cannot disguise
our chagrin and humiliation that the
person who is addressed is also the
president of the United States
Explanation by DeIavan Smith.
st Cleveland, O., Delavan Smith
was shown a copy OF the letter of
President Roosevelt and made the fol-
lowing reply: THE presidents com
ments on the Panama editorial are
based on statements made by promi-
nent New York paper. not the New
York Sun, which the indianapolis
News printed at the same time, with
= -