Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-15
PULITZER FLAY[D
By Mr.. ROOSEVELT
President Lands on New York
World Publisher as a Sour.
rilous Libele,r
WANTS GOVERNMENT TO SUE
President Sends Special Message to
Congress on Panama Canal Charges
-Blames Pulitzer for Peddlng stor-
les He Knew Were Lies-Askc Con.
sress to Order Suit for Libel.

Washington, Dec. 15.--Repeated peals
of laughter greeted the reading of the
opening paragraph of the president S
message to congress on the Panama
canal charges today. There was only a
small number of senator's present when
the reading was begun and it was hur-
ried thru, the papers accompanying the
message not being read at all.
The message elected the greatest in
.terest in the house. The members gave
close attention during the reading OF
the document and there was ripple OF
laughter over the presidents charac-
message with the accompanying pa
pers was referred to the committee
Washington, Dec. 15.-President
Roosevelt today sent to the senate a
statement concerning the purchase OF
the Panama canal property by the
Unnted 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 pub
lished 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
ters himself behind the excuse that he
merely accepted the statements which
had appeared 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 viii! be be-
lieved by nobody; unfortunately. thous-
ands of persons are ill informed in this
respect and believe the statements
they see in print, even tho they appear
in a newspaper published by Mr.. Pulit-
zer"
Somebody Deliberately Lied.
connection the president says:
"These statements sometimes ap-
peared in the editorials, sometimes in
the news columns, sometimes in the
shape of contributions, from individ-
uals either unknown or to be of bad
character. They are false in every par
ticular from beginning to end. The
wickedness of the ISLANDERS is only sur
passed by their faulty. So utterly
baseless are the stories that appar-
emily they represent in part merely ma
terial collected for campaign purposes
and in part stories Originally concocted
with view of possible blackmail. The
inventor Of the story about Mr.. Charles
p. Taft, for instance, evidently sup
posed that at someNperiod of the Pan
ANA purchase Mr.. w. II. Taft was Sec
retary of war, whereas in reality Mr..
w. H. Taft never became secretary of
war until long after the whole trans
action in question had been closed. The
inventor Of the story about Mr.. Doug
las Robinson had not taken the trou-
BILE to find out, the fact that Mr.. Rob-
inson had not had the slightest con-
nection, 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 matter had not taken the trou-
BILE to read the public documents
which would have Informed them thas
Mr.. Root had nothing to do with the
purchase, which was entirely arranged
thru the department of Justice under
the then attorney general, Mr.. Knox.
"A String Of Infamous Libels."
"Now, these stories as 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 in 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 I do not believe we should
concern ourselves with the particular
individuals who wrote the lying and IL
belous editorials, articles from corre-
spondents, or articles in the news coll
umns. The real offender is Mr.. Joseph
Pulitzer, editor and proprietor of the
World.
Government Should Prosecute.
"While the criminal offense of which
Mr.. Pulitzer has been guilty is in form
a libel upon individuals. the great in
iury done is in iblackening the good
name of the American people. 1t should
not be left to private citizen to sue
Mr.. Pulitzer for libel. He should be
prosecuted for libel by the govern
mental authorities. In point of encour-
agement of iniquity, in point Of infamy,
of wrongdoing, there is nothing to
choose between public servant 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.. Pulitzer has been
guilty in this instance. 1t is therefore
a high national duty to bring to justice
.h;- ,,;l1i6ar of the American peop1e