The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-12-18
PRESIDENT ATTACKS WORLD
Brands Editor Pulitzer as Villifier Of
the Nation-Panama Canal Charges
Are Made the. Subject Of Special
Message to the Congress.

Washington, December 15.- Re-
peated peals of laughter greeted the
reading Of the opening paragraph Of
the presiden It's message to congress
On the Panama Canal charges today.
As the secretary read the statement
that le charges were "false in every
particular" Senator Bailey laughed
outright as he was passing along the
rear Of the chamber to his seat. Other
senators on both sides Of the chamber
Joined with him, and when the read
er reached the statement that state
ment in a newspaper, which he men
toned, would not be believed, there
was general merriment from both
sides Of the chamber.
There was only a small number of
senators present when the reading
was begun and it was hurried through,
the papers accompanying the mes
sage not being read at all.
The message elected the greatest
interest in the house Of representa-
tives. The members gave close at
tention during the reading Of the do
cument, and there was ripple Of
laughter over the presidents charae-
terization Of Joseph Pulitzer, pub
Usher Of the New York World. The
message, with its accompanying pa
pers was referred to a committee.
Accompanying the presidents mes
sage was a large bundle Of documents
bearing upon the trans er Of the can
al property to the United States.
Many Of these documents we're in
French, without English translation.
There vas nothing which showed d.
1ectly the persons who received the
$40,000,O00 paid by the United Sta
tes, but there was included list Of
about 1000 stockholders in the old
and new Panama Canal companies,
all Of them citizens Of France and of
the Colombian Republic. There was
not the name Of a citizen Of the Unit
ed States in the entire list.
Attack on Pulitzer.
"These stcries,' the president, in
his message, says 'swere first brought
to my attention as published in a pa
per in Indianapolis, called the News,
edited by Mr.. Delavan Smith. The
stories were scurrilous and ibelous
in character and false in every essen
tial particular. Mr.. Smith shelters
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. It is idle TO say that
the known character Of MIR. Pulitzer
and his newspaper are such that the
statements in that paper will be be-
heved by nobody; unfortunately,
thousands Of persons are i'll Informed
in this respect and believe the state
merits they see in print, even though
they appear in newspaper publish
ed by Mr.. Pulitzer
Summarizing the 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 indivi-
duals, either unknown or known to be
Of bad character. They are false in
every particular from beginning to
end. The wickedness Of the SANDER
ers is only surpassed by their fatuity.
So utterly baseless are the Stories,
that apparently they represent in part
merely material collected for cam
paign 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 supposed that
at some period Of the Panama pur-
chase Mr.. W. II. Taft was secretary
of war, whereas in reality Mr.. W. H.
Taft never became secretary Of war
until long after the whole transac-
ton in question had been closed. The
inventor Of the story about Mr.. Doug
glas Robinson had not taken the trou-
bic 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
trouble to read the public documents,
which would have informed them that
1E !.