The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-12-23

Washington. Dec. 15.-Repeated
DsaIs Of laughter greeted the reading
- the opening paragraph Of the pres
Seents message to congress on the
Panama canal charges today. As the
secretary read the statement that the
caarges were false In every particu-
VAR" Senator Bailey laughed outright
- he was passing along the rear OF
The chamber to his seat. Other sena-
tors on both sides OF the chamber
tptned with him. and when the reader
reached the statement that state
Rent In q newspaper. which he men,
elened. would not be believed. there
was general merriment from both
seaes Of the chamber.
f. There was only q small number OF
senators present when the reading was
begun. and II was hurried through.
the papers accompanying the message
not being read at all.
The message elected the greatest
interest In the house Of representa-.
tfves. The members gave close atten-
tIon during the reading Of the docu-
usnt. and there was ripple of laugh
tsr over the presidents characterize.
sion OF Joseph Pulitzer. publisher Of
the New York World. The message,
With Its accompanying papers. was
referred to a committee.
Accompanying the presidents mes
sage was large bundle of documents
bearing upon the transfer Of the canal
Droperty to the United States. Many
of these documents were In French.
without English translation. There
was nothing which showed directly the
persons who received the 10000. 900
paid by the United tSstes. but there
Was included a list OF about 1000
stockholders In the old and new Pan.
anna Canal companies. all Of them citi-
lens OF France and of the Colombia
Republic. There was not the name Of
= citizen of the United States in the
satirs list.
these stories." the president. In his
message says were first brought to my
sktentiou as published In a paper in
indianapolis. called the News, edited
NJ. Delavan Smith. The stories were
sDurrilous and libelous In character
and false in every essential particular.
mr. Smith shelters himself behind the
sEcose that he merely accepted the
ufatements which had appeared in a
poper published In New York, the
World. owned by Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer
~ 10 Idle to say that the known charac-
ssr OF Mr.. Pulitzer and his newspaper
afe such that the statements In that
uaper will be believed by nobody; un-
sortunately. thousands of persons are
m informed In this respect and believe
0e statements they see In print, even
oough they appear In a newspaper
published by Mr.. Pulitzer"
Summarizing the charges made In
this connection the president says:
= These statements sometimes .ap-
peared I'm the editorials. sometimes in
the news columns sometimes In the
shape Of contributions from individ-
mails. either unknown or known to be
90 bad character. They are false In
avery particular from beginning to
md. Tie wickedness OF the slander-
On In only surpassed by their faulty.
10 utterly baseless are the stories. that
Vpparently they represent In part
s1erely material collected for cam
paign purposes and In part stories orr
ginally concocted with a view Of pos
sibie blackmail. The inventor OF the
story about Mr.. Charles p. Taft, for
Instance. evidently supposed tnat at
nome period OF the Panama purchase
Mr. w. II. Taft was secretary of war,
whereas In reality Mr.. w. III. Taft new
or became secretary OF war until long
Hftcr the whole transaction In ques-
tion had been closed. The inventor
% the story about Mr.. Douglas Robin
son had not taken the trouble to find
out the fact that MT. Robinson had
not had the slightest connection. d.
rcctiy or indirectly. OF any kind or sort
with anyp hase of the Panama trans
action from beginning to end. The
men who attacked Mr.. Root In the
matter had not taken the trouble tn
read the public documents. which
would have informed them that Mr..
Root had nothing to do with the pur-
chase. which was entirely arranged
through the department OF justice un-
Ger then Attorney General. Mr.. Knox.