Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-07
PRESIDENT INDIGNANT
 ISLANDER DenounCes Panama Story as Infamous. NO CANAL ''RAkE-OFF." i" Accuses Indiana Editor and
 Laftan of New York Sun. RECOGNIZABLE FALsEHoODs." ]" Says Men Occupy the Same Evil
 Eminence In Mendacity.
"ABOMINABLE FALsEH00OS.'
Says Men Occupy the Same Evil
 EminenCe In MendaCity.

Washington, Dec. Among the va rious philippics and diatribes issued by President Roosevelt none has ere ated such widespread comment as his letter to William Dudley Foulke, in which he denies published charges of rake off in the Panama canal pur- chase and scathingly denounces the editor of the Indianapolis News and William M. Laffan of the New York Sun.
 In letter to the president MT. Foulke quoted the Indianapolis News i as having said:
 It has been charged that the United States bought from American citizens for | t4O, ,0o0, 600 property that cost those citi- zens only 100000 MT. Taft was secre- | tary of war at the time the negotiation 1 was closed.
 There is no doubt that the government | paid $40, 000, ,00O for the property. But who | got the money? We are not to know. | The administration and MT. Taft do not think il. right that the people should | know. The presidents brother-in-law Is | involved in the scandal. but he has noth- | ing to say. The candidates brother has been charged with being member of the | syndicate He has 1t Is true, denied 1t. l But he refuses to appeal to the evidence, l all of which is in the possession of the administration and wholly inaccessible to | outsiders.
 President Roosevelt's Reply.
 Replying to Mir Foulke, President 1 Roosevelt says:
 l i,, io,, with your previous letters inclosing quo tations from the Indianapolis News. a paper edited by Delavan Smith. As MT. I Smith certainly knew that all the state- | ments he made were false, both as to | this Panama matter and as to the other matters of which you inclose me clip pings and inasmuch therefore. as the exposure of the falsity will not affect his future statements, I am not very clear what good will result from such exposure. But inasmueh as you evidently earnest ly desire some answer to be made and in- asmuch as you say that some reputable people appear to believe the falsehoods ! of the News and MT Smith and inas- l much as you seem to think that his false- hoods as regards the Panama matter are the most important I will answer them.
 The News states in one of its issues that probably some of the documents dealing with the matter have been de- | stroyed This is false Not one has been destroyed. It states that the last docu- ments were sent over in June of this year. the object of this particular false hood being apparently to connect the matter in some way with the nomination of Mir Taft.
 | As matter of fact the last papers that we have received of any kind were sent over to us In May of 1904 and they have been accessible to every human be- ing who cared to look at them ever since and are accessible now. Any reputable man within or without congress. Repub- llcan or Democrat has now and always has had the opportunity to examine any l of these documents.
 You quote the News a1 stating that 'the people have no official knowledge concerning the Panama canal deal" The fact is that the people have had the most minute official knowledge: that every inl- portant step in the transaction and ev- cry important document have been made public in communications to congress and through the daily press and the whole matter has been thrashed over in all it's details again and again and again.
 The News gives currency to the charges that ''the United States bought from American citizens for s4O,0oO,00o property that cost these citizens only Sl2.000, 900. !" The statement is false. The United States did not pay cent of the $40. COG, 900 to any American citizen. The News says that there is do doubt that the govern ment paid $40. 900 0oo for the property and continues: But who got the money? We are not to know The administration and MT Taft do not think it right that the people should know"
 Story of Rake off Absurd.
 Really this is so ludicrous as to make one feel little impatient at having to answer it. The fact has been officially published again ard again that the gov srnment paid s4o, see oee and that it paid this s40 000. 600 direct to the French gov ernment getting the receipt of the liqui- dator appointed by the French govern mentr to receive the same The United Statte government has not the slightest knowledge as to the particular individ- uals amorg whom the French govern ment dist . Ited the sum- This was the business O. the French government. The mere supposition that any American re- ceived from the French government a "rake orr is too absurd to be discussed.
 It is an abominable falsehood and it is islander not against the American gov ernment. but against the French gov. ernment The News continues, saying that "the presidents brother-in-law Is Involved in the scandal, but he has noth- ing to say" The presidents brother-in- law was involved in no scandal Delavar Smith and the other people who repeated this falsehood lied about the president: brother-in-law, but why the fact that MT Smith lied should be held to involve MT Robinson in q .'scandar is difficult tt understand. The scandal affects no on: but Mir. Smith. and his conduct has beer not merely scandalous but infamous
 Mir. Robinson had not the slightest con
 nection of any kind. sort or description
 at any time or under any circumstances with the Panama matter. Neither di
 Charles Taft. The News says that Nil
 Taft was a member of the syndicate
 So far as I know there was no syndicate
 There certainly was no syndicate in tn
 United States that 10 my knowledge ha
 Fny dealings with the government direct
 lF or indirectly. and inasu,uch as ther
 was no syndicate Mir. Taft naturall
 could not belong tc it
 The News demands that Mir Taft "sF