Panama City pilot., 1908-12-17

The Truth i'm Public Affairs.

One of the most regretable things
in connection with the alleged Pan
anna Canal graft scandal, aside from
the intemperance of the language
used by both sides in the controversy,
is the amazing freedom with which
the lie has been passed.
Denials, accusations, and misstate-
ments, seem to be of such common
occurrence in connection with public
affairs and official life, that the peo-
pie in general, apparently have come
to look with Indifference on the truth
or the lack of it in the discussion of
such matters.
That it is high time for reform in
veracity, and new departure in the
public life of the nation, is ably argued
by the "Springfield Republican, D."
Mass. in the following article:
Zone of the most astonishing things
that has happened in this country,
within the memory Of men now living,
is the entire absence ofcomment upon
or indignation concerning the per-
formance of the New York World in
publicly charging the President of the
United States with falsehood. On
Tuesday morning the World began an
editorial discussion of the Panama
affair with these words:
SIN view of President RooseVelt's
deliberate misstatements of fact in
his scandalous personal attack upon
DelaVan Smith, :"
If any other President of the United
States has been openly and directly
insulted in that fragrant style, in our
time, the episode has not fingered in
the memory. Ifam man deliberately"
misstates facts, he lies, and the
Worlds performance is to be under
stood from that point ofview. There
is no Disgusting the shocking aspect
OF such an accusation against the
President of the United States
shocking, at least, it ought to be, by
virtue OF the exalted Office which a
President holds. Why is it that so
little attention is paid by the press
and the people to the Worlds utter
ance? Why this Indifference, or
amused tolerance for what ought to
be regarded as inadmissible license
in newspaper discussion? On the
floor of any parliamentary body, such
language in debate would not be per-
mitted; nor could one man speak such
words to another face to face, with
out an immediate rupture of friendly
relations.
Accepting the fact that great news
paper can accuse a President of de-
iberate falsehood, without bringing
down upon it an avalanche of popu-
lar wrath, it is clearly time that a
new process of reform should be in
lated in the public life of the nation
Evidently crisis has been reached.
The ethical system of truth-telling
needs, apparently to be overhauled
in the interest of common Veracity
a reeXamination of the standards of
truth and falsehood cannot be begun
too soon. And it seems an unmis-
taxable inference from the present
situation that public men themselves
should be the first to throw the
searchlight upon the existing state of
things in public life. Guilty as the
press often is of unbridled license
the reform of veracity would never
be complete or thorough until certain
official methods were placed upon a
new basis of candor and principle
The diplomatic official who admits
today what he fatty denied the day
before: the executive secretary who
officially repudiates as false what he
privately knows to be true and; later
on, has to proclaim as true; the pub
lie denial of private utterances cor
rectly reported, yet perhaps un-
authorized by the maker of them; the
angry and reckless casting about of
the lie direct by the highest officials
in cases which would certainly fail to
be classified by impartial judges
within the bounds of intentional de-
ceit; the fervid exploitation of half
truths in official or political or even