The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-12-08
The Panama Matter


these citizens only $12,000,000. Mr.
Taft was secretary OF war at the time
the negotiation was closed. There is
no doubt that the government paid
$40, 000. 900 for the property. But who
got the money? We are not to know.
The administration and Mr.. Taft do
not think ii right that the people
should know. The Presidents broth
err law is involved in the scandal,
but he has nothing to say. The can
didate's brother has been charged
with being a member of the syndicate.
He has. it is true, denied it. But he
refused to appeal to the evidence, all
OF which is in the possession of the
administration and wholly inaccessi-
BILE to the outsiders"
Calls II a Scandal
For weeks this scandal has been
Washington, and they are public rec
ords. But the people are not to see
them-until after election, if then.
Even after the election this has
been continued it being said that Mr..
Taft's weakness in Indiana. where
he ran many thousands ahead Of any
other Republican candidate, was due
in great measure TO this alleged scan
dali What are the facts in regard to
it? Where are these inaccessible rec
ords?' When did they come into the
possession of the government and
what do they contain If the state
ments of the News are true our peo-
pie ought to know it; if not true, they
ought to have some just means Of es-
timating what credit should be given
in other matters to a journal which
thus disseminates falsehoods.
Yours,
"(Signed) William Dudley FOulke."
Many Falsehoods
White House. Washington. D. c.,
Dec. l, 190S.-My Dear Mr. FOulke:
Il have received your letter of the
| 29th ultimo and have read it in con-
nection With your previous letters in
closing quotations from the Indianap-
oils ews, a paper edited by Mr.. Del
avian Smith.
1.-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. 1t states that the
| last documents were sent over in June
iof this year, the object of this partic
ular falsehoOd being apparently, TO
connect the matter In some way with
the nomination of Mr.. Taft AS a
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
being who cared to look at them ever
since. and are accessible now.
| You quote the News as stating
that the people have no official
knowledge concerning the Panama
canal deal. The fact is that the peo
pie have had the most minute official
knowledge: that every important step
+. in the transaction and every impor-
tant document have been made public
in communications to Congress and
through the daily press and the whole
matter has been threshed over in all
! its details again and again and again.
Where the Millions Went
THE fact has been officially pub
lished again and again that the gov
eminent paid $40.0O0,O0O and Mat it
! paid this s4O.000,00O direct TO the
French government, getting the re-
ceipt of the liquidator appointed by
the French government to receive the
same. The United States government
has not the slightest knowledge as to
the particular individuals among whom
the French government distributed the
sum. This was the business of the
f! French government. The mere sup
position that any American received
from the French government a rake
Off is too absurd to be discussed.
1t is an abOminable falsehoOd. and
it is a Islander. not against the Amer
lean government. but against the
French government.
Smiths Conduct Infamous"
! The Presidents brother-in-!aw was
involved in no scandal. Mr.. Delavan
Smith and the other people who re-
peated this falsehood lied about the
Presidents brother-in law; but why