The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-16
CONGRESS- HAS A GOOD LAUGH President Sends Special Message to Senate. DENoUWcES CHARGES OF
 ALLEGED CR00KEDNESS Calls Editor Pulitzer Al Kinds of
 Names. wAea sAe Presidents Special Message Was Read in the senate, 1t Pre- voIssa Continued LausA-
 ter On All sides.
 

8 Roosevelt today sent to the Senate a statement concerning the purchase of the Panama Canal property by the United States denouncing in strong language, charges that there was any thing wrong in the acquisition by the United States of the canal proper ty.
 These stories" he continues were hrst brought to my attention ss pub lfshed in a paper in Indianapolis, call ed The News edited by MT. Delavan smith. The stories were scurrilOus and libelous in character and false in every essential particular. MT. Smith shelters himself behind the excuse that he merely accepteds the state nents which had appeared in paper in New York. The World owned by MT. Joseph Pulitzer. It Is idle to say that the known character of Mir. Pull tizer and his newspaper are such that the statements in that paper will be believed by nobody; unfortunately thousands, of persons are iii-informed in this respect and believe the state-s ments they see fin print. even though they appear in a newspaper published by Nr. Puiitizer."
  connection the president says:
 These statements sometimes appear. ed in the editorials. sometimes in the news columns. sometimes in the shape of contributions of individuals either unknown or to De of bad character They are false in every particular from beginning to end. The wickedness fiieir fii fatnity. Sd N uttefiy teri baseiess ihan are re the stories that apparently they rep resent in part merely, material collect stofss sS fer t Sd yeW 5sst of possible black mall. The inventor ef the story about MT. Charles F. Taft at some period of the Bahama pur- chase, Mir. W. H. Taft was secretary of war, whereas In reality. Mir. W, H. until long long after the whole tfansaction in question had been closed. The in- ventor of the story about Mir. Douglas ao pd 6ut n9S ee qoe qeet that had not had the slightest connection directly or indirectly, of any kind or sort VIII any gny phsssi phi,, Of the d aanams Taa men who attacked MT. Root in the matter had not taken the trouble to Fssd shs PSee ,h doSumsnts s so"t Whisn have thing to do with the purchase. which was entirely arranged through the de- pertinent of justice, under the then F fact need no investigation whatever. No shadow of proof has been or can They consist simply of string of in- famous libels. In form they are in part libels upon individuals, upon Mr. Taft and Mir. Robinson for tnstance.
 Libel upon Government.
 But in fact they are in form and wholly 2 libel upon the United states should concern ourselves with the par tfcular individuals who wrote the ly- ing and libelous editorials, articles from correspondents or articles in the news columns. The real offender is MT, Joseph Pulitzer, editor and pro pritst,Sg pgTiH1,ns, of oran. The world; S While the ger has been guilty is in form . libel upon individuals, the great injury done Is In blaekening the good name of the left to Gift priEate citizen snoqaa to sue net He Pulitzer for libel He should be pro- secuted for libel by the governmental ment of fnquity. in point of infsmv. of wrong doing. there Is nothing to choose between 2 public servant who who is guilty of biaekmaii or of anans cial dishonesty of any kind. and man Sas Been suilry in this Yi YBstanceu uiiIi1es ft ls therefore nigh national duty to bring to justice this villifier of the Ameri- can can people tais a man 1lstho ~. who wantonly
 
 of Justification seeks to blacken fine oh aracter of reputable private citizens and to convict the government of his ed world of wrongdoing of the bas- est and foulest kind. when be has not one shedew of justifeation of he has made. The attorney general has under consideration the form in which the proceedings against Mir. Pulittzer shall be brought"
 The President refers to various pa- pers which he transmits with his mes sage and calls attention to numerous nal and its purchase. He cites the thorized to pay s40.000,000 for ths ca es4 as pFSpe rsaiSsgf and Ssyf N wbsa waH 5e soT Panama Canal Company did with the
 ExPlatning the method of eohclud- ing the purchase. the president says:
 HThe Panama Canal fransaction was actually carried through, not by either the then secretary of state, Mir John Mr. Eiihu Root, both of whom, how ever, were cognizant of all the esseh- tial features; but by the then attorney senator from Pennsylvania directed or approved every action, and am responsi- ble for all that was done in carrying provisions of the law enacted by con- gress after exhaustive examination and discussion were scrupulously com piled with by the executive. While MT. Cromwell but two or three times, and my communications with him were limited to the exchange of purely for mal courtesies. Secretary Hay oeca- sioNally saw him in the same manner. I doubt whether MT. Root held any conversation with him. The attorney eounsei. for the Panama Company; 1h cir communications were otncial, as