The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-12-17
LIBEL ON NATION,
SAYS PRESIDENT
MESSAGE TO SENATE DENoUNcEs
THE CANAL CHARGES.
PULITZER WELL SCORED
Roosevelt Uses Strong Language Con.
corning New York World and
Its Publisher-Paper Replies
Stingingly.

Washington, Dec. 16. - President
Roosevelt Tuesday afternoon sent to
the senate a statement concerning the
purchase of the Panama canal prop.
erty by the United States, denouncing
in strong language charges that there
was anything wrong in the acquisition
by the United States Of the Canal
property.
These Stories" he continues, were
first brought to my attention as pub
lished in a paper in Indianapolis, called
the News, edited by Mr.. Delavan
Smith. The stories were scurrilous
and libelous in character and false In
every essential particular. Mr.. Smith
shelters himself behind the excuse
that he merely accepted the state.
ments which had appeared in paper
published in New York, the World,
owned by Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer. 1t is
idle to say that the known character
OF Mr.. Pulitzer and his newspaper are
such that the statements in that paper
will be believed by nobody; unfor-
tunately, thousands of persons are Ill
informed in this respect and believe
the statements they see In print, even
though they appear in a newspaper
published by Mr.. Pulitzer"
He Charges Libel.
"The charges form, partly, a libel
upon the United States government. /
do not believe we should concern our
wi hn ritz In txTid lie
who wrote the lying and libelous edi-
torials, articles from correspondents,
or articles in the news columns. The
real offender is Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer,
editor and proprietor of the World.
While the criminal offense of which
Mr.. Pulitzer has been guilty is in form
libel upon individuals, the great In
jury done is in blackening the good
name Of the American people 1t
should not be left to a private citizen
to sue Mr. Pulitzer for libel. He
should be prosecuted for libel by the
government authorities. In point of
encouragement of iniquity, in point Of
infamy, of wrong-doing, there is moth
ing to choose between a public serv-
ant who betrays his trust, a public
servant who is guilty Of blackmail, or
theft, or financial dishonesty of any
kind, and man guilty as Mr.. Joseph
Pulitzer has been guilty in this in
stance.
Asks That Action Be Taken.
ut is, therefore, a high national
duty to bring to justice this vilifier
Of the American people, this man who
wantonly and wickedly, and without
one shadow of justification, seeks to
blacken the character of reputable
private citizens and to convict the gov
eminent of his own country in the
eyes Of the civilized world of wrong
doing of the basest and foulest kind,
when he has not one shadow of justi-
fication of any sort or description for
the charges he has made. The attor-
ney general has under consideration
the form in which the proceedings
against Mr.. Pulitzer shall be brought"
The president refers to various pa
pers which he transmits with his mes
sage and calls attention to numerous
utterances and acts relating to the
canal and its purchase. He cites the
act of congress by which he was au-
thorized to pay $40.000.000 for the
canal property and says it was no con-
Germ of the president what the new
Panama Canal Company did with the
money.