Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-08
WANTS CANAL INQUIRY
New York World Declares
President Is Not Truthful.
TAKES UP ISSUE OF PROBITY
Cromwell Testimony Cited to Re.
flute Roosevelt's Statements.
"WH0 GOT MONEY! IS ASKED
"Flagrant Untruths" in Public
Statements Denying the Panama
Purchase Was Paid to
Americans.

NEW YORK, December S.-The New
York World, under the caption. THE Pan
anna Scandal-Let Congress Investigate
in its editorial columns, this morning, re-
views the issue of probity provoked by
President Roosevelt's letter, in which he
| denounces Delavan Smith, editor of the
indianapolis News, as "a liar, for the
publication of the news and editorial
comment regarding the disposition of the
money paid by the United States for the
Panama Canal.
The World, acknowledging it's own
completely as medium which spread the
OFFENDING news. charges that the Presi-
dent. in his denunciatory letter, uttered
untruths; and draws the conclusion that
as the President has issued public
statement on an important matter which
is full of fragrant untruths,'' 1t is i'm
perative upon Congress to make a COM
plete investigation.
Presidents Truthfulness Attacked.
Commenting upon certain statements
| made by Mr.. Roosevelt in his letter of
denial. the World says:
| ITO the best of the Worlds knowledge
and belief, each and all of these state
ments made by Mr.. Roosevelt and quoted
above are untrue, and Mr.. Roosevelt
| must have known they were untrue when
he made them
| After general consideration of the evil
| dence OF a Panama scandal and Of the
Presidents denial the World concludes:
Whether they did or did not, whether
| all the profits went into William Nelson
Cromwell's hands, or whatever became of
them, the fact that Theodore Roosevelt,
as President of the United States, issues
a public statement about such an i'm
pOrtant matter full of fragrant untruths,
reeking with misstatements, challenging
| line by line the testimony of his associate
Cromwell and the official record. makes it
imperative that full publicity come at once
through the authority and by the action
of Congress-"
Statements Which Are Questioned.
Discussing the denial of any wrongful
disposition of the purchase money for the
Panama canal made by the President,
| which comes under the newspapers criti
cism of untruthful, the World says: -
In view of President Roosevelt's de-
liberate misstatementS of fact in his scam
dalous personal attack upon Mr.. Delavan
Smith, editor of the Indianapolis News.
the World calls upon the Congress of the
| United States to make Immediately a full
| and impartial investigation Of the entire
Panama canal scandal.
THE investigation of 1906 by the Senate
committee interoceanic canals was
i
Cromwell to answer the most pertinent
questions of Senator Morgan of Alabama
Since that time nothing has been done
because after Senator Morgans death
| there was no successor to carry on his
great work of revealing the truth about
Panama corruption
The Objectionable Editorial.
THE Indianapolis News said in the edi-
torial for which Mr.. Roosevelt assails Mr.
Smith:
1T has been charged that the United
States bought from American citizens for
$40. GOO property that cost those citi-
that the government paid $4O,OOOOOO for
the property. But who got the money!?
President Roosevelt's reply 20 this
most proper question is for the most part
epithets. But he also makes the fol-
| lowing statements as truthful informa-
ton to the American people:
| The United States did not pay a cent
Of the s4O,00oOOO to any American citi-
zen
I The government paid this $40, 900, 900
| direct to the French government. get
| ting the receipt of the liquidator APP
pointed by the French government to re-
ceive the same
The United States government has
not the slightest knowledge as to the par
ticular individuals among whom the
French government distributed the same
SO far as 1 know there was no syn
dictates there certainly was no syndicate
In the United States that to my knOwl
| edge had any dealings with the govern
ment directly or indirectly
These statements of the President The
World challenges.
'Who Got the Money!"
why got the money!" the World
asks. and continues:
Panama loot only one man knows it all.
| And that man is William Nelson Crom-
we'll The two men who We're most in
Mr. CromwelIs confidence are Theodore
| Roosevelt, President of the United States,
and E.iihu Root, former Secretary Of
War, and now Secretary of State.
1T was they who aided Mr.. Cromwell
| in communicating the Panama revolution,
| arranged the terms of the purchase OF the
| Panama canal made the agreement to
pay S4O,OOOOOO for the canal properties
and an additional $lOOO0,OOO for a man
| ufactured Panama republic. every penny
| of both of which sums was paid by check
| on the United States Treasury to ]. P.
Morgan & 'Co.-not to the French govern
ment. as Mr.. Roosevelt says, but to j. p.
| Morgan & Co.
| Payment Of Purchase Money
| To present the evidence that the canal
purchase money was paid to Americans,
| the World goes on to say:
1.-The old French company organized by
Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1879 failed in
| 1889, years before Mr.. Cromwelrs rela-
| lions with President Roosevelt began. AS