Evening journal., 1908-12-15
NO GRAFT IN THE
CANAL PURCHASE,
SAYS PRESIDENT
In Special Message to Con-
greSs, Roosevelt RapS PuIit-
Zer Hard and IntimateS
That Government
Will Sue
WICKED LIBEL, lie SAYS.
FRENCH GOT $40, 900, 900

WASHINGTON. Dec. 15.-President
Roosevelt sent a special message TO
Congress today explaining the Panama
Canal purchase, naming the company
TO which this government paid the
S40.000,000 purchase price. denying
most emphaucaly that the purchase
bore the taint of graft and incident
ally costigatlng Joseph Pulitzer. owner
OF the New York World. for his treat
ment OF the canal subject Tho news
paper treatment the President charac-
terizes as libellous and adds that At
torney- General Knox has under con-
sideration the form IN which legal pro-
ceeding should be brought against the
World FOR its alleged libel on the Amer
ican Government
In part the message says.
In view iof the constant rciteratlon
of the assertion that there was some
corrupt action by or on behalf OF the
United Stntes government in connec-
tion with the acquisition Of the title Of
the French Company 20 the Panama
Canal and Of the repetition OF the
story that a syndicate Of American
citizens owned either one or both OF
the Panama companies. deem IT wise
20 -'-'---'t 10 the Congress all the in
formation ] have on the subject These
etc~'~~ were first brought 10 my at
tention as published iu paper IN In
dianapolis. called The News" edited
by Mr.. Delavan Smith. The stories
We're ec''~-iious and libelous in char
acter and false in every essential par
ticular. Mr.. Smith shelters himself
'e'-'~d the excuse that he merely ac-
cepted the statements which had ap-
peared in a paper published in New
York THE World" owned by Mr.. Jus
enh Pulitzer " is idle to say that the
known character Of Mr. Pulitzer and
his newspaper are such that the state
ments in that paper win be believed by
nobody; unfortunately. thousands OF
persons are IN informed in this re-
spect and believe the statements they
see in print, even though they appear
in a newspaper published by Mr.. Pulit-
ze- member OF the Congress has
actually introduced a resolution in re-
ference to these charges / therefore
lay all the facts before you.
The story repeated at various times
by the World and by its followers in
the newspaper press is substantially
as follows: That there was corrup-
AlOlA WN va hM nNAlHAA VI AAAf INNDA AAAl'AAt
of the United States in the transaction
by which the Panama Canal property
was acquired from its French owners
that there were improper dealings OF
some kind between agents OF the Cow
ernment and outside persons, repre-
senting or acting for an American syn
dicate. who had gotten possession OF
the French Company: that among
9 a. rIN 4 q
huge profits" were Mr. Charles p
Taft. a brother of Mr.. William II. Taft
then candidate for the Presidency. and
Mr. Douglas Robinson. my brother-in
law: that Mr. Cromwell, the counsel
for the Panama Canal Company in the
negotiations. was in some way impli-
Gated with the United States govern
mental authorities in these improper
transactions that the Government has
concealed the true facts. and has de-
stroyed. or procured or agreed 20 the
destruction of, certain documents; thai
Mr.. W. II. Taft was Secretary OF Wal
at the time that by an agreement be-
tween the United States Government
and the benehciaries Of the deal al
traces thereof were wiped out by
| transferring all the archives and
secrets" to the American Government
lust before the holding Of the conven'
ton last June at which Mr.. Taft wal
nominated.
Charaes Wicked Sander.
! These statements sometimes appearei
I i'm the editorials. sometimes IN the new
! cbolumns. sometimes IN the shape OF con
/ tributions from individuals either un
known or known 70 be of bad character
J They are false in every particular fror
beginning 20 end. The wickedness Of tn
ISLANDERS IS only surpassed by their fatu
ity So utterly baseless are the storie
that apparently they represent IN par
merely material collected for campag
purposes and in part stories original
concocted with view Of possible black
mail The inventor OF the story about Nj
Charles p. Taft. for instance. evdentl
supposed that at some period Of the Par
ANA purchase Mr.. W. II. Taft was secr'
tary OF war whereas in reality Mr.. "
H. Taft never became secretary OF va
until long after the whole transaction
question had been closed. The inventc
of the story about MI Douglas Robh
son had not taken the trouble 10 find OF
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