Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-12-08
/. and they have

out Congress- Republican or
Democrat, has now and always has
had the opportunity 10 examine any
Of these documents. You quote the
News As stating that the people
have no official knowledge concerning
the Panama Canal deal" The fact
is that the people have had the mos'
minute Offcrnl knowledge; that every
Important document have been maze
public in communications 10 Congress
|. ana through the daily press. and the
whole matter has been thrashed over
| IN all its details again and again
and again. The News gives currency
tn the charge that THE United
States bought from American Gill
zens for $4O.OO0.000 property that
cost these citizens only sl2,0o00oo.' y
The statement is false. The United
States did not pay a cent Of the vac
COO. 900 to any American citizen. the
News says that there Is no doubt
that the Government paid $4o.Oooooo
| for the property. and continues: bu'
! who got the money? We are not 10
know. The Administration and Mr..
! Taft do not think It right that the
people should know"
Really, this Is SO ludiCrOns as 10
make one feel little impatient at
having to answer It, The fact has
! h"en ofticially published again ana
again that the Government paid $40
O00 600. and that it paid this $4o'ooo.-
, Coo direct to the French Government.
getting the receipt OF the liQuidator
appointed by the French Government
10 receive the same. The United
States Government has not the slight
est knowledge as TO the particular
individuals among whom the French
Government distributed the sum. This
Was the business OF the French Gov
eminent. The mere suppOs'tion that
any American received from the
French Government rake or Is too
absurd 20 he discussed. 1t is an
ahomnable falschood. and it is
SANDER not against the American
Government, but against the French
Government
mr.. Smith-Lied."
The News continues, saying that
the Presidents brother-in-law Is in
olved in the scandal. but he has
nothing to say" The President
trother-'n.law was involved in on
scandal. Mr. Delavan. Smith and the
other people who repeated this false
hood lied about the Presidents broth
er-in-!aw: but why the fact that MT.
Smith lied should be held TO invo''e
Mr. Robinson in scandal is diff'ru'
to understand. The scandal affects
no one but Mr. Smith: and his con-
duct has been not meSely scandalous
but Infamous Mr.. Robinson had not
the slightest connection Of any KIM.
sort or description at any time or un-
der and circumstances with the Pana-
ma matter Neither did Mr.. Charles
Taft. The News says that Mr.. Tart
was a member OF the Syndicate. So
far as know there was no syndi-
cate; there certainly was no syndi-
cate in the United States that to my
knowledge had any dealings with the
Government directly or indirectly:
, and inasmuch as there was no syndt-
eaten Taft naturally could not be
long to It. The News demands that
Mr.. Taft appeal to the evidence" by
which it means what 1t calls The re-
cords'--.hat Is, the mass Of rapers
which ;rC stored in the War nenart-
ment, save such as. because OF their
tcchn' a, character and their use!ul-
ness in the current work OF the canal
it has been found advisable TO send
| to the isthmus. All of these docn-
ments that possessed any impOr-
lance as illustrating any feature OF the
transaction have already been made
public. There remains a great mass OF
documents Of little or no Importance
| which the Administration is entire
ly wiling to have published. but
which. because Of their mass and
pointlessness, nobody has ever cared
to publish. Any reputable man can
have full access to these documents.
II yom or Mr.. Swift or Mr.. Booth
Harrington or Mr.. George Ade-in
short. If any reputable man-wil!
| come on here. he shall have free &C
| cess to the documents and can look
1 over everything for himself. Con
! gress can have them all printed II 1t
wishes. but no Congressman has ever
so far intimated any desire that this
should bo done: suppose because to
| print such a mass OF documents
would be a great expense. and more
over an entirely useless expense. un-
less. which is not the case. there
was some object in printing them.
And Also Mr.. Larran.
Now nv dear Mr.. FOulke have
answered in detail your questions and
the statements Of the News. You are
quite welcome TO print my answer:
but must frankly add that ! don't
think any good will come from doing
so. Mr.. De!avan Smith Is a con
spicuous offender against the laws OF
honesty and truthfulness. bu; he does
not stand alone. He occupies. for in
stance. he same evil eminerce with
such men a. Mr.. i.affar. Of the New