The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-08
HANDS 1T BACK.
New York World Replies to
President ROosevelt's Letter
Regarding the History Of the
Panama Canal Deal.
CHARGE OF UNTRUTH
Is Returned to the Chief Execu-
tive in Kind.
Says His Statements Are en-
true and He Knows 1t.
QUOTES FROM RECORDS
In Substantiation of Its Start
ling Assertions.
Again Demands to Know "Whn
Got the Money"
Is Returned to the Chief Execu.
tive in Kind,
Says His Statements Are Dn.
true and He Knows 1t.
QUOTES FROM RECORDS
In SubstantiatiOn of Its Start.
ling Assertions.
Again Demands to Know "WhO
Got the Money"

New York, Dec. S.-The New York
World, to which Delavan Smith, editor
of the Indianapolis News, referred in
his reply to President RooseveIt's at
tack upon him, as the authority for
the article on the Panama canal,
which appeared in his paper and call
ed forth the presidents letter, says
today:
"In view of President Roosevelt s
deliberate misstatement of fact in his
scandalous personal attack upon Mr..
Delavan Smith, editor of the Indian
apolis News. the World calls upon the
congress of the United States to make
Immediately a full and impartial in
vestigation of the entire Panama canal
scandal
The investigation of 1906, by the
senate committee of the interoceanic
canals was blocked by the refusal of
William Nelson Cromwell to answer
the most pertinent questions of Sena-
tor Morgan of Alabama Since that
time nothing has been done because
after Senator Morgan's death there
was no successor to carry on his great
work of revealing the truth about
Panama corruption.
THE Indianapolis News said in the
editorial for which Mr.. Roosevelt as
sails Mr.. Smith:
1T has been charged that the
United States bought from American
citizens for $40.00O,00O property that
cost those citizens only $12,000,0OO.
There is no doubt that the government
paid $40, 100000 for the property. But
who got the money!
President Roosevelt's reply to this
most proper question is for the most
part a string of abusive and defama-
tory epithets- But he also makes the
following statements as truthful in
FOT 3af ion 70 11n A ,,-f,1
g The United States did not pay a
cent of the $40.000,000 to any Ameri-
can citizen. The government paid the
$40, 100000 direct to the French gov
liquidator appointed by the French
government to receive the same.
" The United States government has
not the slightest knowledge as to the
particular individuals among whom
the French government distributed the
same.
syndicate; there certainly was no syn
dicate in the United States that to my
knowledge had any dealings with the
government, directly or indirectly
Charges President With FalsehOod.
''To the best of the Worlds knowl-
edge and belief each and all of these
statements made by Mr.. Roosevelt and
quoted above are untrue and Mr..
Roosevelt must have known they were
untrue when he made them.
LAS to the detailed distribution of
the Panama loot only one man knows
it all. And that man is William Mel
were most in Mr.. Cromwei's con-
fdence are Theodore Roosevelt. presi-
dent of the United States. and Elihu
Root. former secretary of war and now
secretary of state. 1t was they who
aided Mr.. Cromwell in consummating
the Panama revolution, arranged the
terms of the purchase of the Panama
canal, named the agreement to pay
hn ffoc
and an additional $10,0O0.0O0 for a
manufactured Panama republic, every
penny of both of which sums was paid
by check on the United States treasury
to J. P. Morgan & Co.-not to the
French government. as Mr.. Roosevelt
says. but to J. P. Morgan & Co.
THE natural query of the Indianapo-
lis News as to who got the money was
based on the Worlds historical sum
mary of Mr.. CromwelFs connection with
the Panama canal. The inquiry was or
iginally the Worlds and the World ac-
cepts Mr.. ROoSevelt'S challenge. If
congress can have all the documents in
the case as Mr.. Roosevelt says, let con-
gresS make complete investigation of
the canal affair, and in particular of
William Nelson CromwelPs relation
with the French company, with Panama
and with the government of the United
States. Let congress officially answer
this question: Who got the money!
''The old French company organfzed
by Ferdinand De Lesseps in 1879. fail
ed in 1889, years before Mr.. Cromwelrs
relations with President Roosevelt be-
gan. AS Mr.. Cromwell testified before
the senate committee on February a6.
1906 we never had any connection with
the so-caIled De Lesseps COMPANY.
Neither did the United States govern
ment conduct negotiations with the old
French Panama Canal company
The Panama Contract.
what Mr. Cromwell did represent
was the new Panama Canal company.
the American Panama Canal COMPANY
and the $5,00000 syndicate which he
formed to finance the new companies.
After Mr. Cromwell had testified, 4 do
not recall any contract Senator Nor
gan produced a contract reading CPan-
anna canal hearing, volume IL, page
1146l:
Mr.. William Nelson Cromwell is
exclusively empowered under the for
NAL agreement with the board of direc-
tors of the Compagnie NouvelIe Du
Canal de Panama (new Panama Canal
company of France), to effect with an
American syndicate the Americaniza-
tion of the Panama Canal company on
the following basis:
''The basis on which Mr. Cromwell
was exclusively empowered in this con-
tract was that an American Panama