The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-15
In Message President
Says Attorney-Ceneral
Is Taking Steps,
"WORLD" EDITOR FLAYED
AS NATIONAL VILIFIER
Roosevelt Defends Purchase OF
Panama Canal and De-
fies Critics.
EXECUTIVE ATTACK is
BITTEREST HE HAS MADE
Insists that Publisher Be Prose-
cuted by the National Gov
ernment for Charres.
Especial to the Evening star. |

WARRINGTON, Dec. 15.-Declaring
that the Acknowledgement of the United
states is prep airing to bring suit against
.Josepb Pulitzer, publisher of the New
York world, for alleged criminal libel
against the government In connection
18th the Panama canal purchase, Presi-
dent Roosevelt today sent spccia'
message to Congress with a stotc-
ment concerning the acquisition of the
zone property. large part of the
document is devoted to a bitter attack
on Mr.. Pulitzer.
Referring to the accusations of graft
in connection with the canal, the mes
sage says:
'These stories were first brought to
nv attention as published in paper in
Indianapolis, called the News, edited
bv Mr.. DelavanJ Smith, The stories
were scurrilious and libelous IN charac-
ter. Mr.. Smith shelters himself behind
The excuse that he merely accepted the
statements of the New York World,
owned by Joseph Pulitzer. 1t is idle to
saw that the known character of Mr..
pulitzer and his newspaper are sttch
that the statements in that paper will
be believed by nobody"
Statements False.
Commanding charges made in this
connection. the President says: They
arc false in every particular from be-
e;nring to end So utterly baseess are
tgo stories that apparently they repre-
sent in part material collected for cam
i,aign purposes and in part stories orig
inally concocted with view of possible
blackmai
Now, these stories, as a matter of
eact. need no investigation whatever.
No shadow of proof has been, or can be,
picGuced in behalf of any of them.
They consist simply of a string of in
famous libels. In form, they are in
part libes upon individuals
anut they are in fact wholly, and IN
form, pnrtty, libel upon the United
states government. / do noA believe
we should concern ourselves With the
partieular individuals who wrote the
Iyfug and uSelcus editorials, articles
from correspondence. or articles in the
news columns. The real offender Is
MIR. Joseph Pulitzer, editor and pub
Usher of the World.
i'While the criminal offense of which
Mr.. Pulitzer has been guilty is in form
a libel upon individuals, the great in
Jury done is in blackening the good
name of the American people. r.
should not be left to a private citizen
to sue Mr.. Pulitzer for libel. He should
be prosecuted for libel by the govern
mental authorities
To Sue Pulitzer.
"It is therefore high national duty
to bring to justice this vilifier of the
American people, this man who wan
tonly and wickedly and without one
shadow of justification seeks to blacken
the character of reputable private clti-
zens and to convict the government OF
his own country in the eyes of the civil
lzed world of wrongdoing of the basest
ard foulest kind, when he has not one
shadow of justification of any sort or
description for the charge he has made.
seThe Aftorrey-GeneraI hns under con-
alteration the form In which the pro-
seedlings against Mr.. Pulitzer shall pe
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 1t was no concern or
the President what the new Panama
Company did with the money.
The President states that the money
5was paid through the New York bank
ing house of j. p. Morgan & Co., acting
as fiscal agents of this government, into
the Bank of France. in Paris. II wish
to make as clear as possible, and as
emphatic as possible, the statement
that we did not have anything to do
with the distribution of a dollar of the
$40. .0oo, 600 we paid as regards any
stockholder or bondholder of the French
companies, save that we followed out
the award of the arbitrators appointed
in accordance with the decree of the
French court, which had dealt with the
subject in awarding certain proportion
to the old company and certain pro-
portion to the new company
The message concludes:
.'As matter of fact, there is nothing
whatever in which this government Is
interested, to Investigate about this
transaction. So far as this government
Is concerned, every step of the slightest
Importance has been made public by its
executive, and every step taken in
France has there been made public by
~ oroper officials"