Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-12-15
STRONG LANGUAGE
AGAINST EDITOR
He Has BIdCkened Name Of Amer
iCdn People and Government
Should Sue Him For Grim
indl Libel. Declares
Executive.

Washington, Dec. 15.-President
Roosevelt today sent to the Senate a
statement concerning the purchase of
the Panama canal property by the
United States, denouncing in strong
language the charges that there was
anything wrong in the acquisition of
the canal.
"These stories" he continues in his
statement, were first brought to my
attention as published in a paper at
Indianapolis, called the News, which
is edited by Delevan Smith. The
stories were scurrilous and OF a Ii
belous character, and were false in
every essential particular.
Smith shelters himself behind the
excuse that he merely accepted the
statements which had appeared in a
paper published in New York (The
World) owned by Joseph Pulitzer.
'It is idle to say that the known
character of Pulitzer and his news
PAPER are such that the statements
in that paper are believed by nobody.
Unfortunately thousands of people
are uninformed in this respect and
will believe the statements they see
in print. even though they appear In
a newspaper published by Pulitzer"
After pointing out mistakes and
alleged Misrepresentation on the
part of the authors of the stories, the
president continues:
"The real offender is Joseph Pulit-
zer, editor and proprietor OF The
World. While the criminal offense OF
which Pulitzer has been guilty Is in
the form of libel against individuals,
the greatest injury done is in black
ening the good name OF the Ameri-
can people. 1t should not be left to
the private citizens to sue Pulitzer
for libel. He should be prosecuted
for libel by government authorities.
at is, therefore, high national
duty to bring to justice as villifier
of the American people this man,
who wantonly and wickedly and
without a shadow of justification,
seeks to blacken the character of
reputable private citizens and to con-
vict the government of this country
in the eyes of the world of wrong
doing of the basest and foulest kind,
when he has not one shadow of JUS
tification of any sort for the charges
he has made.
"The attorney general has under
consideration the form in which pro-
ceedings against Pulitzer shall be
brought"
The president refers to various pa
pers which he transmits with his
message. Explaining the method Of
concluding the purchase the presi-
dent takes upon himself the respon-
sibility for all that was done to carry
out the will of Congress. The action
of the government, he says, was un-
influenced by any question of who
were or were not stockholders either
in the new or the old company.
"Our concern" he says, was to
get the canal property which was
owned by the French company and
to see that the title was clear. Our
transactions were carried on openly
aud were published in detail"
He says that the United states did
not have anything to do with the
distribution of a dollar of the money
paid. except in following the instruc-
tions of the French court and that
under the circumstances there was
not the slightest need for Cromwell
to give any information.
Nevertheless" he continues,
cromwell, of his own accord, sub
mitted to me, together with copy of
his statement published the nth in
slant, and which l transmit herewith,
a full list of the stockholders of the
new Panama Canal company or
France on January is, 1900 (number-
ing over $1,000 and a list OF all the
stockholders who were present at
special meeting held February 2s,
1902. Immediately after the cable Of
fer of the company had been made TO
the United States to accept the ap-
praisement of S40,000,000 made by
the Isthmian canal commission.
$50 far as this government is con-
cerned," concludes the president,
"every step Of the slightest import
ance has been made public by the
executive and every step taken in
France has there been made public
by the proper officials"