The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-07
MATERIAL FOR
CELEBRATED
ANANIAS CLUB
Indianapolis News and New
York Sun Raked Fore and
Aft by Roosevelt.
PANAMA CANAL GRAFT
CLAIMED TO BE FALSE
PURCHASE MONEY TO AMOUNT
OF s4o,ooo,ooo PAID TO THE
FRENCH GOVERNMENT.

Hot Springs, Va, Dec. 6.-The follow
ing correspondence passing between
President Roosevelt and William Dud-
lev Foulke has been made public by
the latter:
Hot Springs, Va. Nov. 30 1sOS.-The
President: Sir-The Indianapolis News
not only during the campaign, but even
after It's close. has been repeatedly anu
continually making serious charSes
against your administration. as Wen eS
against AIR. Taft. i'm connection with me
Panama purchase as. for example, the
following:
The Panama Matter.
..- The campaign is over and the peo-
ME win have 10 vote tomorrow without
any knowledge concerning the Panama
canal deal. II has been charged that
the United States bought from Ameri
can citizens for $40O00O G0 property that
cost those citizens only Sl2.000.000. Mr.,
Taft was secretary of war at the time
The negotiations were closed. There is
no doubt that the government paid sac
100000 for the property. But who got
the money? We are not to know. The
administration and Mr.. Taft do not
think it right that the people should
hIbM- A4F ~ tNlutllA Dlol4itl III Id N
is involved in the scandal. but he has
nothing to say. The candidates brother
has been charged with being a member
Of the syndicate. He has. IL is true. de-
MED it, but he refuses 70 appeal TO the
evidence. all Of " hich is in the posses
sion of the administration and wholly
inaccessible to outsiders For weeks
this scandal has been before the peo-
pie. The records are in Washington
and they are public records. But the
PEOPLE are not 10 see them--til after
erection. il then.
Asks for the Facts.
Even after the eleetio this has been
continued. it being said that Mr.. Taft's
weakness in Indiana (where he ran
many thousands ahead OF any other
Republican candidate) was due in great
measure 90 this alleged scandal
What are the facts in regard To it,
Where are these inaccessible records?
When did they come into the possession
OF The government. and what do they
contain? II the statements of the News
are true our people ought 10 know il:
II not true they ought TO have some
just means Of estimating what credit
should be given in other matters 10 a
journal which thus disseminates false
hoods. Yours. IT,
WILLIAM DUDLEY FOULKE-
RooseveIt's Reply.
White House. Washington. d. c.
Dec /. 19OS.-My Dear Mr.. FOulke: I
have received your letter OF the Goth
ultimo and have read il in connection
with your previous letters enclosing
quotations from the Indianapolis News
q paper edited by Delavan Smith. As
Mr. Smith certainly knew that all The
statements he made were false. both 81
To the Panama matter and as 10 the
other matters of which you incloSe me
clippings. and inasmuch. therefore. as
The exposure of the falsity viii not af-
tect his future statements. / am not
very clear as to what good will result
from such exposure. But inasmuch as
You evidently earnestly desire some an
Swer 10 be made, and inasmuch as YOU
say that some reputable people appear
20 believe the falsehoods of the News
and Mr.. Smith, and inasmuch as YOU
seem 10 think that his falsehoods as
regards the Panama ma tiers are the
most prominent VIII answer them.
Charge Said to Be False.
The News states in one of its issues
That probably some of the documents
dealing with the matters have been de-
sroyed- This is false. Not one has
been destroyed. Ii states that the last
documents We're sent over in June OF
this year the object of this particular
IaisehOOd being apparently TO connect
Toe matter in some way with the nomi-
l&uon of Mr.. TAFT. As a matter Of fact.
me last papers that we have received
pr any kind were sent over to Us in
Nay Of 1904. and they have been aces
Sioie 10 every human being who cared
20 look at them ever since and are ac-
esSlole now. Any reputable man with
IN or without congress, Republican or
democrat. has now and always has had
me opportunity TO examiTss any of these
documents. You quote the News as
stating that the people have no Off
TAI knowledge concerning the Panama
anal deal! The fact is that the people !
nave had the most minute official |
knowledge; that every important step
III me transaction and every important (
DVC Inent has been made public in COM !
"ui'ication to congress and through the /
Continued or Page ?.