The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-12-17
BRANDS CHARGES
AS INF ANGUS
President Roosevelt On Purchase
Of Panama Canal Property.
SENDS MESSAGE TO CONGRESS-

Declares Stories Alleging Graft In
Connection With the Acquisition Of
the Title to Be Scurrilous and
Libelous and lntimates That Pro-
ceedngs Against a New York Edi-
tor May BE Instituted by the United
States Attorney General The
Presidents Special Message.
Washington, Dec. Is. - President
Roosevelt today transmitted to con
gress a special message dealing with
the purchase Of the Panama canal
site, together with a number of docu.
ments bearing on the same. He takes
up the charges made recently in con
nection with the acquisition of the
canal property, to which he vigorous
ly replies. The presidents message
follows:
To the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives:
In view of the constant reiteration
Of the assertion that there was some
corrupt action by or on behalf Of the
United States government in connec.
tion with the acquisition Of the title
of the French company to the Pana.
ma canal, and of the repetition of the
story that a syndicate of American
citizens owned either one or both of
the Panama companies, | deem II
wise to submit to the congress all
| ject. These stories were first brought
to my attention as published in a pa
ner in indianapolis, called The News,
edited by Mr. Delavan Smith. The
stories we're scurrilous and libelous
in character and false in every essen
tial particular. Mr.. Smith shelters
himself behind the excuse that he
merely accepted the statements
which had appeared in a paper pub
| lished in New York The World, own.
ed by Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer. II IS idle
to say that the known character of
Mr.. Pulitzer and his newspaper are
such that the statements in that pa
per will be believed by nobody; un.
| fortunately thousands of persons are
ill-informed in this respect and be-
lieve the statements they see in
print, even though they appear in q
newspaper published by Mr.. Pulitzer
A member Of the congress has actu.
ally introduced a resolution In refer
ence to these charges. | therefore
Low oil fhn faafg hnfnrA
The story repeated at various times
by the World and by its followers I'm
the newspaper press is substantially
as follows: That there was corrup-
tion by or on behalf OF the govern
ment OF the United States in the
transaction by which the Panama
canal property was acquired from its
French owners; that there were i'm
proper dealings OF some kind be-
tween agents Of the government ana
outside persons, representing or act
ing for an American syndicate, which
had gotten. possession of the French
company; that among these persons
who 1t was alleged made "huge
profits" were Mr.. Charles p. Taft,
brother of william II. Taft, then can
didate for the presidency, and Mr..
Douglas Robinson, my brother-in-law;
that Mr.. Cromwell, the counsel for
the Panama canal company in the
negotiations, was In some way impli-
Gated with the United States govern
ment authorities in these important
transactions; that the government
has concealed the true facts, and has
destroyed or procured or agreed to
the destruction of certain docu.
ments; that Mr.. w. II. Taft was sec
retary of war at the time; that by an
agreement between the United States
government and the beneficiaries OF
the deal all traces thereof were
wiped out" by transferring all the
archives and secrets" to the Amer.
lean government just before the hold
ing of the convention last June, at
which Mr.. Taft was nominated.
Says Stories Baseless.
These statements sometimes ap-
peared In the editorials, sometimes in
the news columns, sometimes In the
shape OF contributions from indi-
viduals, either unknown or known to
be Of bad character. They are false
in every particular from beginning to
end. The wickedness OF the slanders
Ia only surpassed by their faulty. So
utterly baseless are the stories that
apparently they represent in part
merely material collected for cam.
paign purposes, and in part storie
originally concocted with view OF
possible blackmail.
The inventor of the story about
Mr.. Charles p. Taft, for instance, evil
IDENTIFY supposed that at some period
OF the Panama purchase Mr.. w. H.
Taft was secretary Of war, whereas
in reality Mr.. w. II. Taft never be-
came secretary Of war until long
after the whole transaction In Ques-
tion had been closed.
The inventor of the story about Mr.
Douglas Robinson had not taken the
trouble to find out the fact that Mr
Robinson had not had the slightest
connection. directly or Indirectly. of