The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-12-10

that the people should know Really
this is SO ludicrous as to make. one
feel little impatient at having TO an.
swer 1t.
Money Went to French Government.
"The fact has been officially pub.
lished again and again that the gov
eminent paid s40,000,000 and that it
paid this $40,00O,o0O direct to the
French government, getting the re.
ceipt of the 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
sum. This was the business of the
French government. The mere suppo-
sition that any American received from
the French government rake Off Is
too absurd to be discussed 1t is an
abominable falsehood, and it is Sian,
der, not against the American govern.
ment, but against the French govern
ment
The News continues, saying that
the presidents brother-in-law is in
volved in the scandal, but he has moth.
ing to say The presidents brother
in-law was involved in no scandal. Mr..
Delavan Smith and the other people
who repeated this falsehood lied about
the presidents brother-in-law; but
why the fact that Mr. Smith lied
should be held to involve Mr.. Robin
son in scandal is difficult to under
stand. The scandal affects no one but
Mr.. Smith; and his conduct has been
not merely scandalous but infamous,
Mr.. Robinson had not the slightest
connection of any kind, sort or descrip-
ton at any time or under any circum-
stances with the Panama matter.
Neither did Mr.. Charles Taft. The
News says that Mr.. Taft was a mem
Der of the syndicate So far as |
know there was no syndicate; there
certainly was no syndicate in the
United States that to my knowledge
had any dealings with the government
directly or indirectly; and inasmuch
as there was no syndicate, Mr. Taft
naturally could not belong to it.
Takes Whack at Laffan.
"Now, my dear Mr.. Foulke, | have
answered in detail your questions and
the statements of the News, You are
quite welcome to print my answer;
but I must frankly add that | don't
think any good will come from doing
so. Mr.. Delavan Smith is conspicu-
Gus offender against the laws of hon
esty and truthfulness; but he does not
stand alone. He occupies, for instance,
the same evil eminence with such
men as Mr.. Laffan of the New York
Sun, editorials of whose papers You or
others have from time to time called
to my attention, just as you have
called to my attention these editorials
of the indianapolis News. ! never see
an editorial in any one of these or SIM
liar papers unless for some reason it
is sent to me by you or some one else;
and of the editorials thus sent me
there is hardly one which does not
contain some wilful and deliberate per-
version of the truth"
Mr.. Roosevelt then quotes A state
ment he recently made concerning
false statements" in the Sun relating
to the Prairie Oil Company. He fur
ther scores the "mcdiocrity" of the
newspapers mentioned aud of their
editors.
Laffan's Caustic Comment.
New York. Dec. mir. Laffan re-
plies to the presidents letter as fol
,Ows:
The editor of the Sun presents his
compliments to Mr.. Roosevelt and &C
knOwledgcS his active sensibility6 in
respect of the attention which Mr..
Roosevelt has been good enough to
Jay him in his letter to Hon. William
Dudley FOulke of Indiana.
notwithstanding the directness of
ais challenge, the editor of the Sun
leclincs a controversy with Mr. Roosa-
vent He is by no means Indifferent
o the implied compliment discernibie
Mr. Rocsevelt's TRADE, bat Mr..
Roosevelt has shown in his frequent
collisions with various persons of dis
inction that he has an overwhelming
advantage over any respectable antag-
mist in his, Mr. RoOsevelt's. complete
'reedOm from any sense of personal
obligation in respect of the truth. The
,ditor of the Sun is fully alive to the
extremity OF the Inconvenience which
attaches to a personal controversy
With man who has shown himself
capable of suppression and peIversion
of individual correspondence, an act
which in ordinary life would, in the
cognizance of any club or association
If salf-respecting gentlemen, entail his
prompt expulsion.
I'm saying these things, We cannot
disguise our chagrin and humiliation
that The person who is addressed Is
also the president of the United
States"
Cattle Disease.
Several large herds of cattle near