The San Francisco call., 1908-12-11
PANAMA MUCK
RAKERS ROUSE
PRESIDENT IRE
Executive Tells Illinois Delega-
ton He VIII Prosecute De-
famers If If Is Possible
Correspondent for New York
Times Investigates Records of
Big Ditch Transactions

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-~If they can
be reached for criminal libel 1 shall try
20 have them reached" said President
Roosevelt, in speaking about those
Americans who have been guilty OF in
famous falsehood concerning the ac-
QUESTION Of the property and the con-
struction of the Panama canal itself
It was TO the committee OF 100 of the
Lakes to the Gulf deep waterway as
ISOLATION, headed by Governor Deneen
OF Illinois. received by the president in
the east room of the White House, that
hs made this declaration. Governor
Deneen had presented a copy of the
resolutions adopted by the association
and made a few remarks, TO which the
president replied as follows:
No LEGITIMATE SCANDAL
i have felt. as the governor has so
well put il. that no more important serv-
ice could be rendered 10 this country
than The building of the Panama canal
between the Atlantic and the Pacific,
and one thing ] am proud of in connec-
tion with the building Of that canal is
that there has not been legitimate cause
for the breath Of scandal connected
with any feature of the proceeding.
we nave cause TO be ashamed OF
only one set OF Americans in connec-
tion with the building of the canal and
that is those Americans who have been
guilty of infamous falsehood concern
ing The acquisition of the property and
the construction of the canal itself. If
they can be reached for criminal libel
] snail try TO have them reached. II
not. at ANY rate all the facts We know
or ever have known are at the disposal
of each and every one Of you here and
any one in congress or of all congress
If they wish TO see them
WOULD SUE As CITIZENS
If the president personally. or through
his friends, should begin criminal
libel suit it would. of course. be in
their character as citizens only and
without reference 10 public Office
A few days ago the Cincinnati Times
Star edited by Charles p Taft inti-
mated plainly that he contemplated
bringing proceedings against the news
papers which had brought his name into
the Panama scandal.
IN his letter 10 William Dudley Foull<e
the president stated that all The rec
ords and documents relating To the
Panama purchase We're open TO the in
spectiOn OF any reputable man. The
correspondent for the New York Times.
acting upon this hint applied to the
president for permission TO inspect the
documents and promptly received
note from the president addressed 10 the
secretary Of war, directing him TO place
this matter at the disposal of the cor
respondent. In the course OF his re-
searches the correspondent discovered
that the book containing the list Of
stock holders Of the old Panama canal
company Wes missing from the archives
He called this matter 10 the attention
of the president and obtained another
note directing the secretary of war to
have thorough search made for the
missing book, and also directing that
the archives IN the department Of JUS
tlce should be searched The book.
however. has not yet been found.
Cromwell Makes Statement
NEW YORK, Dec. 1O.-William Mel
son Cromwell today made a statement
OF the Panama canal matter, of which
the following are the salient features:
Ny attention has been called TO q
slAtenent issued by the editor OF the
indianapolis News In which he attempts
10 reply 70 the charge made by Presi-
dent Roosevelt that certain statements
made IN the Indianapolis News. both be-
lore and since the recent election and
relating TO the purchase of the Panama
canal by the United States, were false
and untrue.
QUOTEs THE PRESIDENT
The president said: "The News gives
currency TO the charge that the United
States bought from American citizens
Tor $4O,oO0,000 property that cost these
citizens only $4,000, 900. The statement
is false. The United States did not paw
cent OF the s40,000,0O0 to any Ameri-
can citizens" etc.
From the statement issued in reply
70 the editor Of the News 1 quote the
IolioN1ngs The only man who paid
any attention TO them (thst is the
criticisms referred to, etc.) was Charles
p Taft. who did deny that he was in
any way related to the affair We had
no word from the president or Mr.. Taft
me otner men, such as Cromwell and
Morgan. who were believed to have full
information IN regard to the business,
said nothing"
And he attempts to justify the pub
licanon Of the false statements appear
ing in his paper by saying that they
were based largely on the statements
OF the New York World" Criticisms
which We're made over and over again
during the campaign, were utterly ig-
nored until today
The reply OF the editor of the News
furnishes another proof of the justice
OF the presidents Characterization for
IA the very journal under whose sheets
II now takes refuge. namely in the
New York World OF October g. 1908
appears an explicit and unqualified de-
NAL by me Of the story referred to- in
which I used the following language:
We may expect during a heated po-
iitical contest all kinds of stories which
are not worthy OF notice, but this one
! wish to denOunce In the strongest
terms as lying fabrication without a
shadow OF the truth in it. Neither I
nor any one allied with me- either d.
rectly or Indirectly. at any time or in
any place, in America or abroad ever
bought, sold, dealt ia or even made a
penny Of profit out Of any stocks. bonds
or other securities Of eltherthe old Pan
ANA canal company or the new Panama
canal company, or ever. received for the
same q single dollar of the $40 600. 600
paid by the United States. ] make this
the most sweeping statement that Ian
RuaEe can convey"
MONEY PAID TO FRANCE
As everybody connected with the af-
fair knows, j abstained from receiving
the $40, 000, 900 in my own hands at
washington or New York as the gem
ersl counsel for the company. and my
self arranged for the payment of the
entire $40, 100000 direct from the treas
ury OF the United States through the
bankers Of the government into the
Bank OF France at Paris, 10 the credit
of the liQuidatorS Of the two cOmpa-
uiess There Il remained subject to the