The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-12-18

Washington, Dec 15.-PresideHt
Roosevelt today transmitted to con
gress special message regarding the
charges published by certain newspa-
pers that several Americans profited
by the purchase of the property of the
Panama Canal company of France.
The text of the message follows:
Special Message to the Senate and
House of Representatives:
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-
ton with the acquisition of the title
of the French company to the Pan
anna canal, and of the repetition of the
story that syndicate of American
citizens owned either one Or both of
the Panama companies, | deem it wise
to submit to the congress all the in
formation | have on the subject. These
stories were first brought to my at
tention as published in a paper in In
dianapoliS, called the News, edited by
Mr. Delavan Smith. The stories were
Scurrilous and libefous in character
and false in every essential particu-
lar. Mr.. Smith shelters himself be-
hind the excuse that he merely ac-
cepted the statements which had ap-
peared in paper published in New
York, the World, owned by Mr.. JOS
eph Pulitzer
1t is idle to say that the known
character of Mr. Pulitzer and his
newspaper are such that the state
ments in that paper will be believed
by nobody; unfortunately, thousands
of persons are ill informed in this
respect and believe the statements
they see in print, even though they
appear in a newspaper published by
Mr.. Pulitzer A member of the con-
gress has actually introduced a reso-
luton in reference to these charges
and | therefore lay all the facts be-
fore you.
Sums Up Newspaper Charges.
The story repeated at various
times by the World and by it's fol-
lowers in the newspaper press is sub
stantially as follows: That there
was corruption by or on behalf of the
government 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 and
outside persons, representing or act
ing for an American syndicate which
had gotten possession of the French
company; that among these persons,
who, it was alleged, made huge
profits were Mr. Charles P. Taft, a
brother of Mr.. William H. Taft, then
candidate 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 impll-
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 documents;
that Mr.. w. H. Taft was secretary of
war at the time that by an agree
ment between the United States gov
eminent and the beneficiaries of the
deal all traces thereof were wiped
out by transferring all the archives
and secrets to the American govern
ment just before the holding of the
convention last June and at which
Mr.. Taft was nominated. The state
ments sometimes appeared in edi.
torials, sometimes in the news col.
umns, sometimes in the shape of con
tributions from individuals either un.
known of or known to be of bad char
acter. They are false in every partic
ular from beginning to end. This
wickedness of the ISLANDERS is only
surpassed by their faulty.
Brands Stories Utterly BaseIess.
So utterly baseless are the stories
that apparently they represent in part
merely material collected for cam
paign purposes and in part stories
originally concocted with view of
possible blackmail
The inventor of the story about Mr.
Charles P. Taft, for instance, evident
ly supposed that at some period of
the Panama purchase Mr.. w. II. Taft
was secretary of war, whereas. in
reality, Mr.. w. H. Taft never became
secretary of war until long after the
whole transaction in question 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 any Kind or sort with
any phase of the Panama transaction
from beginning to end. The men who
attacked Mr.. Root in the matter had
not taken the trouble to read the pub
lie documents which would have in
formed them that Mr.. Root had moth
ing to do with the purchase, which
was entirely arranged through the de-
partment of justice under the then at
torney general, Mr.. Knox.