Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-07

'. what it calls "the records'-that ia. tho mass of papers which arc stored in the war department save such as. because ef their technical character and their use- fulness in the current work of tho canal, it has been found advisabIe to send 70 the isthmus All of these documents that possessed any importance as illustrating any feature of the transaction have aI- ready been made public. There remains a great mass of documents of little or no importance which the administration 10 entirely willing to have published, but which because of their mass a2d point lessness nobody has ever cared to pub fish. Any reputable man can have full acess to these documents.
 Both on Same Evil Eminsnes.
 Delavan Smith fig conspicuous offender against the laws of honesty and truth funess. but he does not stand alone. He occupies, for instance, the same evil emi- hence with such men as MT. Lanan of the New York Sun, editorials of whose paper you or others have from time to time called to my attention just as you have called to my attention these edi- torials of the Indianapolis News.
 l never see an editorial in any one Of these or similar papers unless for some reason it is sent to me by you or by some one else. and of the editorials thus sent me there Is hardly one which does not contain some wilfnl and deliberate per version of the truth
 The fact Is that these particular news- papers habitually and continually and as matter of business practice every form of mendacity known to man. from the suppression of the truth and the sugges- tion of the false to the lie direct. Those who write or procure others to write these articles are engaged in the practice of mendacity for hire. and surely there can be no lower form of gaining a livelis hood
 Can't Answer All Falsehoods.
 Whether they are paid by outsiders to say what is false or whether their profit comes from the circulation of the false- hoods is a matter of small consequence. It is utterly impossible to attempt to an- swer all of their falsehoods. When any given falsehood is exposed they simply repeat it and circulate another. If they were mistaken in the facts. if they pos- sessed in their makeup any shred of hon esty it would be worth while to set them right. But there is no question at all as to any mistake" or "nisundeY- standing on their part. They state what they either know to be untrue or could by the slightest inquiry find out to be un- true.
 I doubt if they themselves remember their own falsehoods for moro than . very brief period, and l doubt still more whether anybody else does.
 It seems hardly worth while to single out for special mention one or two given falsehoods or one particular paper the moral standard of which is as low as, but no lower than, that of certain other pa- pers Of course now and then I am wills ing to denounce given falsehood, as. for instance, as regards this case of tho Indianapolis News or the case I have quoted of the New York Sun simply be- cause it appears that some worthy peo- pie are misled or puzzled by the direct samelessness of the untruth But ordi- nartly I do not and cannot pay heed to these falsehoods. If l did would not be able to do my work. My plan has been to go ahead to do the work and to let these people and those like them yell and then to trust with abiding confidence to the good sense of the American people in the assured conviction that the yells will die out. the falsehoods be forgotten and the work remain.
 No Greater Menace to Nation. The best and ablest editors and writers in the daily press render service to the community which can hardly be paral- eed by the service rendered by the hest and ablest of the men in public life or of the men in business. But the converse of this proposition is also true. The most corrupt financiers. the most corrupt poli- ticians, are no greater menace to this country than the newspaper men of the type have above described
 Whether they belong to the yellow press or to the purchased press, whatever may l. 4l,o ,laxi aotrga nf GUS mendacity and whatever the cloak it may wear matters but little. In any event they represent one of the potent forces for evil in the community. Yours very truly,
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT.