The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1909-01-22
NEW YORK WORLD AND IN0t-
ANNAPOLIS SUN TO De PROSE
cUTE0.
GRAND JURY WILL ACT
FIRST TINE IN HISTORY THAT
GOVERNMENT SUES FOR
lIOGl.

Washington-Preside Roosevelt
has made good his announced inten-
ton 10 bring libel suits against Joseph
others because of published charges Of
corruption In the Panama canal pur-
chase. Action will be brought In the
uame of the government by the attOr-
aey general and is the first instance Of
the kind on record In this country.
Federal grand juries will begin taking
Testimony at once.
William Nelson Cromwell. who made
the canal deal with the original French
holders, is on the ground for the hear
ing. The prosecution will be directed
against the newspaper proprietors and
not the Washington correspondents
who wrote the articles and who are
subpoened as witnesses.
Six Washington correspondents Of
out-Of,town papers anu local news
boy We're subpoenaed Saturday to ap-
pear before federal grand juries and
testify presumably In connection with
statements appearing In their publica-
tions bearing on the Panama canal
purchase.
90 far as It has been possible to
ascertain, these were the only ones
cited:
Otto Carmichael, Charles s. Ambert
and E. Jesse Conway of the New York
World staf; James Hornaday. Indi
annapolis News; Jeremiah Matthews.
New York Sun; Harris NJ. Crist.
Brooklyn Eagle, and William Smith, q
newsboy of Washington. engaged in
ceiling New York papers.
With the exception of Mr. Crist, who
10 commanded to go to New York and
present himself Monday morning be-
fore the grand Jury Of the Circuit
Court for the Southern district. the
parties are directed to appear before
the federal grand jury Of the District
Of Columbia Tuesday. The World
staR also were directed to bring with
tAea files Of the paper for September.
October, November and December,
1905, in the case of the United States
W. the Press Publishing Company,
p,1SlisAsrs Of the New York World.
There is no doubt that the sub.
poenas all have to do with suit for
libel which 1t is believed has been
brought by the government in New
York against the World The publish.
ers Of the New York Sun and the In
dianapolis News, Mr.. Laffan and De
lavan Smith, were denounced by the
President In a letter dated December
1st last, to William Dudley Foulke.
| Mr.. Pulitzer was mentioned in the
message later. In his special message
to Congress of December 18th. regard
ing the charges of corruption the Pres
ident announced that the attorney gen
eral had under consideration the form
in which proceedings for libel against
Mr. Pulitzer should be brought.
Nowhere in the annals of tie gov
ernment has such action before been
taken as the government: suing for
criminal libel. The President in his
message was most emphatic in saying
that it should not be left to a private
citizen to enter the suit, and was par
ticular to state that he did not believe
1--WE should concern ourselves with the
particular individuals who wrote the
lying and libelous editorials. articles
from correspondents or articles in the
news columns. The real offender Is
Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer. editor and pro-
prietor of the World"
1t therefore is inferred that the cor.
respondents were summoned as wit
nesses. and not with the ultimate idea
of making them co-defendants.