The Elbert County tribune., 1909-01-21
NEW YORK WORLD AND INDI-
ANNAPOLIS SUN TO eE PROSE
cUTED.
GRAND JURY WILL ACT
FIRST TIME IN HISTORY THAT
GOVERNMENT SUES FOR
LIBEL.

hington.-Presldent Roosevelt
has made good his announced inten-
ton to bring libel suits against Joseph
Pulitzer OF the New York World and
others because of published charges OF
corruption in the Panama canal pur-
chase. Action win be brought In the
name of the government by the ntlor-
ney general and is the first Instance OF
the kind on record in this country.
Federal grand juries viii begin taking
testimony at once.
William Nelson Cromwell. who made
the canal deal with the original French
holders, is on the ground for tho hear
ing. The prosecution win be directed
against the newspaper proprietors and
not the Washington correspondents
who wrote the articles and who are
subpoened as witnesses
Six Washington corsespondents OF
outof-town papers anu local news
boy were subpoenaed Saturday TO ap-
pear before federal grand juries aud
testify presumably in connection with
statements appearing in their publica-
tions bearing on the Panama canal
purchase.
So far as II has been possible to-
ascertain, these were the only ones
cited:
Otto Carmichael. Charles s. Ambort
and e. Jesse Conway OF the New York
World staff; James Hornaday. ludi
annapolis News; Jeremiah Matthews,
New York Sun; Harris NJ Crist,
Brooklyn Eagle. and William Smith. u
newsboy OF Washington, engaged in
selling New York papers.
With the exception Of Mr.. crist. who
is commanded to go to New York and
present himself Monday morning be-
fore the grand jury of the Circnit
Court for the Southern district. the
parties are directed to appear before
the federal grand jury OF the District
of Columbia Tuesday. The World
staff also were directed to bring with
them files of the paper for September,
October, November and December.
1908, ''in the case of the United States
VS.. the Press Publishing Company.
publishers OF the New York World.
There is no doubt that the sub
poenas all have to do with suit tor
libel which it 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
dianapoIis News, MIR. Laffan and De
lavan Smith, were denounced by the
President in letter dated December
1st last, to William Dudley Fouike.
| 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 i,
| 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 1t should not be left to n private
citizen to enter the suit. and was par
| ticular to state that he did not believe
I'VE should concern ourselves with the
particular individuals who wrote tho
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.