Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-07-29
THE COUNTRY Will BELIEVE
THE PRESIDENT.


years the country's ears have been
filled with charges and denials, has
seen one member of the cabinet forced
from Office by public regulations Of
| his official course, and is in momen-
rary expectation of other explosions
that may detrimentally affect those in
high place.
A rich empire, subject to spOliation,
such as Alaska is, has been tempting
Iopportunity for selfish interests, in
tent on swelling their already enorm-
Gus accumulatons of wealth. Such
interests. as the public is sadly aware,
do not hesitate at corruption of any
sort. to secure their ends. While the
whole history Of the efforts Of the
IGuggenheims and others to control
1.-The coal lands Of Alaska may never
come to light, the country as a whole
believes that public interests were in
danger. Of being sacrificed to personal
selfshuess and that politicians high in
(
the Republican party were either di-
rectly or indirectly affiliated with
those maneuyering the schemes !oI
despoil the public.
While all this is true, there can
hardly be any doubt that on the other
hand there has been wild sensational
ism, wholesale charges that had scantI
foundation, the general besmirching
of character, and desperate efforts on
the part of an old Roosevelt clique .oI
discredit the administration and damn
| it in the sight Of the public. To this
excessive spirit may be attributed the
recent Dick to Dick" letter incident
that has finally drawn from President
TAFT vigorous denial and a search
ling attack on the scandal mongers.
1t is hardly credible that any such
letter was ever written as the female.
muck raker claims to have seen in the.
official files of the Interior Depart
ment No man seeking presidential
assistance in securing an unfair adj
vantage would be such a fool as TO
write such a note, and if he were no
official would be such a fool as to file
| it in the official papers of the depart
ment The woman in the case" de-
clares that Sect. Fisher gave her per-
mission to 90 over all the files in the
Controller Bay case, that while she
was examining them she noticed that
the assistant glanced ahead at a
page, and then deity passed it over
without her seeing it, that her sus-
picions We're aroused and she subse-
quently examined the file, found the
Dick to Dick" note, and copied it.
This is all very fishy. If the as
sistant saw such a note, and did not
want her to see it, it is highly i'm
probable that he would then have
turned the file over to her. There IS
an air of improbability about the
whole story. If the woman did find
such a note attached to the official
Irecords the only plausible explanation
lis that it was put there by some sin
lister person with the express pur-
pose of having her copy it and make
use of it to damage the administra-
ton, that it was purely fictitious, and
having been copied by her was at
once removed and destroyed. If the
woman tells the truth that eXplana-
ton would be at least reasonable.
The country will accept President
Traits denial that such a note was ev-
er written, that he ever talked with
) his brother, or was induced by him C
t foyor those seeking rights on Con
troller Bay, and will agree with him
that this incident shows the extremes
= to which those opposing the admin
| istratiOn in its Alaska policies VII
r go. The country has confidence in
the personal integrity of its president
The muck rakers have overreached
} themselves in this instance. The Pres.
l ident well puts it when he says:
5 strong evidence Of the falsity and
5 maliciously slanderous character q
the alleged postscript could not be had
Its only significance is the light il
throws on the bitterness and venom
Y Of some of those who take active pant
- in every discussion of Alaskan issues
I The intensity Of their desire to be-
smirch all who invest in that district
and all who are officially connected
a with its administration, operates upon
" the minds Of weak or deprayed human
e instruments and prompts the fabrica.
D ton of such false testimony as this
postscript dislike to dwell upon this
feature of the case, but it is so full q
3 a lesson that ought to be taken to the
S heart Of every patriotic citizen that
e can not pass it over in silence