Washington Journal., 1916-05-12
OFFICIAL SLANDERED
EpNrsr BnvNcKFN Losrs His orrrcr Fa BuNc PRo-cfRMAN.

is that OF earning money by creating
curiosity and thus attracting readers and,
as a consequence, advertisers. In the
pursuit OF this object, many newspapers,
as is known to everybody, disregard the
most elementary notions of fairness and
Justice. Moreover, The Times news
paper is notorious as a bitter opponent
Of the views regarding public affairs
which il is well known that | entertain.
Adding to this the peculiar notions re-
garding v~eracity and good faith which
have in the past observed in that Jews
paper, | should not be justified in be-
lieving that any statement | should make
would be accepted in good faith.
Furthermore, the implied charges
against me are in part identical with, in
part analogous to, certain charges which
have been made against me, during more
than a year, by a series of anonymous
letters received by me, some of which
were published in a newspaper mot The
Times. These anonymous letters !
have preserved, and shall submit them
to the inspection Of the Librarian If he
so desires.
From the similarity Of the charges and
other indications | am led TO believe
that the persons from whom the news
paper got its information are identical
...4l, xIo ..~.Aa~c ~ xI1-r tsta A
person capable of sending anonymous
letters is, of course, devoid of all sense
of honor or honesty, and would presum-
ably lie and commit perjury whenever
he was no afraid.
If therefore | should deny those
CHARGES. should have to expect TO, be
confronted by the testimony of lying
witneSsc without an opportunity Of dis
proving tlieir charges, not being in a
position, on account of their vagueness,
to obtain evidence in rebuttal. Besides,
! do not feel hat | ought to be made to
90 to the trouble Of preparing to give
evidence at the arbitrary demand Of a
newspaper. If, on the other hand. |
should admit the Charges" it is obvi-
ous that the newspaper would publish
my admission" with such additional
matter that | should appear before the
public i'll a very unenviable light.
Consequently it seems clear that /
cannot afford TO answer to these ques-
lions either afirmatively or negatively.
.. There remains the question whether
| said, upon hearing that the Lusitania
had been sunk: Good, let the good
work go oni" If this were a legal plead
ing. / should have to demur to this
part OF the. indictment, because obviously
il has no relation to my official duties.
However, | presume it is intended TO
~insinuate that by that remark | showed
myself utterly callous to the loss of life
connected with the sinking Of that par
t%icular ship. 1t is true that the same
charge could be made at any manifesto !
ton OF satisfaction on account Of ! VIC
tory by one belligerent or the other. II
hardly need to assure the Librarian that
am not a blood-thirsty monster, taking
pleasure in the killing of human beings, |
whether in the case of the Lusitania or
any of the battlehelds Of the present
war. 1t is notorious, however, that in
t~erested and cvi~Ldisposed persons have
made that charge against those who could
not conscientiously join in the popular
clamor arising out of the Lusitania in
cident. For that reason it will be wiser
not to "demur," but rather, as in charge
No. 4, TO decline to answer that ques-
ton either affirmatively or negatively,
and | herewith do So
Thereupon the Librarian informed me
that an official investigation was 10 be
made by Thoryald Solbere, the Register
of Copyrights. That official proceeded
to ask the clerks of the Copyright Office,
through the Chief Clerk, whether they
had heard me make the remarks charged
in the newspaper. A manuscript re-
port OH this investigation" was handed
to the Librarian. Ii was not shown to
me until a half hour before | was asked
to resign. No copy was furnished to
me and was not given an opportunity
to make any statement regarding its con-
tents.
In that report it was truthfully stated
that had nothing to do with the flag
incident. and that the business of the
Copyright Office was progressing most
efficiently. without any disruption"
whatsoever. Ii was also admitted that
of the more than ninety employees of
the office. all but five denied that they
had ever heard me make any such re-
marks as are ascribed TO me in the
newspaper. According to Solberg, those
five claim to have heard such remarks
from me. The rest of Solberg's report
is a discussion of my personal opinions,
eliminating in the allegation that my
expression OF sympathy with the Ger
man cause in the present war is "un.