The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-05-13
A MEDICATION

or perhaps OF any otner american
newspaper.
In the Presidential campaign OF
1908 certain events of no particular
Importance in themselves brought the
Panama revolution of 1903 back into
the news and revived public curiosity
as to the inspiration of that revolu-
ton, the real ownership of the Pana-
ma Canal Company and the part that
Theodore Roosevelt had played in the
Seizure of the Isthmus. The Panama
revolution did not become in any
sense an issue in the contest, but
shortly after election Mr.. Roosevelt
saw fit to write characteristic letter
assailing the Indianapolis News. Mr..
Roosevelt's statement aof what had
taken place in respect to Panama was
so recklessly false that The World de-
nounced his mendacity and called for
Congressional investigation.
| Mr.. Roosevelt did not want Con-
REGSSIOudl llNCoLlSSdSfOh VI oily OtAANA
kind of investigation, SO he hit on a
| highly ingenious device for smothering
| it, First he sent an abusive message
to Congress personally attacking the
late Joseph Pulitzer and accusing
him of having libelled the United
States Government" and then he pro-
ceeded to invent a Federal libel law
under which his charges could be
prosecuted.
If Mr.. Roosevelt had believed him.
self libelled in any way the courts
of New York were open to him and he
himself was a citizen of New York,
but Mr. Roosevelt was not interested
in bringing libel suit under the
laws of this State That would have
meant trying the case on it's merits,
and Mr. Roosevelt had no intention of
allowing the case to be tried on its
merits. The Department of Justice
was instructed to proceed under fan
| tastic construction OF a Federal stat
ue drafted originally to punish minor
misdemeanors committed on Federal
property and not provided for in the
Federal statues. The indictments
were obtained, and the issue was thus
shifted from the Panama revolution
to the constitutional power of the
President to decree a Federal libel
law
| The United States Courts made
short shift of Mr.. Roosevelt's suit.
Judge Hough threw it out of court;
an appeal was finally taken by the
Government to the United States SUI
preme Court and the court of last
resort unaniomusly sustained the low
er court. That ended the legal pro-
ceedings, but there had been no trial
of the issues of fact.
/ The World in the mean time had
| carried on its own investigation of
the Panama revolution at great effort
and at great expense. The inquiry
| was called on in New York, in Paris,
| i'll Panama, in Bogota and in Washing
ton. and the accumulated mass of evil
dence was irresistible in it's demonstra-
| ton that what had taken place in
Panama was not a revolution but
into which Theodore Roosevelt had
dragged the United States Gvernment
in order to crafty his personal ambi-
ton. After Mr.. Wilson became Presi-
dent the Democratic Congress that
was elected with him made an inv. ST
cation of the Panama affair, AMI the
evidence collected by The Word is
part of the official record
After Secretary Bryan had nsscti-
! ateG the treaty with Colombia which
a Republican Senate has now ratifi-
ed. Mr.. Roosevelt was vociferous in
his denunciation of it, but he never
ventured to meet the evidence in the
case. Just as he had attempted to in
vent a federal libel law, so he under
took to invent history of the Pana-
ma revolution, which had more or less
merit as piece of fiction but which
did not square with the established
/ facts.
The Republican Senators prevented
the ratification of this treaty during
/ Mr.. Wilson's two Administrations but
under an Administration of their own
party they have been compelled to
ratify it and make repatriation for the
wrong that Mr.. Roosevelt inflicted on
a weak and defenseless nation. The
most, fragrant act of Prussianism in
the history of the United States is
now definitely repudiated by the poll
teal party that ardently defended it
for nearly eighteen years.