Evening star., 1945-08-17

sustain them -
plus new data Frank K. Kent.
tending to sustain the charge that
Mrs. Roosevelt also "commercializec
the presidency"
In his extremely belated statement
Elliott had denounced as Infamous
lies" assertions that the late Presi-
dent had aided him in securing
these large loans, on which he paio
neither principal nor interest, ano
which, it is charged, were later set.
tied by Mr.. Jesse Jones. at the re-
quest of his father, for relatively
trivial sums.
It has been noted that Elliott
made no specific denials. He die
not, for example, deny Mr.. Hart
ford's statement that before loanine
him 100000 he had talked, at FL
liott's suggestion, with his father al
Warm Springs, who, though he hae
never seen him, called him by hi.
first name, invited him to come tt
see him sometime and thanked hin
for the favor he was about to de
his son.
Nor did he deny that Mr.. Jones
had later settled this loan for 2
cents on the dollar. Nor did he
deny any of the other specific ale
cations about other loans from other
men.
In fact, he did not deny much OF
anything. All he did was to assert
that the suggestion that he was
aided by his father was an effort to
smear a man who could not talk
back" and to call those who made
that charge infamous liars"
New Pegler Charges.
Since then Mr. Pegler, who first
produced the evidence, has quoted a
well-known radio advertising man
Mr.. Hill Blackett of Chicago-from
whom Elliott was soliciting business,
as having been invited to the White
House at Elliott's suggestion and en-
tertained at dinner by the President
and Mrs. Roosevelt, whom he had
never met.
Mr.. Blackett explained his invita-
ton on the ground that he was be-
ing entertained, as he had been by
others before, because his hosts
wanted his business. To this state
ment from Mr.. Blackett, Elliott has
made no reply. Apparently he is
going to stand on his declaration
that 1t is all an Infamous lie put out
by those who hate Roosevelt"
This is not enough. Elliott Roose.
velt is important in this matter
solely because he is the son of his
father. The charges reflect upor
the honor of a President of the
United States and are thus impor.
tant to the people of the. country
They are entitled definitely to know
whether he was this kind of man
using his Office for this kind OF
thing or whether he was not.
Elliott's Infamous lies" statement
is wholly inadequate. If these
charges rejecting discredit on his
father are infamous lies, people
have a right to ask why does he not
sue the men who make them, in
cluding Mr. Hartford, and the
papers that printed them?
II 1t Is an Infamous lie that Mr.
Jones. then Secretary of Commerce
at the request of the President
settled these loans for trivial sums
why does he not compel Mr.. Jones
to break his significant silence and
deny it?
A good many years ago another
Roosevelt - Theodore - who was
President of the United States -
had an Infamous lie printed about
him in a newspaper. 1t was to the
general effect that he was addicted
to the lmmoderate use of LIQUOR
and was frequently drunk. This was
completely false, but Theodore
Roosevelt did not content himself
with denouncing it as an Infamous
lie" He promptly sued the editor
and the paper for libel, hailed them
into court, demonstrated to the
country that there was not a scin.
tllla OF evidence to sustain the
charge and that it really was ar
Infamous lie."
Way to Refute Lies"
He got a verdict, waived damage,
but insisted upon and received ar
abJect public apology and retrac.
ton from the man who made the
charges. They were never AGAR
repeated. That Is the way to dea
with an Infamous lie"
Instead of hiring a tax lawyer
skilled in Treasury matters, to pro.
tect his tax interests, it would seem
that Elliott, or his family or hi.
fathers friends, would hire a diff.
ferent kind of lawyer to operate
along the Theodore Roosevelt lines
mat is the way to refute these lies
III they are lies-and the only way
Elliott's word is not enough-not
near enough.
This is not small matter. II
cannot be dismissed as unimportant
or as inspired by what the gifted
but sometimes feverish editor of q
rabid pro-Roosevelt paper. addicted
TO the coming of strange words
and phrases, calls "viperish venom
ousness."
The charges have been printed
and reprinted all over the country
IN hundreds of newspapers. They
ought to be wholly proved or wholly
olsproved. They should not be al.
lowed to sag like this with million,
OF people believing them and other,