The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, December 23, 1908, Image 6
nESlDENI ATTACKS WORLD.
BMA S DK EDITOR PULITZER AS
VILLI HEU OF THE NATION.
Canal Charts are Made tlie
sssbject of a Special Mesoage to tlie
Congress by the I "resident?He Calls
IVri a "String of Infamous Libel*"
MlfJ lUveived With Amuse
it In Both Kuiiara of the Con
Washington, Dec. 15.?Repeated
of laughter greeted the reading
the opening paragraph of the pres?
orts meaaage to congress on the
ma canal charges today. As the
tary read the statement that th ?
wer? "false In every partlcu
;'? Senator Baltay laughed outright
ha waa passing along the rear of
chumber to hla aeat. Other sena?
tors on both aldea of the chamber
Jatned with him. and when the reader
had the statement that a state
at In a newspaper, which he men
would not be believed, there
general merriment from both
of the chamber.
There waa only a a mall number of
tore present when the reading was
n. and It waa hurried through,
thn papers accompanying the meaaage
SK>t being read at all.
The message elicited the greatest
Interest In the house of representa?
tives. The members gsve close atten?
tion during the reading of the docu
ansnt. and there was a ripple of laugh
tor over the prealdent's characterlsa
of Joseph Pulltser, publisher of
New Turk World. The message,
with Its accompanying papers, was
referred to a committee.
Accompanying the president's mes?
sage was a large bundle of documents
bearing upon tlie trans'er of the canal
property to the United States. Many
of there documents were In French,
without English translation. There
eras nothing which showed directly the
parsons who received the $40.000.000
paid by the United tSatea, but there
was included a Hat of about 7.000
stc?ckholders In the old and new Pan
?' .1 companies, all of them cltt
of France and of the Colombia
Republic. There was not the name of
a citlsen of the United States in the
oattlre list.
"These stories." the president. In his
asossage says "were first brought to my
?atention as published In a paper In
Indianapolis, called the News, edited
Jfgy Delavan Smith. The stories were
rtlooa and libelous in character
false In every essential particular.
Smith ahelters himself behind the
use that he merely accepted the
ements which hsd appeared in a
r published In New York, the
?rid, owned by Mr. Joseph Pulltser
Is Idle to say that the known charac
r of Mr. Pulltser and his newspaper
? such that the statements in that
r will be believed by nobody, un
unately. thousands of persons are
Informed In this respect and believe
a statements they see in print, even
?ugh they appear In a newspape;
ibllihed by Mr. Pulltser."
Summarising the c.iarges made In
connection the president says:
"These statement* sometimes ap?
ed In the editorials, sometimes in
news columns sometimes in th?
pe of contributions from Individ
either unknown or known to be
of bad character. They are false In
srrsry particular fr>m beginning to
smd. The wtckedner?- of the .dander
?re is only surpassed by their fstulty.
S ass utterly bsseleas are the atones, that
Apparently they represent In part
sparely material collected for cam?
paign purposes snd in psrt stories orb
sjtaally concocted with a view of pos?
sible blackmail The Inventor of the
story About Mr. Charles P. Tsft. for
nee. evidently supposed mat st
e period of the Panama purchase
Mr. W. H. Taft was secretary of war.
w/hsresa In reality Mr. W. H. Tsft nev
or became secretary of war until long
?fter the whole transaction In ques?
tion hsd been closed. The Inventoi
of the story about Mr. Douglaa Robin
SM?n had not taken the trouble to find
o*st the fsct thst Mr. Robinson had
hsd the slightest connection, dl
try or Indirectly, oC any kind or sort
with anyp bane of the Panama trans?
action from beginning to end. The
snen who attacked Mr. Root In the
wsatter had not taken the trouble tn
rood the public documents. which
would hare Informed them that Mr.
Root had nothing to do with the pur
phase, which wan entirely srranged
through the department ot Justice un
stor then Attorney General, Mr. Knox.
' Now. the atorles as a matter of fact
weed no Investigation whatever. No
ahadow of proof has been or can be
produced In behalf of any of them.
They consist simply of a string of In?
famous libels. In form they are In
part libel* upor Individuals, upon Mr.
Taft snd Mr. Roblns-m. |pj IsssnMaPl
Hut they an', n fait wholly, and In
form, partly, a bb- l upOSJ th?? United
Htstes government. I do not hille\>
ws should concern ourselevs with the
portioil.tr Individuals who w . t. the
tying and libel mi* edlPu I iK article*
from correspondent* or articles In the
new | columns. The real offender is
Mr. Joseph Pulltser, editor and pro?
prietor of the W'?rM. While the erlm
offence of which Mr. PllltMf has
been guilty is in the form of a libel
upon individuals, the i;reat Injury
done is In blackening the good name
of the American people. It should not
be left to a private citizen to sue Mr.
Pulltser for libel. He should be prose?
cuted for libel by the government au?
thorities.
"In point of encouragement of ini?
quity, in point of Infamy, of wrong?
doing, there is nothing to choose be?
tween a public servant who betrays his
trust, a public servant who is guilty
of blackmail of theft or financial dis?
honesty of any kind, and a man guilty
as Mr. Joseph Pulitzer ha* been guilty
In this Instance. It Is, therefore, a
high national duty to bring to :ustlce
this villifler of the American people,
this man who wantonly and wickedly
and without one shadow of Justifica?
tion seeks to blackmail the character
of reputable private citizens and to
convict the government of his own
country In the eyes of the civilized
world of wrong doing of the basest
and foulest kind, when he has not one
shadow of Justification for the charge
he has made. The attorney general
has under consideration the form In
which the proceedings against Mr.
Pulitzer shall be brought."
The president cites that Act of Con?
gress by whU?h he was authorized to
pay $40,000,000 for the canal prop?
erty, and says It was no concern of
the president what the new Panama
Canal Company did with the money.
"The Panama canal transaction was
actually carried through, not by either
the Secretary of State, Mr. John Hay.
or the then secretary of war, Mr. Ell
hu Root, both of whom, however,
were cognizant of all the essential fea?
tures, but the then attorney general.
Mr. P. C. Knox, at present senator
from Pennsylvania. I directed or ap?
proved every action, and am responsi?
ble for all that was done in carrying
out the will of the congress; and tht
provisions of the law enacted by con?
gress after exhaustive examination and
discussion were scrupulously complied
with by the executive."
The action of the government, he
says, was wholly uninfluenced by any
question of who were or were not
stockholders, either In the new or the
old company.
"If, as a matter of fact," he explains,
"the canal companies, either or both,
had been owned by American citizem
or by citizens of any other nationality,
It would not have altered In the slight?
est degree the action taken by this
government. Our concern was to get
the canal property which was owned
by the French company, and to see
mat the title was clear, Our trans?
actions were carried on openly, and
were published In detail, and we dealt
solely (so far a.< the Interests of the
old Panama Company were concern?
ed) with the liquidator appointed by
the proper French governmental body,
the Civil Tribunal of the Seine.
"I wish to make a9 clear as possible,
and as emphatic as possible, the state?
ment that we did not have anything to
do with the diatr bution of a dollar of
the $40,000,000 we paid as regards an\
stockholder or bondholder of the
French Companies ; save that we fol?
lowed out the award of the arbitrators
appointed In accordance with the de?
cree of the French court, which had
dealt with the subject in awarding a
certain proportion to the old comp?ny
and a certain proportion of the m w
company.
As a matter of fact, (her*, is nothing
whatever in which this government Is
Interested to Investigate about this
transaction. So far as this government
Is concerned every step of the slight?
est Importance has been made public
by its executive, and every step taken
In France has there been made pub?
lic by the proper officials."
The president submitted with the
message what he said was a full list of
the stockholders of the new company
(numbering over 6,000) furnished by
Mr. Cromwell, and other papers corro
poratlve of his message.
WOHLD ANSWERS ROOSEVELT.
"A HevklosM, Unscrupulous Dema?
gogue," It Says.
New York, Dec. 15.?The World, In
the course of Its answer to President
Roosevelt's references to that paper,
In his special message to congress
today, says:
"Mr. Roosevelt is mistaken. He
cannot muzzle the World.
"While no amount of billingsgate
on his part can after our determina?
tion to treat him with Judicial Impar?
tiality and scrupulous fairness; WC
repeat what we have already said,
that the Congress of the United Stat? s
should make a thorough investigation
of the whole Panama transaction,
that the full truth may be known to
the American people.
"The World fully appreeate* the
rMMiplln.ent paid to It by Roo?Vt II
In making It the subject Of I special
III. < He to the ci t|gre-s ?.f th,' I'lliteil
States.
"Tin World llkowlit Appreciates tht
Importance of Mf Roosevelt's state?
ment when he d? clnres |0 the ru?
th i ; h ? proprietor of the Wo Id
should be pruaiouttd for llbol by the
i '' \ ? i ri ii it n ta I authorities, and that
?he attorney general has under con?
sideration the form under which the
proceedings against Mr. Pulitzer shall
be brought.'
"This is the first time a president
ever asserted the doctrine of lese ma
jeste or proposed, in the absence of
specific legislation, the criminal prose?
cution by the government of citizens
who crltlzed the conduct of the gov?
ernment or the conduct of individ?
uals who may have had business deal?
ings with the government. Neither
the King of Great Dritain nor the
German Emperor would venture to
arrogate such power to himself. John
Adams's attempt to enforce the se?
dition law destroyed the Federalist
party in America. Yet Mr. Roosevelt,
In the absence of law, officially pro?
poses to use all the power of the
greatest government on earth to crip?
ple the freedom of the press on the
pretext that the government itself has
been libelled?and he is the govern?
ment.
"It Is true that the World printed
the public reports concerning the
Panama canal affair which resulted
from .William Nelson Cromwell's ap?
peal to the district attorney's office
during the recent campaign to pre?
vent the publication of a story which
was said to be in the hands of the
Democratic national committee. It
was Mr. Cromwell's own action which
raised the issue in the campaign.
"It is true also that when Mr.
Roosevelt made his attack upon Do
lavan Smith The World called atten?
tion to certain statements which Mr.
Roosevelt must have known to be
false or misleading, and appealed to
congress to end all scandal by a full
and Impartial investigation. If this
be treason, let Mr. Roosevelt make
the most of it.
'Mr. Roosevelt's lamentable habit
of laftCCUrati statements make it im?
possible to accept either his judg?
ments or his conclusions. In his mes?
sage he does not state correctly even
so simple a matter as the pretended
causes of his grievance. The World
has never said that Charles P. Taft
and Douglas Robinson made any
profits whatever. Mr. Taft denied
that he was concerned in the transac?
tion in any way, which denial Tin
World published and accepted. It
would have been equally glad to print
Mr. Robinson's denial could it havt
succeeded in obtaining one from him,
as it frequently attempted. The Worh.
has no evidence that he was associated
with Mr. Cromwell, and would accept
his word to that effect, for Mr. Robin?
son is an estimable gentleman of high
character, whose reputation for ve?
racity is Infinitely belter than that ol
his distinguished brother-in-law*.
"If The World has libelled anybod>
we hope it will be punished, but We d<
not intend to be intimidated by Mr.
Roosevelt's threats or by Mr. Roose?
velt's power.
"No other living man ever so gross?
ly libelled the United States as does^
this president, who besmirches th(
congress, bulldozes judges, assails the
integrity of courts, slanders privatt
Oltlgeng. and who has shown himseh
the most recaiess, unscrupulous dema?
gogue whom the American people gvei
trusted with great power and authori?
ty.
"We say this not in anger, but in
sincere sorrow. The World has Im?
measurably more respect for the offic<
of president of the United States than
Theodore Roosevelt has ever shown
duiing the years in which he has
maintained a reign of terror and villi -
fled the hOQOr and honesty of both
public officials and private citizens
who opposed his policies or thwarted
him in his purposes.
"So far as The World is concerned
Its proprietor may go to jail, if Mr.
Roosevelt succeeds as he threatens:
but even In Jail The World will not
cease to he a fearless champion of free
speech, a free press and a free peo?
ple."
SENATE VS. ROOSEVELT.
RESENTMENT OVER INSULT IN
MESSAGE STILL RANKLES.
Resolution Ordering Investigation of
M twinge Adopted Without Dissent -
lag Vote?Several Senators Object?
ed to Phraseology of Resolution on
Account of ItH MUdiH ss.
Washlngon, Dec. 16.?The senate
today definitely decided to er.ter upon
an Investigation relative to the por?
tion of the president's message which
criticises the action of congress in
prohibiting the detail of secret ser?
vice men to duty In other departments.
The resolution had been In contem?
plation ever since the message was
received on Tuesday of last week. It
was decided that Senator Aldrlch
should stand sponsor for the measure
and the Rhode Island senator present?
ed a resolution authorizing the in?
quiry.
Senator Culberson, the leader of the
Democrats, .sent up e substitute which
was somewhat more specific, than Mr.
Aldrlch'i resolution,
Both measures were promptly re?
ferred to the committee on contingent
expense itiwl almost immediately ;if
terward Senator Keane reported back
the Aldrlch resolution with B recom?
mendation that it pass. Senator Cul?
beraon objected and it looked as It
consideration would be postponed.
Some of the leaders of the two sides
of the chamber found an opportunity
for conference, however, with the re?
sult that the Democrats made it
known that they would Interpose no
objection to the Immediate considera?
tion of the Aldrlch resolution If the
portion of the Culberson substitute
directing the committee on appropria?
tions to advise the senate specifically
as to the course of action It should
take with reference to the portion of
the message which has been considered
objectionable could be Incorporated
in it.
After a very animated discussion in
I which several members of the senate
spoke very pointedly regarding the
president's utterances, the resolution
was adopted.
j Mr. Bailey objected to the resolu?
tion because It did not direct the com?
mittee to inquire into the very gross
and wanton words of the president.
"So far as I am concerned," he said,
"no action should be taken on that
I resolution until the point is covered.
I Either congress is the most infamous
I body that ever assembled in any coun?
try of the world or it will take some
notice of this most wanton and gross
insult ever given any body in the
world."
Mr. Aldrlch Insisted that the reso?
lution provided for just what Mr.
I I'ailey advocated but the senator from
Texas said that if that was included
it was in mild terms.
"The president is not so careful in
I what he says about congress and I
J can not understand why congress is
I 30 careful about what it says about
him. I regard this as the most In
I suiting message ever sent to any body.
I doubt if a mayor ever sent such a
j message to a city council. I believe
in talking plainly to people who talk
J plainly to us. 1 believe In reciprocity
of that kind. If the president was not
Justified in making the statement that
message ought to be sent back to him.
I Xo self-respecting body should receive
a message which impeaches its hon?
or."
Mr. Hale declared that the resolu?
tion was sufficientlv strongly worded
to permit the committee on appropria?
tions to make the kind of report de
dred by Mr. Bailey. He said that as
chairman of the committee on appro?
priations he would prefer to have the
resolutions sent to some other com?
mittee, but he promised that the com?
mittee would not shirk Its duty.
"I would like to Inquire of the sen?
ator from Maine," Interrupted Mr.
TUlman, "whether he thinks the sen?
ate has been insulted?"
Mr. Hale Insisted that every one
had his own opinion on that subject
and any one was as able as he to form
an opinion.
. Coming again to his feet, Mr. Til 1
nian said that according to the presi?
dent's message congress Is composed
of a lot of "rascals and scoundrels
who belong in the penitentiary."
Mr. Hale replied there had been a
treat deal of "restlessness and indig?
nation" in the senate.
"There is no restlessness at tho
White House," retorted Mr. Tillman.
"They are cool and calm as can be
there."
"I think," continued Mr. Bailey,
"that It Is remarkable that the ques?
tion whether the honor of the congress
has been Impeached should bb In any
way connected with any question of
the secret service, except so far as the
secret service was employed to In?
vestigate members of the two houses
of congress."
Saying he had not heard the mes?
sage when It was read to the senate,
Mr. Culberson said: "It was a delib?
erate, studied and gratuitous insult
to the congress by the president." He
would have preferred to see still
stronger language used In the resolu?
tion but contented himself with It as
It had been agreed upon.
I Senator Newlands spoke at consid?
erable length, saying that the question
was whether secret service men had
been used to Investigate congressmen
In the pursuance of the legislative busi?
ness or only to detect fraud.
"But," interposed Mr. Tillman, "the
president's message shows that he has
investigated us generally and that we
are a lot of scoundrels that need In?
vestigation. Now there may be men
here who foel that way but God knows
I do not."
Mr Newlands said he was not at?
tempting to apologize for the presi?
dent and wanted to have the senate
avoid any hasty and improper lan?
guage. Senator McLaurin (Miss.)
favored a dignified resentment of the
language of the president and Sena?
tor Bacon declared that In his view
the meaaage "was the most deliberate
and artfully designed and carefully
worded Insult ever sent to any parlia?
mentary body in this or any other
country." He continued'
"it is my deliberate judgment thai
if the king of England had sent such
a meaaage to parliament there would
he but one thing to shield him from
the loss of his crown and that woull
be the appointment of a regent."
The resolution was then passed
without a roll and no opposing vote
was east.
The resolution providea thai tho
?enate committee on appropriation*
shall inquire whether the legislation
5
ijfci
ALCOHOL 3 PER CENT
AVcgclaWeRtparartoifirAs
similaiingtlKi-oodandi^ula
?ngUteStomacBand?oweisof
Infants/Children
Promotes Di$estion?h?tfui
ness and RestXontains neitt?
Opiwu .Morphine norMiaeraL
Not Narcotic.
fieape jfOldlkSAHJlimmi
Rmpkui Sted"
^tx.Senna *?
AMteUtt
AuseSttd ?*
if r_i
ti win MTU -
Ctanfled Star ?
-
Apcrfect Remedy forGireflj*
t ion, Sour Stonach.DiirrbDa
Worrtt^^oir^skms.Fe?ri$lr
ness andLoss of Sleep.
FaLcSimile Signature of
NEW YORK.
CAST0R1A
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have
Always Bought
Bears the
Signatare
of
Atb months old
J5 Doses -35C1W5
In)
Use
For Over
Thirty Years
CASTOR
TMS OSWTAUa ?MMRT, MtW TOUR CrTT.
N. G. OSTEEN, JR., Dentist.
18 West Liberty Street - - - - Up Stairs.
Hours:?8.30 to 1-P. M?2 to 6.
Offioe Phone?N o. 30 - - - House Phone 382
1 Wake Up I Wake Up! %
^-AND I- ^
I Get The Habit j
? ===== OF GOING TO ? 3
I BIRNIE'S DRUG STORE, |
\% 5 West Liberty St. Sumtes,, SC. %
^ /^HRISTMAS is around the comer. Come and se- ^
^ ^ lect what you want before the rush. ^
Following is a list of some of our Christmas 3
^ Novelties : =3
CANDIES.
A fresh shipment of Em?
press Chocolates and Bon
Bons, in yi lb. and I lb.
packages.
PERFUMES.
Alfred Wright's High-grade
Extracts in Fancy Boxes.
50c to $3.00.
TOILET SETS,
Albums, Work Boxes, Jap?
anned Glove and Handker?
chief Boxes, also Mirrows
and other fancy articles.
SHAVING MUGS AND BRUSHES.
From 25c to $150
A cake of Shaving Soap
given with every Mug sold.
CIGARS.
In Box from 50c to $2.50.
Pipes, and Cigar Holders,
25c to $1 00
TOYS! TOYS!
3
3
3
3
Assorted Animals, Drums
and many other things for ^
the little folks.
^ fft IVE us a call, it cowts you nothing to ^
E: *J look over our stock ^
? =
I W, H. HOLLINGS, Ph. G.
? Manager.
^iUiUiUiUiUiUiiiiiiiiiiUiUiiiSiUiUiUiihiuUiUlUiiiiiiiUiU
0. W. BIBNIE. M. D. 1
Proprietor. ^
referred to ln the president's nrnn^i
lias impaired the efficiency <>r sufltc- '
iency ol! the force employed In the
secret service and shall "ascertain]
what persona other than those Includ?
ed in the secret service were paid from
the public treasury for the fiscal year
ended Juno <"<b 1908, for services In
connection \Niih the enforcement of
the laws for work In the detection or
Investigation of possible crimes <>r
criminal acts or violations of law, In*
eluding ail special attorneys, special
agents, inspectors or other employes
of any department <>f the government
or any branch *?f the public service.
and also some information as to all
persons whose employment was au
thorlsed by indefinite er general ap?
propriations, the information to con?
tain the names of all persons so em
ployed or paid, their previous occupa?
tion, the nature of the work in which
they were sngaged, by whom tli y
were appointed ami upon whose sug
gestlon or recommendation; the In?
quiry, however, not to include officers
appointed by the president and con?
firmed by the senate or office re spaciftc
ally provided for by law or laborers
appointed as such and actually engag?
ed in employment as laborers."