Show WI JOIN A NOBLE ARMY So Delavan Smith of or the Indian Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis apolis News and ana William M 31 Lat Laffan Laffan fan fa of oC the New York Sun have peen jeen given slen gh cn a free and unlimited member IShip in the noble club by Pres President ident Id nt Roosevelt forming a valuable ad addition addition to an already notable f aggregation tion This time the president unlimbers bers bc s his vocabulary and says ays t it I right I out t there is no resort to such circum circumlocutions circumlocutions locutions as a shorter and uglier word ord but both the candidates are called cn led liars hare plain liars variegated and liars of or all degrees from Blue Lodge to and back again Lest there theres should s be some misunderstanding he heit iterates it rotes and reiterates with no quail qualifying qualifying phrases that the truth is not in InS Int t S these publishers Zhe The occasion for tor this latest outbreak wits wis the publication by the Sun copied bj b the Indianapolis News of ot a n charge chargent that nt the ostensibly paid to th government for tor the old Pan Panama Panama ama Canal worthless assets fund found nd its Hc way into the ts of r of ot Americans who had organized cr I Uw movement to back the revolution off ath strip for foi f this country and a d who had later made ronde m de an enormous profit on the deal by I which the French company surrendered its ft paper right to dig the big canal C The story further intimated that the theS S presidents Mr Robin Robins s was waa interested in the deal and that Charles P I Taft Tait brother of or the t who was wag then secretary of of war had a slice of or the velvet ac accruing accruing to the negotiators In reply the president says the money was paid to t the tho French government a fact already alread published by the Sun Tho The president however does not say where the thc ultimately went and that thatis is the crux of or the whole story because so o far tar no ever found who ho real ly IY got the cash though It Is certain thu th original stockholders of ot the French company barely barel got sot a whiff whit of ot It In Investigation in Paris disclosed the fact that all the records had been men turned over to the government of the United States S tes but such records as would dis disclose disclose close cJ se the o final recipients of the big payment have either been destroyed or orare orare orare are withhold wIthheld from from the tho public Tho reply of ot Mr Ir Laffan Lattan Is character characteristically brief brier He says no respectable man can afford to get Into a a contro centre controversy versy ve sy with the president of or his Ro Roo sevelt complete freedom from froin any sense personal obligation In re respect reI I to the truth Which is a rather rother neaL retort courteous Mr Laffan also notes with passing irony that the let Jet letter Jetter letter ter Is addressed addre cd to William Dudley Foulke to whom Mr Roosevelt wrote his memorable letter Jetter denying that he was using u the federal patronage to aid Mr Ir Tafts candidacy the letter which at once took its place among the most incunabula of veracity In explanation of or Mr play playful pla playful ful and erudite use of ot language it may maybe ma mabe maybe be said that a careful study stud of or the den Cen Century en tury tu dictionary shows that Incunabula la 10 means cradle or birthplace so he would Intimate with ith some some sarcasm t that the letter referred to is one of or the original original nal sources of ot truth as the president Interprets it Newspaper publishers who know Mr Ir IrL r Laffan L and and Mr Ir Delavan Delann Smith person personally personally personally ally will have no difficulty In deciding a question of veracity between them and Roosevelt and they will not accept the presidents version without some evidence other than his written word w rd though as Mr Ir Laffan says we can ean cannot canS S not nit disguise our chagrin and humilia humiliation C tion that the person thus addressed is the president of or the United States 5 Having descended to the level of ot billingsgate and Invited the issue the tha president deserves no better fate than the reply of the men he assailed I The long category of honorable men whom he has accused aused of or i I lying the repeated Instances one of or 5 which Mr Ir Laffan cites in in which the 4 i president either ignored d or purposely misstated m the truth confirms the im impression pr that he ho has a n monomania for who venture to differ from 4 1 55 S him either i or br r st statement t t of fact tact and that on such he heh has h s very little regard for historical veracity or the dignity of or his high of office offIce fice flee He assailed Judge Parker for Tor declaring declarIng declaring ing that the Republican national com corn committee was holding up the thO big corpora corporations corporations tiong for tor campaign n funds the lasur insurance ance ane investigation showed Judge Parker was right He assailed Senator Chan Chandler dier for tor a statement of a conference with him when the subsequent history of ot events showed Chandler had told the truth troth He denied the truth of or a state statement statement statement ment made by Whitney of or Boston on the tariff question and no one ques questioned questioned questioned the honesty and veracity of Mr Ir Whitney but the president Times in innumerable Innumerable Innumerable numerable he has thus placed men in inthe Inthe Inthe the Ananias category who bore able reputations lons that had never been subject to such assault at any an other hand From those he called nature fakers to candidates for the presidency no man has been safe aCe t from these at attacks attacks attacks tacks though Roosevelt knew he had any opponent at an unfair disadvantage tago tage by the sheer weight of or the office he holds So far has he be carried his habit that these latest subjects need have no cause for regret that they Slave ave been added to the list Hat It Is rather an honorable dis distinction distinction in no sense ense a disadvantage to them S 4 |