Show mm PANAMA urn CABAl MESSAGE READ TO CONGRESS Much Merriment in the Senate Sen te teas as President Arraigned Joseph Pulitzer LAUGHTER IN THE HOUSE OVER ANGER DISPLAYED NOTHING ADDED TO SUM TOTAL OF INFORMATION REGARDING MAIN QUESTION INVOLVED I n Washington Dec 15 Repeated peals peats of laughter greeted the th read reading readIng ing of th the thc opening paragraph of or President message to congress on OR the thO e Panama charges t today toda As the secretary read the statement that the charges were false in every particular lar Sen Senator Senator ator Bailey laughed outright Other Senators on both sides of the chamber joined with him and wh when n the reader reached the state slate statement statement ment that a statement in a news newspaper newspaper newspaper paper which he mentioned would not be believed there here was waz general merriment There was only a small number of ot senators present when the read reading reading ing lug was W LS begun be n and was hurried through the papers accompanying the message not being read at all The message the greatest j interest in the house The mem members mem members members bers gave gae close attention during the reading read In of the document and F there was a ripple of laughter over the presidents characterization of or o Joseph Pulitzer publisher of the New Nw York Tork World The message with its accompanying accompanying papers was referred d to committees J Washington Dec 15 President Roosevelt today sent to the senate a statement concerning the purchase of the Panama canal property by the United States denouncing in strong language charges that there was any anything an anything thing wrong in the acquisition by the United States of oC the canal property prop rt hese stories he were first brought rought to my attention as pub published published published in a paper in Indianapolis called the News edited d ted by Delavan Smith The stories were scurrilous sc and In hi character and false fa in every essential particular Mr Smith ell himself that he merely c PI d the il e statements which had ap appeared appeared in a paper published In New NewYork NewYork York Tork the World owned by Joseph Pu Pulitzer Pulitzer litzer It is idle to say that the known character of Mr Pulitzer and his news newspaper newspaper paper are such that the statements in that paper will be believed by nobody unfortunately thousands of persons are I ill informed in this respect and believe the statement they see printed even though theY in a newspaper published by Mr m Pulitzer False and Wicked Summarizing charges made mad in this connection the president says sa s These statements sometimes ap appeared appeared peered in the editorials sometimes in inthe inthe Inthe the news columns sometimes in the shape of contributions by individuals either unknown or known to be of bad character They are false in every particular from beginning to end The Wickedness of oZ the slanders is only sur surpassed sur surpassed surpassed passed by b their fatuity So utterly base baseless baseless baseless less stories that apparently they represent t in part merely mereb material col collected collected for campaign purposes purPoses and In part stories originally conceived with a aview aview aview view of positive blackmail The In Inventor Inventor of o the story about Charles P Taft TaCt for instance evidently supposed that at some period of the Panama purchase William H Taft TaCt was secretary of f war whereas in reality William H Taft never neer became secretary of or war un until until uni til UI long after atter the whole transaction n in lit question had been closed The of o the story about Douglas Robinson Continued on Page 2 PANAMA CANAL CANAL MESSAGE READ TO CONGRESS Continued Contin ed from Page 1 had not taken the trouble to find lind out the fact that Mr Robinson had not nor had the slightest connection directly or r In Indirectly indirectly directly of any kind or sort with any phase of the Panama transaction from beginning to end The men who a at attacked tacked Mr Root in the not taken the trouble to read the public documents document which would Have nave informed them that Mr Root had nothing to do with the purchase which was entirely arranged through the department of justice under then Attorney General Knox t Infamous Libels Now No these stories storres as a matter of fact need no Investigation whatever No Xo shadow of ot proof has been or can be produced in behalf of any of them They The consist mainly of a string of in infamous Infamous Infamous famous libels In form they are partly libels upon Mr Taft Tatt and Mr Robinson for tor instance but they are In fact tact wholly wholly wholly ly and in form torm partly a libel upon the United States government I do not believe we should concern conc rn ourselves with the particular individuals who wrote the lying and libelous editorials articles from correspondents c or articles in the news columns The real offender is Joseph Pulitzer editor and proprietor pr tor of the World While the criminal offense of which Mr Ir Pulitzer has been guilty is in form a libel upon Individuals individuals Individuals the great creat injury done is in black blackening blackening blackening ening the good name pame of ot the American people It should not be left leet to a p jiri ri vate citizen to sue Mr Ir Pulitzer for libel He should be prosecuted for tor libel by b the governmental authorities In point of encouragement of iniquity In point of ot infamy of wrong doing there Is noth nothing nothIng nothing ing to choose between a public servant who betrays his trust a public servant who is guilty of blackmail or theft or financial dishonesty of any kind and a aman II aman man guilty guilt as Joseph Pulitzer has been guilty in this instance It is therefore a high national duty to bring to justice this of the American people this man who wantonly and wickedly and without one shadow of justification seeks to blacken the character of reputable reputable reputable table private citizens and to convict the government of ot his own O country in the eyes of ot the civilized world of ot wrong doing of or the basest and foulest o lest kind when he has not lot one shadow of o justification justification cation of any sort or description of ot the charge h has made ade The attorney general has under consideration the form under which the proceedings proceedIng against Mr Ur Pulitzer shall shan be brought Papers Transmitted The president refers to various pa papers paper peril per ich he ha transmits with his mes message message message sage and calls caUs attention to numerous utterances and acts acta relating to the canal and its Us purchase He cites cite the th act ct of congress by which it was was author authorized authorIzed to pay for tor the canal canai a property and says sas it was w s no flO concern of ot the president what the new knew Panama Canal company did with the money mone Explaining the method m thod pt of concluding the purchase the president says The Panama canal transaction was actually carried through not by b either the then secretary of state John Hay or the then secretary of ot war Elihu Root both boto of ot whom however were w re cognizant cOb of ot all aU the essential features but by the then attorney general P C Knox at present senator from Penn Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania sylvania I approved every action and am responsible for tor all aU that was done In carrying out the will Ill of the congress and the provisions of the law enacted enact d by congress after arter exhaustive examination and discussion were scrupulously scrupUlously complied with by br the executive executive tive live While the transaction was pend pending pendIng pending ing I saw Mr Cromwell but two or three times and mv my communications with him were limited d to the exchange of purely pure formal courtesies Secretary Hay occasionally saw him in the same manner I doubt whether Mr 11 Root held any conversation with him The attorney attorney ney ey general saw him frequently as he lie was counsel for the Panama company compau their theft communications were official as representing the two Government Not Influenced The action of oC the government he lie says was wholly uninfluenced by any question of or who were or were not stock stockholders stockholders stockholders holders either in the new or old com corn company company pany If It as a 3 matter of ot fact he explains the canal company compan either elther or both had been owned by American citizens or Jr r by citizens of ot any other nationality Ij would not have altered In tho the slightest degree the action taken by this govern government government government ment Our concern was to get tile canal property which was owned by the French company com an and to s see e that the title was clear These TI elje transactions trans were carried on openly and published in detail and we dealt solely so far tar as the interests Int rests or of the old Panama com corn company company pany was vas concerned with the liquida liquidator tor appointed by b the proper French governmental body bod the civil tribunal of or orthe the Seine and it was the decree of or this same tribunal with th new nev Panama l Canal which also went into liquidation upon the sale to the th United States All AU transactions were carried on openly and were published in Intall de do detail tail tall Morgan Handled the Money The president states that the money was paid through the New York bank bankIng bankIng banking Ing house of J T Morgan orsan into nto the Bank of ot France In Paris In these payments he says sa we followed to the letter the decree of the governmental tribunal of ot France which had the authority to make mak such uch a de decree decree decree cree the civil tribunal of o tilt tin SeIne Heine We Va had neither desire nor authority to go behind the decree of or this proper gov governmental governmental body as aH aU the conflicting rights of ot the security holders of both companies had been settled by b the de decree decree decree cree of ot said court by ratification of the arbitration which resulted in that di tU division division vision qI I wish to make male as clear as Jo sl ble and as emphatic as possible pO the statement that we did not have any anything anything anything thing to do with the he distribution of ot e a it dollar doUar of the we paid Daid as re regards regards gards any sto stockholder or bondholder of the French capitalists save sae Unit we w followed out the award of the arbitrators tors tore appointed in ip accordance with the decree of f the French court which w ich l lad ad d dealt with wIsh the tito subject t in awarding a certain proportion to the old company and a certa n proportion to the new company compan Any question concerning the stockholders ers bondholders iders or other of or the proceeds of ot the sale sal was vas purely purel a question for the civil tribunal tr of or the Seine the French governmental body with which this nation had noth nothing nth ing lug whatever to do Cromwell Upheld Under these circumstances there was not the slightest need for fOI Mr to give any uny information on the subject of or the companies for which he had bad been counsel counse Th s government has no no con concern concern concern cern with Mr relation to these companies or either of ot them or with the amount of his professional proCessional compensation com it was not the affair of ot this government to inquire who were the security holders of the company compan Nevertheless Mr lr Cromwell of his wn accord has submitted to me together with a copy of ot his statement published on the instant and which I trans transmit transmit transmit mit herewith a full fun list of ot stockholders of the new Panama Canal company of France on Jan Tan 15 1900 numbering over and a list ot or all stockholders who were present at Jot a special sp lal meeting of ot the company held Feb 28 1902 immediate immediately ly after the cable offer of the company was made to the United States Jan 1902 to accept the appraisement of made by the isthmian canal commission and to sell for tor said paid ald sum the Panama canal concessions and other property and the shares of the Panama Railroad company compan Money on Deposit Referring to accompanying docu documents documents ments merits the president says no payment will be made upon the stock of the old Panama Canal company and he is in informed Informed informed formed the payments pa ments on the bonded in hi indebtedness will be but 10 per cent About shareholders of ot the th new new Panama company will receive pay payments payments payments ments and they will recover their original original inal Investments with annual interest of ot about S I per cent The accounts and records of this liquidation which was as concluded in inJune inJune June Tune last he says sa s are on deposit with the Credit of or Paris as a proper custodian of Df the same appointed upon such liquidation Recently Recent a re request request request quest was made by a private individual to inspect the records of or these pay payments pa payments ments but answer was made by the custodians that they saw no proper reason for granting such request by a stranger and inasmuch as there is not the he slightest ground for suspicion of any bad faith In the transaction it hardly seems worth orth while w ile to request but if it the congress Ss desires I have no doubt that on the request ambassador in Paris the list of ot indi individuals Individuals will be shown him himAs himAs himAs As a it matter of pf fact tact there is nothing whatever in which this government Is Interested to investigate about this So far as this government Is t g concerned every step of the slightest Importance has been made public by b Its executive and every step taken In France has there been made public by bythe bythe the he proper officials Documents Not Read fead Accompanying the t e presidents mes roes message message sage was a large bundle of ot documents bearing upon the transfer of ot the canal property to the United States Many of these documents were In French without English translation There Wits was nothing showed directly the persons who the paid by the United States but there was included a alist alIst list 1st of or about stockholders in the theold theold theold old and new Panama company all of ot them hem citizens of ot France and of ot the Co Columbian republic There was not the name of ot a citizen of or the United States In n the list |