The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-12-11
ROOSEVELT
ANSWERS BELLANY STORER
Charges of FaIsehOod and Church
Intrigue Exchanged.
MRS. STORER BEGGED FAvORS
Letters and President Mckinley Quot
ed--Efforts to Remove Ambassa-
doris Choatc and Porter-No
Message Sent to the Pope.

doris Choatc and Porter-No
Message Sent to the Pope.
Washington. D. Cone Of the
most sensational documents ever is
sued by a President was a long letter
addressed by President Roosevelt to
Secretary of State Root, and made
public, in which is given correspond
ence between the President and for
mer Ambassador Bellamy storer at
Vienna regarding the efforts that the
Ambassador and his wife were maxi
ing to have Archbishop ireland raised
to the rank Of d Cardinal.
The letter contains scathing de-
nunciations of Bellamy Storer and of
Mrs. Storer for their use of the Am
bassador's position to further their
purposes at the Vatican, and the
President bitterly denounces them
for having, as he understands. repre-
sented to the Pope and certain Car
dinals at Rome first that President
Mckinley and afterward President
Roosevelt had particularly requested
the elevation of the Archbishop.
Referring to the pamphlet sent by
St0rer to members of tho Cabinet,
giving some of the correspondence
between the PRESIDENT and Mr.. and
Mrs. Storer, President Roosevelt de-
nounces this publication of private
correspondence as ungentlemanly.
The statement by Storer that the
President had backed his efforts to
have Archbishop Ireland elevated.
Mr.. Roosevelt denounces as absolute
ly untrue.
Mr.. Roosevelt quotes many Of the
letters that passed between him and
the Storers, and they put the former
Ambassador and his wife in a most
unenviable position. The correspond
ence shows that Mr.. Roosevelt first
came to know the Storers when he,
was Civil Service Commissioner. and
Storer was a Congressman. They
became great friends and called each
other by their Christian names.
When Mr.. Roosevelt became Gov
ernor of New York the Storers inter-
ested him in their scheme to have
Archbishop Ireland elevated to the,
rank OF Cardinal, and in number Of.
letters he told them that he would bel
very glad to see the Archbishop SO.
elevated.
When he was Vice-President they
besought him to get President Nc,
Kinley to appeal to Pope Leo in be-
half of Archbishop Ireland, and Mr..
Roosevelt did speak to President Nc
Kinley about it. He states that Pres
ident Mckinley told him that under
no circumstances could he intervene
In any way in any ecclesiastical mat
ter and he (Mr Roosevelt) SO wrote
the Storers He uses letter from
George B. Cortelyou to prove that
President Mckinley did not, as Storer
claimed, send message to the Pope
Some of the correspondence that
passed between the President and the
StOrers after Mr.. Roosevelt's access
sion to the Presidency puts the Stor-
ers in ridiculous position. Letters
from Mrs. Storer are quoted, show
ing that she openly begged the Presi-
dent, first to displace Secretary of
War Root and put her husband in his
place, and then, when he declined, to
dismiss either Ambassador Choate or
Ambassador Porter in order that her
husband might have either the Lon
don or Paris Embassy.
When the royal Spanish wedding
was approaching Mrs. Storer wrote
to the President. begging him
please, please" to send her and her
husband to Madrid as special ENJOYS,
as she would love it so. This request
was granted by the President.
The Presidents correspondence
shows that he over and over again
forgave both Bellamy Storer and his
wife for what were considered serious
offenses. At one time Storer wrote
to Senator Hanna making serious re-
Elections upon Secretary of State Hay
and the Administration. Senator
Hanna turned the letter over to Sec
rotary Hay, who was very indignant,
and asked that the Ambassador be
rebuksd. The President, however,
wrote MIN letter full of affection
and with but little reproach.
At another time, after the Presi-
dent had found out that Storer was
busying himself in affairs at the Vat
1can, he wrote him first a sharp let
ter, telling him Of the danger he was
putting the Administration into, and
then another letter telling him to
consider the incident closed, calling
him my dear fellow" and declaring
that he would under no circumstances
accept his resignation.
President Roosevelt's attitude to-
ward the Catholic Church is very
plainly set forth in several of his let
tiers to the Storers. He impresses
upon them that he must and does re-
gard all churches and all races in
America equally Catholic and Prot
estant, Jew and Gentle. One of his
letters indicates that Mrs. Storer had
written to him angrily protesting
against his allowing Protestant mis-
sionaries to go into the Philippines.
In this letter he tells Of the equality
Of churches before him, and says that
while he has the very highest regard
for Archbishop Ireland, as he has for
certain Protestant bishops, he Will
take occasion to say that he has
known of serious conditions existing
under the Catholic sway in the Phil
ippines and in Cuba, citing one case.