The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-10

ignorant Of il and was now writing a letter
which would be serviceable IL needed later
as evidence to support that position. In
fact this was the use to which the letter
was afterward actually put by him in quot
ing H. to persons not informed Of the facts,
as will appear later. I felt that the only
thing for me to do in this situation was TO
tender my resignation at once. and that l
Immediately did, accompanying II by a
letter to the President, OF which, l regret
to say, l can find no copy. To this l re-
ceived the following reply:
WHITE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 20. 1904.
DEAR BELLAMY: l have your letter. 1t is
absolut ely all right; we will treat the incident
as closed. Moth ing would persuade me to
accept your resignation. old fellow. and |
am sure John Hay feels as I do. When l
see you I shall explain, as l do not like to do
on paper. how full had been the steps taken
Hay in investigating the matter and the use
that was made against me of your letter.
| shall give Hay your note. Faithfully yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
With this the incident closed. l had
follow ed exactly the Presidents request
in seeing Pope Piux X. / had reported to
him in detail my interview; l had put IT
squarely to him that l had done nothing
beyond what he had asked me to do, and he
had thereupon left the subject, not dis
~avowing his authority nor dissenting from
any statement. L hCCOTull&ly hCtcplc1 6r
sincere the cordial ex IMPRESSIONS with which
he refuses, 70 ~ccept my resignation, as 1t
was appArrs Chat his irritation had been
caused, I.D- ~ my acts, but by the pub
licity who. @,ad unfortunately been given
TO things which he wished TO have done,
bat wished to be kept secret"
Fortunately l have the original Of the
letter of which Mr.. Storer says he kept no
copy, and il showst that Mr.. Storer's state
ment is false. This letter was in answer
- i Ii - 90 tn mart
but which in its entirety is as follows:
EARLY REBUKE TO sroRER.
PERSONALLY
THE WHITE HOUSE.
WARRINGTON. Dec. 30, 1903.
My DEAR BELLAMT In my last letter to You
I wrote you as to n report | had heard about
your writing a letter concerning the dis
missal of Hurst. This came to me from an
outside source and | did not credit. Since
then Secretary Hay has sent me over a letter
lof yours to Senator Hanna. which the Inter
put before the Department with a request
that he he given Information in order TO
answer you. Secretary Hay feels. OF course.
exceedingly indignant over your having
written in such a manner TO any outsider
and feels that there should he some Official
rebike. Because of our personal relations
/ write in this way to Eou instead.
| hardly think YOU could have thought
exactly what you we're writing. You say, for
instance, about the ismiSs OF Hurst: j do
know the manner of his removal In a way ]
should be ashamed to employ with a common
servant. . " . 7 have never known, II what
hear is the case, of a more sudden or I'M
expected actiorof any Administration
Ii may be none OF your business nor mine,
but / know yoN do not like injustice"
OF course. this amounts TO a bitter attack
upon the Administration of which YOU are a
part. You make charges of a grave nature
against the Secretary of State and the Presi-
dent under whom you are serving, IT these
charges were true that would not, In ny
opinion, Justify YOU in writing to the Senator
in such fashion. As il happens, they are
absolutely without foundation. No case was
gone into more carefully than this. | have
reports before me from Ambassador Meteor
mick and from a special and trusted agent OF
the Departmental man in whose judgment
the Department has absolute confidence No
other action was possible in view OF these
reports.
] know, my dear Bellamy. that you have
not intended to do anything distastefnl or
improper, but surely on thinking over the
matter you will see that there would be but
one possible construction TO put on such a
letter from you. Think OF the effect If your
letter were made public!
Let me repeat TO You that in reference to
matters affecting the Catholic Church events
have conclusively shown that while YOU are
Ambassador YOU must keep absolut ely clear
of any deed or word in Rome or elsewhere
which would seem to different late your posi-
ton from that of other Ambassadors The
mere fact of the report in the newspapers
about your calling a. the Vatican has had
a very unfortunate effect. | dare say you did
not call; you may merely have seen some
Cardinal privately: but the unpleasant talk
over the affair emphasizes the need of ex-
tremp CircumSpeCtlon while you are IN your
present position.
While | an President and you are Ambas-
sador neither Of us in his public relations ia
10 act as Catholic or Protestant. jew or Gem
tile: and we have TO be careful. not merely
to do what is right. but so to carry ourselves
as to show that we are doing what il right.
I shall ask you not to quote me to any person
i'm any shape or way in connection with any
affair of the Catholic Church, and yourself
not to take action Of any kind which will
nive ground for the belief that YOU. as an
American ssadoT. are striving to in
terfere in the affairs of the Church,
With love to Maria, faithfully yours.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
SAYS sToRER CONCEALED FACTS. .
In response to this Mr.. Storer wrote me
a letter rendering his resignation, not as
he asserts because OF anything in CON-
nection with his visit to the Vatican, but
| solely because of his conduct in the Hurst
matter. In this letter, in answer to mine
of December 30. he makes absolutely no
allusion whatever TO what | said in that
letter as 90 his call at the Vatican; this
letter OF mine shows that l had then never
! heard from him that he called at the Vati-
can, and his absolute silence at the time
shows that what he says now on the sub
iect is a pure a~fterthought. He never in
any way dissented from the statements 1
made in those three letters of December
10, 81 and 20, and in this letter of january
10, in which he rendered his resignation p,
his whole concern was over his conduct
in the Hurst affair. His letter runs in part
as follows (all the omitted parts re-
ferring also exclusively TO the Hurst mat
teri:
AN APOLOGY FROM sToRER.
January. rs, 1904.
MY DEAR THEODORE: ! find in answering
you r letter Of December that ] made an
error of date. The letter l wrote Hanna I.
ms also the writing to yourself on the Consul
General matter was after 92d February. 1909.