Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-11
Which He Says Substantjates and
Proves His Statements in Matter,
Eupene PhI|bjn Denies Mrs. StoIeT'S Assertion That
Ne Was En)misaly to Rome For President

inst an SIRE that in the navy &c |
nartment he. would do exceedingly well as |
secretary. l do not know whether geo
graphically he would me tho right man. f.
For instance. I should Tx" much 10 get L
Pacific slope man into til" cabinet anu
particularly III the navy Department.. ana
| 10 not wish to leave New England I'M
raprcsentcd AT present | see no PACING
slope man who would be competent to
fill the position. Moreover. if possible. |
should like to set one or more members
of the cabinet who are in close touch
with the people carrying weight when
they explain the policies, purposes and
acts of my administration.
This is the one point in which the
present cabinet Is not as strong rs it
should be. | do not believe that a finer,
ADLER, more high-mindcd body of public
servants was ever got together around Il
President; but there is no one Of them,
with the possible exception Of Root twho
is so busy that he can hardly ever sp2ak)
who can appear before the country with
the prestige of Il great political leader
to explain and champion my adrninStrl-
ton. If I could at any time ill this want
| should most ardently desire 90 so. In
other words. for Il cabinet p1ac" the man
should. if possible. be TO, only Cmineltly
fit for the administration Of his depart
nent, but also. if possible a party leader
of weight and. furthermore. i is rarely
that one can ill 4 cabinet position with
reference only to itself-aIl surrounding
conditions must be taken into account.
Now, after foreign affairs. my inqui-
, ries speedily develop the fact thai a Cath
Ole Just at present would not be man
whom it would be wise to send to Ger
many. For wholly different reasons it
would not be wise to send him to Italy.
l had not thought Of or known either
these facts when | advocated Bcllamys
going to Italy. As soon as | made in
quirics to the effect both here and abroad
al appointments to Germany ana Italy, l
found what the facts We're. In no case
would the question of Catholicism cause
Any serious trouble; but I have not the
slightest idea whether any man intends
at present to leave his position.
COZ Porter in France, I hear nothing
but the strongest praise. lie seems to
have done particularly well 1t would
he an injustice of a fragrant kind to turn
him out at the present time. 1t is, of
coUrso. always possible that I may mako
a shift. and if in doing 50 France should
become vacant I should offer It to Bella
my at once unless it happened that I was
able t" offer him a cabinet position: but
as things arc Just at this time do nn1
seen The likelihood of such a condition
arising. | have written with minuteSt
dcta for | want you to understand cx-
actlv how things now stand.
''FaithfI!ly YOURS
'SiGncD "T1fEODOEE ROOSEVELT"
tn" President says:
The assertion that | authorized him
to make such Il statement as he saws
he was authorized to make to the Pope
IS untrue. gave him no such author
IZ2ti"n.' He omitS to note that he
himself told Archbishop Ireland that
h" had done 50 and the letter of the
latter to me, which l had quoted. I
have ready to submit with other let
tiers, of which the President told Arch
bishop Ireland of his message through
me to the Pope.
lie says. ana it is supported by Mr.
Loeb that he never received my letter
reporting in detail my visit 10 the Vati-
can. That letter was mailed from
Maran, on the Austrian frontier. at
my first moment of stop long enough
10 write after leaving Rome. The date
IS the 4th or 9Th Of December 1903. and
the letter is the one referred to by mo
In my letter to the President of Jan.
TO- 1904 wherein | say AS | wrote YOU
| 'Xac'ly what dill and said YOU may
judge whether I ovcrstcrpel" II is q
pity the letter in question Can,ut he
found
Inc President charges me with dis
lngcnuGuSreSS" in the matter Of nv
resignation in January. 1904 the one
which was refused by him and saws
that my resignation was based on an
other reason entirely than my going to
the Vatican to convey his message and
his treatment of the matter afterward.
He had. in the strongest terms. al
ready forbidden me to refer to that
matter. and already forbidden me to
quote him again in reference to it. II
was therefore quite proper and nat,1r-
al not to speak of it. but simply to
leave it to him to accept nv rcsigna-
ton on any grounds he chose, or no
ground at all if he saw fit.
THE Hurst incident-in which
though in principle. / was right. I felt
had been wrong in detail and was not
afraid 20 say so. afforded me per-
rect opportunity to tender my resic-
nation without again troubling the
Presidents suscentihiiities regarding
| rs message to Rome. If Tho word
! Vatican was not mentioned in nv lot
Ter Oh resignation, the facts were in