The Washington herald., 1906-12-09


| Il shall ask you not to quote me TO any
person in any shape OF way in connection
with any, affair Of the Catholic Church,
and yourself not TO take action Of any
kind which will give ground for the be-
/ lief that you, as an American ambassa-
dor, arc striving to interfere in the affairs
Of the church"
This letter." Mr. Storer says, with
It's virtual assertion that my visit 10 the
Vatican was not only Unauthorized. but
was so contrary to what could have been
/ expected that the President hardly then
believed that 1t has been, was unintellgi-
bic except on the theory that he had re-
solved to repudiate all authority for my
action and to appear ignorant Of It, and
was now writing letter which would be
/ serviceable IL needed later as evidence 20
support that position.
Used This Letter as Proof.
I'm fact this was the use to which the
letter was afterward actually put by
him in quoting it to persons not inform
ed Of the facts. I felt that the only
thing for me to do in this situation was
| 10 tender my resignation at once, and
/ this ! Immediately did"
| Mr.. St0rer quotes "a letter from the
President saying that nothing could per-
suade him to accept the resignation. and
that when he saw him he would explain
as he could not on paper.
Mr.. Storer replied to this criticism with
the following letter. in which he deals
with the influence Of Catholics in politics
American Embassy. Vienna.
January TO- 1904
Dear Theodore. Yours Of December z
/ has just reached me am as sorry as
| you can be that anything I did or said is
/ being used 10 attack you now As /
wrote you exactly what I did and said,
you may judge whether / oyerstepped
what belonged 10 me. As for the article
you send-its contempt Of common sense
In making it appear that your represent
ative at Rome had done something rep
! reheusible. ought to rouse common sense
I into temper and reciprocal contempt
DO not shut Your eyes 10 the dan
! ger which for FIVE years I have been
| trying TO head of from the Republican
party and its candidates. l hope 1 am
not the only one who is tired Of my
church possessing a hierarchy, which is,
/ so far as II knows politics. by a very
! large majority, in principle, opposed 10
US politically.
Needs All of Their support.
Although. when once Organism took
possession Of the Democratic party d
very large proportion Of my church voted
Republican. at another tine this large
| fragment Of influence and votes is quite
likely to return TO its old political fold.
The Republicans, for the first time in
1884, began 10 make serious inrOads On
the sOlidity of Catholic vote for the Dem
ocratic party. That was on a moral
issue Of the personal character Of the
candidate; you know a very large pro-
portion of this gain went back TO Mr..
/ Cleveland in IS9Z.
In 1896 and 1900 we got. perhaps.
more than half OF the votes of members
Of my church Are we going 10 keep
them? Are the Democrats going to give
us again a moral issue2 Do you sup
pose that the influence Of such powerful
minds as MeSmer and McPhaI Will natur-
ally tend toward RepublicanismZ
'Will the influence even OF suC.I good
men Is Gibbons. Ryan. Keane and others
Of old Maryland extraction De thrown
this time for Republican success, should
the issues be such as are mace by only
normal political differences?
Depended on Ireland's Influence
IF any better. or even another. way OF
balancing this doubt in our favor than
by straining every nerve to have The
great Republican influence in my church
recognized as standing Of equal value in
the eyes Of the spiritual authority OF the
church Cas the Democracy has been able
to make appear TO the contrary. for
thirty or forty years. can be shown me,
l am willing 20 follow il. Do you know
any other influence we can rely on for
this than Archbishop Ire!and's? If you
can-telI NE; and then remember very
carefully what YOU tell me, and tally with
this what 1 may do or say, all the time
trying not To compromise you.
AS for Hurst-at the same time /
wrote you direct I gave him a letter Of
introduction to Hanna, his fathers old
personal and political friend In this /
said. Just as I had told you. and as I re-
peated verbally to you, that if the
charges against Hurst We're made. they
ought to be looked upon with the greatest
suSpicion-as the character and interest
ed motives Of the latter made to my
mind a most unsavOry mixture. Hurst
swore to me that he had never been able
to learn why he had been removed. but
had reason TO believe that --- wanted
his place.
Il introduced Hurst to Hanna as one
asking only 10 find out why he was re
moved and removed only by telegram
with. as he stated. a refusal TO give him
any reason. That was in January, 1868.
and since that time except to yourself. 1
have never even spoken of the matter,
and my letter to you and Hanna of
year ago are the only letters I have ever
written.
Il repeat again-if the department acted
for reasons outside Of -. / have had
and have now, nothing to say. If it was
only on Us urgency, the department
has been misled by untrustworthy infor-
nation just as much as any Dreyfus
court-martiaI was misled by forged evil
dence.
Il haven't the slightest personal interest
in Hurst-and the matter has ceased to be
my business from this time I wrote in
January, 1893 and YOU answered then that
the matter was final. Faithfully yours.
"BELLAMY STORER."
President CIung to Hope.
Mr.. Storer says that with this the in
cidet closed He had followed exactly
the Presidents request in seeing Pope
Plus Y. u reported to him in detail my
interview: 1 had put it squarely TO him
that ha0 zone noIHlhS Deyouo Whdt
he had asked me TO do. and he had there
upon left the subject. not disavowing his
authority nor dissenting from his state
ment."
AIr. Storer says he continued to be on
the same terms of close intimacy with
the President as before. during 1904 and
1905. In the summer of 1904 he was in
the United States. and, with his wife.
was a guest at the White House. Again
the President spoke to him with great
warmth of Archbishop Ireland desiring
his elevation to the cardinals office; and
always without suggestion Of any dis
satisfaction with what had been pre-