The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-12-10
THE RECALL
OF STORER
President Gives Facts Of AM
bassadOr's Dismissal.
MADE THINGS AWKWARD
Roosevelt Says That Statement, In
Open Letter Are False-Mrs
Storer a Mischief Maker.


long letter addressed TO Secretary Root
giving correspondence between The
president and former Ambassador
Storer at Vienna and Mrs. Storer, In
which he says that Mr.. Storer's refusal
to answer his letters and the publlca'
ton OF various private letters Justified
the ambassadors removal; that Mr.
storer's publication OF private CORE
spondence was peculiarly ungentle-
manly and that he (the presldenU had
stated with absolute clearness his posi-
ton and the reason why II was out OF
the question for him as president TO
try to get any archbishop made car
dlnsl, though expressing his admlra-
ton for Archbishop Ireland as well as
leaders OF other denominations.
He says he thinks II well that the
members OF the cabinet should know
certain facts (which be (storer) either
suppresses or misstates." He says he
did not resent the action OF the Stor-
tTb uutli ~ DtNauit tNiuthb hN9 "NaN
likely to damage American interests"
He says Mrs. Storer urged him TO give
her husband a cabinet place and that
she stated Mr.. Choate at London and
General Porter at Paris were not prop
err persons to be ambassadors. suggest.
Ing her husband In that connection.
The president incorporates a letter
from Postmaster General Cortelyou,
contradlcting the statement that Presl-
dent Mckinley had commissioned a
gentleman TO ask the pope "as n per
sonal favor to him" to appoint Arch.
bishop Ireland as cardinal. Mr.. Cor
telyou says the late President McKin-
ley never made any such request. The
president declares that AIR. Storer's
statement that he authorized any such
message TO be delivered to Pope Plus
is untrue. He says that he never re
celved a letter from Ambassador Stor-
er giving an account OF his visit to the
Vatican and OF the message he pegon-
ally gave the pope on behalf OF Mr..
Roosevelt
The presidents action last night fol
lows the publication Of the confiden
tial pamphlet" which Mr.. Storer last
week sent to the president, the cabinet
and the senate foreign relations com
mittee.
my Dear Mr.. Root-In view OF the
fact that Mr.. Bellamy Storer has sent
to each member of my cabinet as well
as TO myself II pamphlet under date
of November. 1906, purporting to give
an account of those relations of his
with me which led up to his removal |
from the position of ambassador nj,
Vienna think It as well that you and
the other members of the cabinet
should know certain facts which he
either suppressed or misstates. As to
the necessity for removing him from
this position suppose there is no need
of discussion. An ambassador who re-
fuses 10 answer the letters of the pres
ident cannot remain an ambassador.
His statement that my letters to him
not answer them needs no further com
ment than to point that in such case it
was his clear duty instantly to resign.
His publication of the various private
letters between his wife and himself !
and me would furnish any additional
justification were such needed for his
summary separation from the service
He does not give the state depart |
ment's final letter to him, which runs
as follows:
"'Sept. 10, 1906.
=" Hon. Bellamy Storer, Paris, France.
"'Your letter of Aug. 3 does not re-
quire any comment as whole but by |
direction of the president l answer it |
as regards one point. You assume that
In the letter Of Dec. II the president
wrote you not as one official Of the |
United States to another, but purely
and private letter, and you
state that this letter shows on its face
that no answer from you was asked
for, suggested or expected.
"Tt is hard to understand your max
ing such a statement in view of the
fact that the letter you quote derives
Its entire Importance from the accom-
panying letter, which you were asked
to read and hand to Mrs. Storer. in
which Mrs. Storer was Informed that
unless she took certain definite action
your connection with the diplomatic
service would have to be severed. 1t
Is OF course unnecessary to discuss and |
1t ought to be unnecessary even to al.
lude to any proposition so absurd as
that this severance of you from the
service would be asked for not by the
president as president, but in his pri.
vate capacity. The president was anx.
ious to treat both you and Mrs. Storer
with the utmost gentleness and consid
GRAFTON, and 1t seemed to him that his
end could be achieved in the way
easiest for you by following the course
which he actually did follow. The let.
ter to Mrs. Storer Of course became
part of the matter Of which you were
required to take cognizance. In it Mrs
Storer was asked to fulfill certain con.
ditions, failure to fulfill which would
require. she was informed, your sew.
erance from the service, which condI
ton she never fulfilled. You were re.