The Washington times., 1906-12-10

! Iers put me In a quandary. You wanr
me 10 do all kinds Of things that I can
{ not possibly do. and that ! ought not
I to do and you say things which I do
not want TO contradict, and yet IL makes
me feel hypOcriucaI II I seem TO ac-
qmesce in them. You must remember
that there are many other people who
/ feel about their religion just as you
feel about yours. They can no more un-
derstard yOur turning Catholic than you
can understand Catholics turning Prot
estanL Some Of the best people have
ever met were Protestants who had
originally been Catholics. cannot
stop, and / cannot uTse the stopping OF.
missionaries going anywhere they
choose. / emphaucally feel, as ] have
always told you, that the chance of bet
LeFlnE the Catholic inhabitants OF the
tropic islands lies by bringing them up
10 the highest standard OF American
Catholicism. The worst thing that
could happen both for them and the
Cathol5c Church would be fOr the Cath
ole Church 10 champion the iuiquities
that have undoubtedly been committed
not only by law. but by clerical. should
be leaders IN the Philippines and else
where. One incident, which ! actually
cannot put on paper. came 10 my per
sonal knowledge in connection with
high Catholic eCclesiastic In Cuba,
and bestial that IL made one feel that
the whole hierarchy In the island need
ed drastic renovation. Now. I very
earnestly wish that Archbishop Ireland
and those who are most advanced
among our Catholic priests-men Ike
the Pdullst Fathers. for iustanCe-shOuld
be given a free hand I'm these islands
and should be advanced In every way.
But You must remember how
hampeTed l am iu writing. from the fact
that / do NOT like 20 see any one admit
for moment the right Of a foreign
pOLcntate TO interfere IN American pub
lie policy. For instance, YOU speak OF
the Pope being angry with Archbishop
Ireland for not stopping the war with
Spain As FAR as I am concerned. I
would resent as an impertinenCe any
European, whether Pope, Kaiser. CzaT,
or President, daring 10 be angry with
any American because OF his action or
uOnaCtiOu as regards any question be-
tween America and an outside nation.
No preJension OF this kind should be ad-
mitted for one moment. If any mHn.
clerical or lay. bishop, archbishop,
pTiests or civilian. was in any way guilty
Of tTeasOna bic practices with Spain dur
ing our war, he should be shot or hang
ed and il IS an outrage on justice that
he should be at large. But I cannot
write in way that viii seem to defend
man FOR not ayeTting war with
Spain. FOR I cannot recognize fG- q
single moment the right OF any Euro
peau to so much as think that there Is
case
AS you know, I always treat Catho-
lie and Protestant exactly alike, as !
do jew or Gentle. as ! do the man OF
native American, German Irish. or any
other kind of parentage, Any disCrimi-
nation for or against a man because OF
his creed or nativity strikes me as an
infamy. Men like Bishop Keane like
the late Father Casselly, like Father Bel
ford, the parish priest Of my own town
of Oyster Bay. and like scores of other
a.ar#- IL
TO receive from me the same measure of
affectiOnate respect and loyal support
that ! have given to men Ike Phillips
Brooks, Ike Mr. DeVine, and like so
very many other Protestant clergymen
whom I could name. Moreover, my dear
Mrs. Storer. whatever I could do for
YOU and Bellamv. would be done; but !
simply do not see how I can do any
thiuo ir this particular matter.
" With real regret. very sincerely
yours. THEODORE ROOSEVELT