Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-10
ROOSEVELT MAKES
TART ANSWER
Executive, In Open Letter Addressed
to Secretary Root, Charges Former
Ambassador with Misrep-
resentlng Facts
CCon,inued from PAGE one,

OF the United States, but a purely per-
sonal and private letter, and you state
that this letter shows on its face no
answer from you was asked for, sug-
gested or expected
" 1t is hard to understand your maxi
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
IL ought to be unnecessary to even all
lude to any proposition so absurd as
this severance of you from the service
would be asked for, not by the presi-
dent as such, but in his private capaci-
ty.
1.-The president was anxious to treat
both you and Mrs. Storer with the ut
most gentleness and consideration and
1t seemed to him that his end could
be accomplished in the way easiest for
you by following the course which he
actually did follow.
The letter to Mrs. Storer, of course,
became part of the matter of which
you were requested 10 take COBnlHanCe.
In 1t Mrs. Storer was asked to fulfill
certain conditions, failure to fulfill
which would require, she was informed,
your severance from the service, which
conditions she never fulfilled.
You were requested to read this
letter and hand ii to her. 1t Is difficult
to stigmatize merely as folly the propo-
sition that under these conditions the
presidents letter required no answer.
90 hnx 1aA 81 ~ ii.
ohedient servant,
ROBERT BACON,
Acting Secretary
Sets Out Facts
"It is never pleasant to have to dis
cuss personal affairs or quote or ex-
plain from personal correspondence;
which is one reason why it is held to
be a peculiarly ungentlemanly thing to
publish private correspondence. But as
Mr. Storer, in his extraordinary
pamphlet, prints various letters written
by himself, by me and by Mrs. Storer
shall set forth briefly the facts of the
case, giving certain letters which are
necessary in order to understand clear
ly those he prints.
II first met the Storers while / was
civil service commissioner and he had
come to Washington as a congressman
They were then kind and friendly in
their relations with me and my family.
/ retained lively recollection of this
kind and friendly attitude, and because
of the affection 1t inspired submitted
to conduct from Mr.. and Mrs. Storer
to which / would have submitted from
no other ambassador and his wife, and
did not resent their actions until 1t
became evident that they were likely
to damage American interests. Mrs.
Storer insisted to me often that their
change of creed had proved a deadly
blow to her husbands career, and that
they were suffering for conscience sake.
II accepted this statement as true,
and 1t gave me a certain chivalric
feeling that ought to CO what 1 could
to help them and be as patient as pos
sible with them.
Under Mckinley
Under President Mckinley, Mr..
Storer was made minister, first to Bel
gium and then to Spain. About the
time of my accession to the vice presi-
dency 1 wrote at PresidentNc Kinley's
request to Mr.. and Mrs. Storer that
the president desired me to say that
Mr.. Storer was ultimately to be made
an ambassador.
"Mr. and Mrs Storer were greatly in
terested in securing the promotion of
Archbishop Ireland to be a cardinal.
had and have a sincere respect and ad-
mfration for Archbishop Ireland, re-
spect and admiration which 1 have
cften publicly expressed.
1.-The letter from me to Mr.. and Mrs.
Storer quoted in Mr.. Storer's pamphlet
give with precision my views both upon
Archbishop Ireland and upon the pos
sibility or propriety Of my taking in
his behalf the steps which the Storers
asked and / can add nothing to what
these letters themselves show. When
they first wrote to me on the subject
was governor of New York.
mot being president myself and not
having thought out with clearness the
exact situation, asked President Nc
Kinley whether he could properly do
anything to help Archbishop Ireland.
He responded that 1t was not a
matter with which he could with pro-
priety interfere, although he expresse
himself of having the same high
opinion of Archbishop Ireland that 1
had. had a further conversation with
the president on the subject, either just
before or just after my election as
vice president, In which he stated what
he felt was the proper position-a posi-
ton with which I absolutely agreed.
Following this conversation in my
1900, quoted by Mr.. Storer in his
pamphlet, I stated with absolute clear
ness my position and why it was out
OF the question for the president to try
t. get any archbishop made cardinal;
and all the letters quoted by Mr.. Storer
as having been subsequently written
by me to him or to his wife take pre-
cisely the same position.
Friendship for Archbishop
"I explained repeatedly that my
| friendship and admiration for Arch
bishop ireland (Which is like my friend
ship and admiration for Bishop Law
renee Of the Episcopal church and
Bishop Cranston of the Methodist
church; like my friendship and admira.
ton for many clergymen OF many
minations-Baptists, Lutherans
Methodists, Congregationalists, Presby.
terians and others) would make mt
pleased to see any good fortune attend
him, or any churchmen like him OF
any creed but that l could not inter.
fere for his promotion. or indeed. II
any way In the ecclesiastic ways OF
any church.
This was also the position I took In
all private conversations and the as
1 .,.lx a..