The Washington herald., 1906-12-10

Q
moving him from this position, | sup
pose there is no need of discussion. An
ambassador who refuses to answer the
letters of the President cannot remain
an ambassador His statement that my
letters 10 him were of a C aracter such
that he could not answer them needs no
further comment than 10 point out that
in such case Il was his clear duty in
stantly 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 net give the State De-
partments final letter TO him, which runs
as follows:
Gould see No Explanation.
september TO- 1896.
Hon. Belamy storer Paris France.
"sir: Yotr letter Of August does not require any
comment as a whole, but by direction # the Presi-
dent answer it as regards enc point.
''Iou assume Thar m the letter % December II
the President wrote you aot as one Official Of the
United States to another bat purely personal
and private letter. and sou state that this letter
shows on It's face that answer from you was
asked for. suggested or expected
1T Is hard to understand sour making such a
statement in Iicw of the fact that the letter you
c0mpauyiug letter which sou were asked 10 read
aud hand 10 Mrs St0r,r I'm which Ars. St0rer was
informed that unless She took certain definite ac-
tian your connection with the diplomatic service
would have % De severed. II g. If curse, urneces
ssry to discuss. and 1t ought TO be unnecessary
even % allGde %. ans proposition so abbsuFd as
That this severance Of yUu from the service would
D. asked for nf by tie President as President.
bur in his private capacity. The President was
anxious 90 treat both I0U and Ms StorU WIN
tine utmost seutlcuess and consideration. and u
seemed 90 him J.at his end could be achieved m
the way easiest t-r you by follovlng the course
which DE actually did follow. The letter 20 Mrs
I Sturer Cf course became plrt Ot the matter oi
which yau wore required % take ClEizancc. In q
Mrs St5rtr was asked TO fufu certain conditions
failure o. fulfu which would require she vas IN
{, rued lgur severance from the service. which con-
d.fignS She never fulfilled. ToI were requested 90
read this letter and hand it to her- u Is difficult
- stcmatize merely as folly the proposition that
under these conditions the President letter re-
qJurcd DO answer
Il have the honor TO be- Sir. Your obedent servant
ROBERT BACON. Acting Secretary.
DepIoreS UnpIcasant Discussion.
III is never pleasant 10 have TO discuss
personal affairs. OF 20 quote or explain
/ from personal correspondence; which is
one reason why il is held to be a peculiar
/ ly ungenuemanIy thing to publish private
/ corresp0ndeure But as Mr.. St0rer IN his
extraordinary pamphlet prints various
! letters written 10y himself by me, and
/ by Mrs. Storer I shall set forth briefly
/ the fact of the case giving certain letters
which are necessary i'm order 90 under
stand clearly those which be prints.
Il first met the Storers while I was
/ Civil Service Commissioue-, and he had
come 10 Washington as a Congressman
/ They were then kind and friendly ia their
[ relations with me and my family. l re-
tanned a lively recollection Of this kind
and friendly attitude. and because Of the
/ affection il Inspired ] submitted to con
duct from Mr.. and Mrs. Storer 20 which /
would have submitted from no other am
/ naesad1r and his wife. and J did not re-
+ sent their actions until il became evident
/ that they were likely 10 damage American
interests Mrs Storer insisted 10 me often
/ that their change of creed had proved a
deadly blow 10 her husbands career, and
/ that they We're suffering for conscience
sake. I accepted this statement as true.
and il gave me certain chivalric feeling
/ that I ought 20 do what ! could TO help
/ them, and be as patient as possible with
| them.
Greatly Admires ireland.
/ Under President Mckinley Mr.. Storer
was made Minister first to Belgium and
| then 20 Spain. About the time or my ac-
cessiou to the Vice Presidency I wrote
at President McKfnIey's request TO Mr.
or Mrs. Storer that the President desired
me to say that Mr.. Storer was ultimately
/ 10 be made an ambassador AIr. and Mrs.
Storer were greatly interested in securing
( the promotion Of Archbishop ireland to
( De a cardinal 7 had. and have. a sincere
respect and admiration for Archbishop
ireland. a respect and admiration which
I have often publicly expressed The let
/ ters from me tc Mr.. AID Mrs. Storer
iQuoted in Mr.. Storer's pamphlet give with
/ precision my views both upon Archbishop
Ireland and upon the possibility or pro-
priety Of my taking in his behalf the steps
which the St0Te-s asked. and l can add
nothing 90 what these letters themselves
/ show.
/ when they first wrote to me on the
subject I was governor Of New York
/ Not being President myself. and not hay-
1 inc thought out with clearness the exact
situation. I asked President Mckinley
whether be could properly do anything 10
/ help Archbishop Ireland. He responded
/ that il was not a matter with which we
could with prcH-iety interfere. although
/ he expressed himself as having the same
high opinion Of the archbishop that ! had.
II had furthsr conversation with the
/ President on the subject, either just be
/ fore or just after my election as Vice
/ President, in which he stated what he felt
was the proper position; position with
which ! absolutely agreed.
Explanation Was Explicit.
/ Following this conversation. in my let
/ ter 10 Mrs Storer. of November %, 1890,
quoted by Mr StoreT in his pamphlet, I
stated with absolute clearness my posi-
/ ton and why it was out of the ques-
/ ton for the President to try to get
/ any archbishop made cardinal and an
/ the letters quoted by Mr. Storer as
/ having been subsequently written by me
so him or to his wife take precisely the
/ same position I explained repeatedly
/ that my friendship and admiration for
/ Archbishop ireland (Which is ike my
/ friendship and admiration for Bishop Lau-
! renee, Of the Episcopal Church and Bish-
/ op Cranston. of the Methodist Church;
/ like my friendship and admiration for
! many clergymen of many denominations
! Baptists, Lutherdns, CongTegationalists,
/ PTesbyterianS. and CtheTs) would make me
pleased 20 see any good fortune attend
{ him. or any ChuTchman like him. of any
/ creed but that I could not interfere for
/ his promotion. or. indeed. IN any way in
! the ecclesiastical affairs Of any church.
! This was also She position I took in all