The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-10
strictly personal The FIRST OF these
was addressed 20 me, and was az follows:
the President TO MIR. storer.


n President TO MIR. storer.
WHITE HOUSE,
WASHINGTON, Dec. II. 1905,
MI DEAR BELLAMY: l am very sorry 60
have to write as l do in the enclosed letter
to Mrs. StOrer. which l shall ask you to read
and then hand to her. | nave been most re-
lucia MT to write as I herein write; I am deeply
alta ched to both of you; but IL Is evident
that | cannot longer delay using the plainest
kind Of language. for il is evident that such
plain language is necessary 20 prevent the
American Government from being put in q
false and wholly improper position.
Sincerely yours. THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The second letter, which was enclosed in
that just given, was addressed to Mrs.
Storer. 1t is so long that l refrain from
giving it in full here, but refer TO the oopy
which l attach, and ask that it be carefully
read in the light OF the occurrences which
preceded il, Of which have given the his
tory above. (See No. . appended)
REsENTs CHARoE AGAINST WIFE.
1 canno trust myself 20 express fully the
feeling OF indignation with which 1 read
the letter addressed to Mrs. Storer. Though
l was in the public service, I felt, and still
feel, that I had lost none Of the rights
which a nan has to judge of the
propriety Of letters addressed to his
wife and to resent an improper commu-
nioation. 1 did not then know, what I
have since learned. that the letter was not
even written for my wife's eyes or mine
alone, but had been shownt to others beforeit
was sent, and thus used to make a case
against a lady q trusting friend, who could
not be heard in her own defence. My wife
was deliberately accused of having quoted
isolated sentences from the Presidents
letters to convince other persons that he
was doing exactly what, as he asserts.
he had explicitly stated in writing that he
would not do. This charge Of shameful
conduct was based on no evidence which
could even nave misled the writer into a
hasty judgment, but was in answer to a let
ter which, whether approved or not, at least
furnishes no such evidence either in itself or
in its enclosures. The ton OF long suffer-
ing and outraged patience, the careful omis-
sion OF all mention of anything that the
writer had himself done and authorized
TO be done in the matters complained Of,
the quotations from the letters written at
the time OF my errand to the Pope, without
any Of the facts and circumstances related
above which would give those letters their
true character or show that they were an
angry complaint because what he had di-
rected to be lone had become known-theee
things, with the abusive personal character
ization Of my wife, and the assumed indig-
nation with what had been, in fact, per-
mitted and encouraged where not expressly
directed, seemed TO me to put the letter out
side the limit Of anything justiiable even
in a stranger. What a sense of outraged
friendship il aroused in us can perhaps be
understood by any one who has read even
the small part OF the private correspond
ence given above.
The Presidents letter begins by charac-
terizing Mrs. Storer's letter in a way which
could hardly give a fair idea Of its character
to one who had not seen it. Her letter is
given above, and reference to il will show
whether il proposed hat Mrs. StOrer should
he authorized to go to Rome to drag the
United States Government into an intrigue.
Such a proposal might well have been
" astounding" But why should the Presi-
dent have been astounded at a suggestion
that Mrs. Storer should he intrusted to take
to the Pope a private message from him
which should deny that the President had
interfered to procure the appointment of
Archbishop Farley? The President had
already lone far more than that in sending,
through me and others, affirmative personal
messages in favor Of Archbishop Ireland;
but no ~allusion TO this appears in the letter.
The assertion that Mrs. Storer's letter to
Mr.. Taft III published" would misrepresent
both the President and the American Gov
eminent, again, is not borne out by any,
thing that Mrs. Storer wrote to Judge Taft.
and the Presidents indignant denial Of her
right to "meddle" is Inconsistent with the
previous history Of these matters, Mrs.
Storer's letters TO Cardinal Merry del Val
and the Princess Alexandrine are spoken Of
IA utterly improper" and "intolerable,"
which would carry thu impression that the
President had seen what he condemned;
but he had never seen them. The Princess
Alexandrine was not in public life, and
Mrs. Storer's letter to her was part of "A
private correspondence between two ladies',
which | should nave thought beyond the
range Of such comment. The letter to the
Cardinal, while il did concern the promo
ton Of Archbishop Ireland, was written by
my wife as a private person TO an
officer OF her Church. II copies Of these
letters had been kept | should gladly have
produced them; but none were taken. l
may say positively, however. that neither
of them made any allusion TO Mr.. Roosevelt.
THR PRESIDENT GUILTY IP ANY ONE.
The Presidents statement that, though APP
preached by many persons, he had refused
to interfere" by requesting an appoint
ment, is to be taken in connection with what
he admits that he did say TO such persons,
namely. that he would be delighted to see
Archbishop Ireland promoted. With that
admission the President has stated his posi-
ton substantially as both l and Mrs. Storer
nave always understood it, and the "out-
rage" Of which he says Mrs. Storer had been
guilty was never committed. What the
President has said to many people appears:
more than this neither Mrs. Storer nor I
have ever attributed to him. I wish to
be as precise and emphatic as possi-
BILE in this denial. We have neither of us
ever represented 20 any person, by word or
letter, that the President requested any
thing from the Vatican, or put him in the
attitude OF exerting pressure or a prefer
ence for one candidate rather than another,
or Of doing or saying anything officially.
or "a If with the Government behind him,
,-I kho aKatapnapf That Ma GtNrar hal