The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-10

vi
Broadway and Seventeenth ST.
do, and you say things which 1 do not want
10 contradict, and yet II makes me feel hypo-
critical II | seem to acquiesce 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 understand your turning Catholic than
you can understand ca tholics turning Protes-
tqnt. Some of the best people | have ever met
were Protestants who had originally been
Catholics. I cannot stop. and l cannot urge
the stopping of missionaries going
they choose. emphAtlCally feel, as / have
always told YOU. that the chance for better
ing the Catholic inhabitants of the tropic
islands lies in bringing them up 20 the highest
standar RI of American Catholicism, The worst
thing that could happen. both for them and
the Catholi Church. would be for the Catholic
Church = champion the iniquities that have
undoubtedly been committed. not only by lay
but by clerical would-be leaders in the Philip
pines and elsewhere. One incident which l
actually cannot put on paper came 10 my per
sonal knowledge in connection with a high
Catholic ecclesiastio in Cuba, which was oil a
cha racter so revolving and bestial that IL made
one feel that the whole hierarchy In the island
needle drastic renovation.
Now, very earnestly wish that Arch
bishop Ireland and those who are most ad-
vanced among our Catholic priests-men like
the Paulist Fathers, for insta nce-should be
given a free hand in these islands and should
be advanced in every way. " But you
must remember how hampered I am in writ
ing from the fact that | do not like 10 see any
one admit for a moment the right of a foreign
potentate to interfere IN American public
policy.
As TO STOPPING orr WAR WITH SPAIN.
For instance, you speak of the Pope being
angry with Arch bishop Ireland for not stop
pinE the war with Spain. As far as l am con-
cerned, | would resent as an impertinence
any European. whether Pope, Kaiser, Car,
or President, daring to be angry with any
American because of his action or non-action
as regards any question between America
and an outside nation. No pretension OF
this kind should be admitted for one moment
II any man. clerical or lay. bishop, arch
bishop, priest or civilian, was in any way
guilty Of BILE practices with Spain
during our war, he sh ,uld be shot or hung.
and IL Is an outrage on Justice that he should
be at large. But | cannot write in a way
that will seem TO DEFENDa man for not avert
ing war with Spain. for | cannot recognize
! for a single moment the right of any Euro
| pean to SO much as think there IL need OF
defence or excuse in such a case.
As YOU know. I always treat Catholic and
I IIONcNliIN FAdN'AF "iAhN H' . W
tile, as do the man of native American.
! German, Irish or any other kind Of parentage.
ANY discrimination for or against a man
because of his creed or nativity strikes me
as an infamy. Men like Bishop kean. like
| the late Father Casselly, like Father Belford.
the parish priest of my own town OF oyster
Bay, and like scores of other priests whom /
could name. are entitled to receive from me
the same measure of affectionate respect and
LOYAL support that | have given TO men like
Phillips Brooks, like MIR. Devine and like so
very many other Protestant Clergymen whom
| could name. Moreover, my dear Mrs.
Storer, whatever | could do for you and Bel
lamy would he done, but / simply do not see
how | can do anything in this particular
matter.
With real regret. very sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
sToRER PLEADS FOR PROMOTION.
As soon "a | became President l began
to receive letters from Mrs. Storer asking
for the promotion of Mr.. Storer and letters
from both of them complaining that the
work in Madrid was uncongenial, and COM
planning also of the character and standing
of various people in the public service,
On September 90, 1901, eight days after
President Mckinley died, Mrs. Storer wrote
me urging that | should appoint Mr.. Storer
TO the Cabinet, and specifying as a desir-
able place the War Department, or which
/ YOU were INV Itdu, llNC AClNCA III NtoP
give him either the Navy or War. 49, |
pray that Bellamy, who 80 richly deserves
Il, shall nave a chance for honorable SER
vice at home to his country
SHE DIsAPPRovED CHoATE N PORTER.
When | explained that l did not intend
to remove any one or make any changes
in the Cabinet at the time, she wrote me
on October II, suggesting the embassies
at London and Paris as fit places for her
husband, and stating that Mr.. Choate and
Gen. Porter were not proper persons TO
be Ambassadors. In view OF the intense
Indignation of Mr.. and Mrs. Storer at his
being removed from office now there il a
certain element Of the comic in their at
tempt thus to get me to remove either you
or MIR. Choate, or Mr.. Porter for the pur-
pose of giving Mr.. Storer either a Cabinet
position or the embassy in England OF
France. | received many letters Of the
general tenor of those mentioned, enumer-
ating their h%ardships and services and
enemies.
Az Mr.. Storer in his pamphlet quotes a
letter of November "a from me, marked
personal, in which | told his wife that he
should be made Special Ambassador at the
marriage of the King OF Spain, alleging
that this was a fresh mark OF my approval
of his conduct, l may mention that the
letter containing this statement on my
part was in answer TO one from Mrs. Storer,
in which she begged for the appointment
OF her husband, her letter running in part
as follows: please, please send US to
Madrid as special ENJOYS TO the wedding
1t would be very appropriate, and UouIo
lore H." II il hard to find the exact
words in which TO ~criticise Mr.. Storer's
effort TO twist the meaning Of my granting
such a request, couched in such a style.
There remains for me TO discuss but one
matter, and that is Mr.: Storer's assertion
in his pamphlet that although in my letters
persistently refused TO ask the Pope to
promote Archbishop Ireland TO be a Car
dinal | nevertheless gave him a verba
messag e commissioning him TO make the
request on my behalf Of the Pope Mr.
Storer also asserts that President Mckinley