The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-10


 so to carry ourselves as to show we are doing what is right. I shall ask you not to quote me to any person in any shape or way in connection with any ar fair of the Catholic church. and yourself not to take action of any kind which will give ground for the belief that you, as an American ambassador, are striving to interfere in the affairs of the church. With love to Maria. faithfully yours,
 "THEO ROOSEVELT.' "In response to this MT. Storer wrote me a letter rendering his resignation, not as he asserts because of anything in con nection with his visit to the vatican, but solely because of his conduct in the Hurst matter In this letter, in answer to mine of December 90, he makes absolutely no allusion whatever to what I said in that letter as to his call at the vatican; this letter of mine shows that I had then never heard from him that he called at the vatican; and his absolute silence at the time shows that what he says now on the subject is a pure afterthought.
 January 4, 1904. My Dear Theodore: l find in answer ing your letter of December that l made error of date. The letter I wrote Hanna, as also the writing to yourself on the consul general matter, was after Feb
 
 inadvertently stated. Since then I have received your second letter of Decem- Der 90
 Expresses Regret
 My writing any letter in the terms I did was ineXcusable, and that l admit feelingly and with the deepest regret.
 If in your judgment it would clear me in MT. Hays eyes, will you hand him the enclosed note of personal apology? But I beg you will do this or not as you think wise. as | might not appear to try to escape official censure by personal re- pentence. Therefore give or burn this note as you deem best. Not to justify my writ ing at all, or in using the language I did but to explain the affair, l must call at tention to the difference of procedure in this consular case as to what l had sup posed was precedent.
 "'An this is no excuse for a public of ficer writing as I did outside of the de- partment. If in weighing the matter it seems as if l by my own act have lost the confidence of the Secretary of State you must without regard to me treat me as you would any other public officer for the good of the service. Without the confidence of the department the work cannot go on. For your own sake l should wish that my leaving the service might be made to appear a voluntary one in the spring or early summer As also l think 1t would be better to have it known after June. In spite of everything I might make political gossip which I should wish to postpone until the din of the campaign is on. l thank you, my dear Theodore, legally and sincerely for your letter. l never doubt your absolute loyalty in friendship to me and mine. Faithfully ycurs BELLAMY SToRER.'
 Confession of Wrong Doing.
  'There could be no fuller confession o, wrong doing or more absolute throwing himself upon the mercy of his superior It was this letter which I answered saying as he has himself quoted that I would treat the incident as closed. and would not accept his resignation, and that I was sure that John Hay felt as l did. With peculiar perfdity MT. Storer now seeks to turn this act of cordial. and ] think I may add generous friendship on my part. into an attack upon me by treating my refusal to accept his resignation as an in dorsement of his position in the matter of the vatican, to which there was abso- lutely no allusion whatever of any kind or sort in his letter of resignation
 '.This bare recital of facts is in itself the severest possible condemnation of MT. Storer's disneenusness. Very truly
 "THEODORE ROOSEVELT. HON ELIHU ROOT.
 ''Secretary of State.'