The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-10
Department for the guidance OF such on
GERS, contains this direction:

ARTICLE 273.
Resignation; how rendered.
A diplomatic officers resignation should
sIways be tcndered to the President; but the
letter rendering such resignation should be
addressed TO the Secretary Of state. The
telegraph should not be resorted to except
In ca se OF emergency.
To these instructions l undertook to con-
form punctiliously. ~suppostng that If a
Geographic reply was desired I should
have been 80 instructed, and not knowing
that this was considered a ease OF emer-
gency."
may add here, as bearing on the charac-
Acter Of my correspondence with the Presi-
dent, that. "a | had understood and still
understand the r:les Of the State Depart
ment, all official communications pass
ing between an Amba ssador and his Gov
eminent are required to be- through
the State Department, and ! had supposed
this rule to be applicable as well to official
communications from the President as to
official communications to him. II / am
right in nv understa nding of the rule il
is also to be noticed hat l was entitled to
have at least a formal preliminary com
munication from the State Department
before a strictly personal" letter written
by the President could properly be made
the occasion Of my summary recall.
Il RESENT T INJUSTICE"
| have endeavored to give candidly all
the facts and circumstances which brought
about my removal. l rave been dis
missed from Office with discredit, my
diplomatic career, previously honorable,
as have been assured by the Government,
and certainly never assailed, has been
terminated in disgrace, so far as the Presi-
lent could infict such disgrace l am
given to understand hat no criticism is
made Of my discharge of duty. and l may say
that the Government to which | was ae-
credited treated me on my departure with
unusual distinction, and gave me unso-
licitcd assurances OF its respect and regret.
No reason for my dismissal has yet been
given to the public-and the reason now
given to me, a failure to answer letters,
is one which on its face is but formal, and
vhich of itself forces the question: What
letters and why unanswered? II is to
answe these questions, and to throw my
self on the judgment of fair minded men,
that | make this statement. l do not look
for any reappointment or other redress.
lido not write for the purpose of recrimina-
ton. I write because my self-respect de-
mands that being, as | think, unjustly
treated, l should resent the injustice and
ask that the facts be heard and a fair and
enlightened judgment passed upon my
conduct.
There may be persons to whom the mere
fact that l or my wife had anything to
DO with the Catholic Church will seem suffi-
Gent reason for almost any punishment,
and by whom our action in that respect
will be contemporary dismissed as med
ding and intriguing. If there are such
persons i shall not argue with them, nor
attempt to convince them that service TO
the country is not inconsistent with SER
vice to the Church, nor stop TO point out
again hat it was because the country was
brought mi important and delicate rela-
tons with the Church that these things be-
came necessary. l will only affirm that
neither / nor my wife have ever set the
interests of the Church against those
of our country, or done anything for
the Church which we are unwilling
to svow, or sought for the Church any
thing but what every patriotic Protestant
would agree to be also the highest bene-
fits to our country, benefits which, as
we sought them, we're to be open, clear and
free from every ecclesiastical entangle-
ment.
PRESIDENT FIRST MOVED FOR RELAND's
PROMOTION.
1t must be borne in mind that the Presi-
dents interest in the selection Of aCardinal
was not due to US. He had his own plans
and wishes, and his own reasons for them,
and he expressed his wishes in favor Of one
Cardinal or another quite independently
Of us, and often without our knowledge.
whenever and to whomever he chose. II
these expressions, either as he used them or
as they were repeated by others, committed
him beyond the point where he now wishes
10 stand, We are not responsible. We
are answerable only for the proper
use Of what he said to US. and as to
that there has been no room for misunder-
standing between the President and me
or my wife. Aside from this special COM
mission to me, he has old us definitely and
repeatedly his feelings and wishes about
Archbishop Ireland in connection with a
Cardinals place; he has said the same things
to Archbishop Ireland himself, and thereby
gained, or retained, the Archbishop's
friendly influence; he has said the same
things, as his letters state, TO other persons,
p~relates of the Church, who approached
him on the subject and we're allowed to
leave him assured OF his sympathy; he
has said these things, not only without
enjoining privacy, but with the unmistak-
able purpose that they should be rep eated.
The President has, il is true, made a dis
tinction between expressions Of his per-
sonal wishes and any Official interference
or request or any attempt TO apply pressure
from the Government.
Whether IL was possible for him TO pre-
serve, under the circumstances, this distinc-
ton between the things which he has said so
pointedly and so often TO interested persons,
and his official wishes, l will not discuss.
at least, and my wife, have always re-
spected his wish TO have that distinction
insisted on, and have never misrepresented
him in this aspect. How far other persons
have shown the same caution I do not know
but considering the situation and the num-
Der Of persons spoken to by him it is not
strange that reports should gain wide circu-
lation, in Rome and elsewhere, that the
President had expressed definite wishes
about one or another candidate, or strange
that the exact form of his expressions should
NOT alwavs nave been preserved. For such