Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-04-08
Will NOT SEE POPE
ROOSEVELT REFUSED TO BE.
DICTATED TO.
His Holiness Sought to Have ex-Presi-
dent Do Only AS He Desired Roose-
welt Establishes a Precedent for Flu
ture Presentations Guarded Himself
Following Fairbanks Incident.

Following Fairbanks Incident.
Rome, April 4.--Theodore Roosevelt
will not call on the pope. He is seeking
to establish precedent which will serve
as a code for the conduct of all future
American presentations. His holiness
sought to impose upon the distinguished
ex-president limitations for his behavior
while in Rome, to which, as an Ameri-
can, he would not submit. The rejec-
tion of the pope s proposal with the con.
ditions he attached thereto was the only
possible action he could have taken.
AS an American Catholic, am bound
to say that no other course was open
to him. PROFESSIONALLY the incident,
regrettable as it is, would assume seri-
Gus proportions if it were not for the
delicate and tactful way in which it has
been handled by Colonel Roosevelt.
While member of the Dutch Reform
church, Colonel Roosevelt never has been
a sectarian. Throughout his career in
America he has been known for his toll
Grafton. He has treated the Catholic,
the Protestant and the Jew on the same
basis of his worth as man, not with
any reference to his religious faith
"He insisted, while president, upon
the absolute equality in the treatment
of the Catholic, Protestant or Jew in
the United States, and applied to same
policy toward the Christians and Mo
hammedans in the Philippines. He con
demned bigotry, whether from the Prot
estant or Catholic, as shown by his de-
nunciation of the A. P. A. before the
Methodist Chautauqua conference.
Fair Dealings With Catholics.
He sought and succeeded in satisfac-
torily adjusting multitudinous questions
of the Catholic church arising from the
American acquisition of the Philip
pines, Porto Rico and Panama, and fol-
lowing the liberatio of Cuba from the
yoke of Spain. He appointed two Cath
olics, Charles J. Bonaparte and Robert
| j. Wynne, as members of his cabinet
and placed many other Catholics in high
government offices. This has been CRATE
fully appreciated by American Catholics,
and is fully recognized even to this day
| by the Vatican.
He did these things, not because the
man or interest concerned was Cath
Ollie, but in the case of the former be-
cause he possessed qualities that called
for recognition-recognition he would
have received had he been Protestant
or Jew-and in the case of the interests
because the question arising in connec.
ton with them required settlement for
the good of the country and world. AS
ruler of the American republic, where
liberty of worship is cardinal principle,
he was bound to do no more and no less,
and he never sought to take the slight
est credit for his act in this connection.
Marked Attention to Catholic Missions.
Immediately after landing at Nairobi
he called at the French Catholic mis-
sion and visited and lunched at the
tea, also with the French "White Faith
ers' at the same place, and dined with
the Catholic bishop of Khartum. He re,
ceived many Catholic priests and lay
men while touring in Egypt. L recite
these facts in order to show Colonel
Roosevelt s attitude-an attitude where,
in justice and equal consideration fol
all faiths appears as the guiding princi
lple.
1t was entirely natural that Colonel
Roosevelt, because of his own indie
pendence in religious views, because Of
his cordial relations with so many Cath
olics and because of the respect he en-
tertains for the good and holy pontifi
who presides over the Catholic church
that he should seek, from Gondokoro
about 500 miles south of Khartum, Oh
opportunity to meet him. He accord
ingly wrote to Ambassador Leishmar
at Rome to arrange for an audience
with the king of Italy, and saying that
he would be happy also to be presented
} to the pope.
| At the same time he announced that
he make no arrangements of any kind
whatsoever until after his arrival il
Rome, where he could ascertain all the
facts and conditions from the American
ambassador
The American people must realize that
, in Europe official standing is accorded
many who have held high office, and
that he must act in consonance with the
treatment extended him.
: Shortly before his arrival in Khartun
} Colonel Roosevelt learned of the actor
of the Vatican in canceling an audience
with former Vice President Fairbanks
) on account of his acceptance. of an in
vitation to address the Methodists OF
: Rome. This incident in no wise modi
| fed or affected the course Colonel Roose
} welt had mapped out long before. H,
has not entered into, and did not pro
pose to enter into, any communication
direct or indirect, nor to make any en-
gagement with the Methodists or Cath
olics or any other denomination in Rom,
until the day after that originally ap
pointed for his reception at the Vatican
Blow at Methodist Propaganda.