Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-04
ROOSEVELT INCIDENT AT
ROME GROWS IN IMPORT

reveals no animus either toward the
pope or Roman Catholicism.
Fault of Conditions.
| Washington, April 4.-Papal Dele
gate Falconio, speaking Of the Roose-
welt incident at Rome, declared today
neither the pope nor the cardinals sec
retary of state was to blame for the
situation which he described as "the
| intolerable condition created for the
| holy see by the Methodists in Rome"
| 1t was not, he insisted, question of
religion, but of self-respect and dig
nifty of the holy see.
Sensation of the Hour.
Rome. April 4.-The determination
of Roosevelt to forego an audience
with the pope rather than to subscribe
to the conditions imposed by the vati-
can has created a sensation. The In
cident overshadows every other fea-
ture of his visit to Rome. Roosevelt
insists that the incident be treated
as purely personal and hopes it will
not give rise to any bitterness.
Acts as Free Citizen.
He appreciates the attitude of the
vatican, but feels that as a free Ameri-
can citizen he cannot consistently take
any action that might be construed as
involving Limitation of the freedom
of his personal conduct.
BIames Advisers.
Messagero, the anti-cIerical organ,
puts the blame for the incident upon
the pope's advisers and declares it
will not add to their diplomatic fame,
and concludes: Gould Roosevelt, a
free citizen of his own country, re-
nounce his liberty in Rome for the
sake of an audience with the pope?
1t is time the advisers of the pope
should understand that a certain i'm
position cannot be exacted.''
Imposed Conditions.
Rome, April 4-The audience that it
was believed former President Roose-
welt would have with the pope tomor
row will not occur, owing to conditions
which the vatican has imposed and
which Mr.. Roosevelt refuses to &C
cept.
Although the definite negotiations
relative to the audience ended before
Mr.. Roosevelt left Egypt, the an
nouncement was withheld until after
Mr.. Roosevelt reached Rome last
night, at the solicitation Of his Ameri-
can Catholic friends here, who believ-
ed that in the meantime the vatican
might change its Rttitgde,-~---,---.---
Story OF Negotiations.
The history Of the negotiations is
about as follows:
While at Cairo Mr. Roosevelt re-
ceived the following telegram from
Ambassador Leishman, dated March %:
Mgr. Kennedy, rector of the
American Catholic college, in reply
to an inquiry which 1 caused to be
made, requests that the following
communication be transmitted to
you: 'The holy father will be de-
lighted to grant an audience to Mr..
Roosevelt on April 5, and hopes
that nothing will arise to prevent
it, such as the much regretted in
cident which made the reception
of Mr. Fairbanks impossible"
Roosevelt Makes Reply.
Replying by cable to Ambassador
Leishman on March 25, Mr.. Roosevelt
said:
Please present the following to
Mgr. Kennedy: 'Tt would be a real
pleasure to me to be presented to
the holy father, for whom 1 enter
tain high respect, both personally
and as the head of great church.
| fully recognize his entire right to
receive or not receive whomsoever
he chooses, for any reason that
seems good to him, and if he does
not receive me l shall not for a
moment question the propriety of
his action.
"On the other hand, 1 in turn
must decline to make any stipula-
tions or submit to any conditions
which in any way would limit my
freedom of conduct 1 trust that
on April he will find it convent
ent to receive me-"
Audience is Declined.
On March % Mr.. Roosevelt at Cairo
received a cablegram from Ambassa-
dor Leishman, giving a message from
Mgr. Kennedy, which concluded by
saying: ''The audience cannot take
place except on the understanding ex-
pressed in the former message"
The following day Mr.. Roosevelt sent
another message to the American am
bassador, saying: "The proposed pre-
sentation is, of course, now impossi- |
ble."
Mr.. Roosevelt particularly desires |
that the incident shall be regarded by
his friends, both Catholic and Protest !
ant, in America as personal, and that |
4sontinued on Page Five.)