The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-04
ROOSEVELT WILL
NOT CALL UPON
THE POPE
Conditions Imposed Preclude
Presentation at Vatican
HISTORY OF NEGOTIATIONS
Papel Authorities Contend it Was Not
Intended to Restrict Actions of
Former President
HISTORY OF NEGOTIATIONS

Rome, April Theodore Roose-
welt will not call on the Pope. He
is seeking to establish a precedent
which will serve as a code for the
conduct of all future American pres
entations. His Holiness sought to
impose upon the distinguished ex-
president limitations for his behay-
ior while in Rome to which as an
American Mr. Roosevelt fslt-he could
not submit.
The rejection OF the Popes propo-
sal with the conditions he attached
Thereto was in his opinion the only
possible action he could have taken.
PROFESSIONALLY the incident, regret
table as II is, would assume serious
proportions il it were not for the
delicate and tactful way in which it
| has been handled by Col. Roosevelt.
! While a member of the Dutch Re
formed church. Col Roosevelt has
never been a sectarian. Throughout
his career in America he has been
known for his tolerations lie has
treated the Catholic, the Protestant,
and the Jew on the same basis OF his
worth as a man--not with any refer
ence to his religious faith. He in
sisted while President upon absolute
equality in the treatment OF the
| Catholic, Protestant or Jew in the
| United States and applied the same
policy toward Christians and Moham-
medans in the Philippines. He con-
demned bigotry, whether in the Pro
testant or Catholic, as shown by his
ldenunciation of the A. p. A. before
the Methodist Chautauqua confer
| ence.
He sought and succeeded in adjust
| ing satisfactorily the multitudinous
questions affecting the Catholic
church arising from the American ac-
auisition of the Philippines, Porto
Rico. and Panama and following the
| liberation of Cuba from the woke of
Spain He appointed two Catholics
| Charles ]. Bonaparte and Robert j.
Wynne as members of his cabinet
and placed many other Catholics In
high government offices. This honor
has been gratefully appreciated by
American Catholics and is fully rec
ognized even to this day by the Vat
lean.
At Gondokero about 500 miles
south of Khartoum Col. Roosevelt
wrote to Ambassador Leishman 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.
Col Roosevelt with a full appreci-
alton of the dignity of his Holiness
and with a proper regard for the ETH
quette which obtains in such matters
notified the ambassador that II pos
sible he would like to be presented
to the king and the pope on the same
day. but If this in the slightest de-
gree was not in keeping with estab-
lished principles, then he requested
that his audience with the king be
fixed for April and with the pope
for April 5.
At the same time he announced
that he would make no other en-
gagements of any kind whatsoever,
until after his arrival in Rome where
he could ascertain all the facts and
conditions from the American ambas-
sador The American people must re-
alize that in Europe official standing
is accorded many who have held high
Office and that Col Roosevelt must
act in consonance with the treatment
extended him.
Shortly before his arrival in Khar-
toum Col. Roosevelt learned OF the
action of the Vatican in cancelling
an audience with former Vice Presi-
dent Fairbanks on account of his ac-
Iceptance of an invitation to address
the Methodists OF Rome. This Incl
dent in no wise modified or affected
the course Col. Roosevelt had map
ped out long before. He has not en-
tered into any communication, direct
or Indirect, nor to make any engage
ments with the Methodists or Catho-
lies or any other denomination in
Rome until the day after that origin
ally appointed for his reception at
the Vatican.
1t is true that the Vatican had no
information concerning this save
from Colonel Roosevelt's messages
to Ambassador Leishman declining
to MAKE engagements of any kind I'M
Ill after his arrival In Rome. But
apparently with little consideration
for Col. Roosevelt's well known char
acter, the Vatican determined to
prevent a repetition of the Fairbanks
Incident and at the same time fix
precedent which once for all would
establish the conditions OF the pres.
entation OF American statesmen to
the Pope and deliver blow at the
Methodist propaganda in Rome.
On March %, Col. Roosevelt re-
ceived at Cairo the following from
Ambassador Leishman:
Rome, March 25.-The rector OF
the American college in reply to an
inquiry | caused to be made, re-
quests that the following communica-
tion be transmitted to you: THE
Holy Father will be delighted to
grant an audience to Mr.. Roosevelt
! on April 8, and he hopes nothing will
arise to prevent It such as the much
regretted incident which made the
reception to Mr. Fairbanks lmpossl-
BILE"
Mr.. Leishman's Interpretation as
expressed by him in the same cable,
was as follows
I merely transmit this communica-
ton without having committed you
In any way to accept the conditions