Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-04-09
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-Gu Guarded Himself
Following Fairbanks Incident.

will not call on the pope. He is seeking
to establish precedent which will serve
as 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-
ton 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, L 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-
Itorily adjusting multitudinous questions
of the Catholic church arising from the
American acquisition of the Philip
pines, Porto Rico and Panama, and fol
lowing the liberation of Cuba from the
yoke of Spain. He appointed two Cath
olics, Charles j. Bonaparte and Robert
IL. 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
II
5 cause he possessed qualities that called
= for ognition-recognition he would
: have received had he been a Protestan
: or Jew-and in the case of the Interest,"
/, because the question arising in connec
:. tion with them required settlement TO
= the good of the country and world. A
( ruler of the American republic, wher
l. liberty of worship is cardinal principle
n lhe was bound to do no more and no less
: and he never sought to take the slight
e est credit for his act in this connection
a Marked Attention to Catholic Missions
+ Immediately after landing at Nairot
A he called at the French Catholic mis-
sion and visited and lunched at tn
n Catholic mission at Kampall. He too
/ ltea, also with the French ''White Fatf
!. ers" at the same place, and dined wit
a the Catholic bishop of Khartum. He re
r ceived many Catholic priests and lay
e men while touring in Egypt. 1 recit
n these facts in order to show Colont
ia Roosevelt IS attitude-an attitude wher'
10 in justice and equal consideration fc
W all faiths appears as the guiding prime
o pie.
MI 1t was entirely natural that Colon
Roosevelt, because of his own ind
pendence in religious views, because {
his cordial relations with so many Cat
olics and because of the respect he e.
10 tertains for the good and holy ponti
who presides over the Catholic churc
that he should seek, from Gondokor
about 500 miles south of Khartum, c
20 opportunity to meet him. He accor
a. lingly wrote to Ambassador Leishma
"A at Rome to arrange for an audien'
y. with the king of Italy, and saying TIL
g he would be happy also to be present'
to the pope.
80 At the same time he announced tn
al he make no arrangements of any kin
whatsoever until after his arrival
ho Rome, where he could ascertain all Il
a facts and conditions from the Americ;
n ambassador.
~ The American people must realize tn
- in Europe official standing is accord
i, many who have held high office, al
y that he must act in consonance with t
ha treatment extended him.
"a Shortly before his arrival in Khartu
Colonel Roosevelt learned of the acti
of the Vatican in canceling an aud
with former Vice President Fai
on account of his acceptance of -
- vitation to address the Methodists
~, Rome This incident ittsss wise mo-
- fed or affected the course Colonel Roo
~ welt had mapped out long before.
On has not entered into, and did not pl
+, pose to enter into, any communicate
direct or indirect, nor to make any {
gagement with the Methodists or Cat
olics or any other denomination in Roi
~ until the day after that originally {
~ pointed for his reception at the Vatic;
Blow at Methodist Propoganda.
1t is true that the Vatican had no
formation concerning this save fir
,rk Colonel Roosevelt Is message to Amb