Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-04-05
FORMER RREsiDENTTAkEs sEA1
BESIDE VICTOR EMMANUEL ANr
SPENDS NEARLY AN HOUR m
PRIVATE CONFERENCE.
VATICAN INCIDENT
CREATES ALTON
RoosEvELT's DEcLINAT1oN or
AUDIENCE WITH POPE OVER
SHADOWS OTHER FEATURES or
HIS VISIT TO ROME.

Rome, April 4.-RooseveIt will
meet Clifford Pinchot at Genoa,
| April II. /
Rome, April 4.-The determination
OF Roosevelt to foregO an audience
with the pope rather than to subscribe
to the conditions imposed by the
vatican has created a sensation. Ths
incident overshadows every Other
feature of his visit to Rome. Roose
welt insists the incident be treated as
purely personal and hopes 1t will not
give rise to any bitterness. He ap
preciates the attitude of the vatican
but feels that as free American cit
izen he cannot consistently take any
action that might be construed as In
volving a limitation of freedom OF hit
personal conduct. The Messagero, al
anti-clerical organ, puts the blame Iol
/ the incident upon the pope's advisers
declares it will not add to their diplo
matte fame and concludes:
4 Gould Roosevelt, free citizen Of
his own country, renounce his liberty
i in Rome for the sake Of an audience
with the pope? 1t Is time the advisers
OF the pope should understand that Z
certain imposition cannot be exacted. !.
Although the definite negotiations
Irelative 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 American
Catholic friends here, who believed
| that in the meantime the vatican
might change its attitude.
One Of the former presidents Amer
|ican friends, who had been with him
lin Egypt came to Rome Saturday,
without, however, any authorization
from Mr.. Roosevelt, and interceded
with Cardinal Merry del Val the papal
secretary, in an endeavor to avoid
situation which. as 1t now stands. has
caused real sensation in Rome, al
| though it was not entirely unexpected.
But his efforts were unavailing.
While at Gondokoro In February last
Mr.. Roosevelt wrote to Ambassador
Leishman, saying that he would be
glad OF the honor Of an audience with
King Victor Emanuel and the pope.
The audience with the king was
promptly arranged. Before an arrange
ment could be reached relative to an
audience with the pope several tele-
grams were passed, and the negot1a-
tions ended by Mr.. Roosevelt refusing
| in any way to be limited as to his con-
duct, and announcing that an audience
with the pope under the circumstances
was now impossible.
Has But TWO Engagements
AS matter Of fact. Mr.. Roosevelt.
while declining to accept any condi-
tons In connection with his audience
with the pope, had neither directly nor
Indirectly, before, during or. after the
negotiations made or considered any
engagements in Rome except those OF
an Official character, and he actually
entered Rome last night with but two
definite engagements, the audience
with the king and the dinner to be CIV
en- in his honor by the municipality.
The history Of the negotiations u
about as fellows:
| While at Cairo Mr.. Roosevelt receiv-
ed the following telegram from Am
bassador Leishman, dated March %:
Mgr. Kennedy. rector Of the Amert
can Catholic college In reply to an In
curry which Il caused 10 D0 uAuo, To-
quests that the following communica-
ton be transmitted to you: The holy
father will be delighted to grant an
audience to Mr.. Roosevelt on April 5,
and hopes that nothing will arise to
prevent it, such as the much regretted
incident which made the reception OF
Mr.. Fairbanks impossible.
Replying by cable to Ambassador
Leishman on March 25 Mr.. Roosevelt
said:
please present the following to
Mgr. Kennedy: 1t would be a real
pleasure to me to be presented to the
holy father, for whom entertain
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 IL he does not receive me shall
not for moment question the
propriety Of his action. On the other
hand, /, in my turn, must decline to
make any stipulations or submit to
i