The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-04
AMBASSADOR HILL
 MAKES STATEMENT Resignation Not Outcome
 Potash Controversy COMMENDED BY TAFT nav;d Iavpo Hill RafuSpd Decoration
David Jayne Hill Refused Decoration From Emperor, But Accepted Choice Porcelain as
 Token

the retiring American ambassador, on
 the eve of his departure from Berlin,
 has broken silence with regard to his
 resignation, which was accepted by
 President Taft last April The ambas-
 sador gave out a statement today fn-
 timating that there had been delib- crate intrigue to discredit him and
 misrepresent the asons for his re- signation. He announced his declina- tion of a decoration which the emperor offered him.
 q cannot leave Germany" says the l amba ssador, without expressing ap- preciation for the kindness l experi- enced here, particularly from his maJ- esty, who generously intimated his
 wish to confer upon me an honor which | the laws of my country forbid me to accept. I have, however. considered ii i proper to receive from his majesty as 1 a souvenir of our agreeable relations,
 piece of porcelain from the royal pot
 teries and I wish to make a public
 acknowledgment of this mark of friend | ship.
 | At the time of my resignation in | April, there was much speculation re- l garding the reason therefor, ana q 1 legend concerning my course in the ne gotiations between my government and | Germany over the potash controversy
 was carefully prepared and widely cir
 culated, positively declaring, on alleged
 authority that my conduct was dis pleasing to the department of state. Un- der such circumstances the duty of a loyal diplomat is silence, and faith fully l performed this duty.
 T. 'I have believed that the American
 people, careless as they often are of
 reputation love fair play. and knowing that the official record there would speak the truth at the proper time I have taken no notice of either the
 source or the motive of these allega- tions. l have now no comment to make upon them.
 On leaving office six months after my resignation. 1 believe that it will be l a pleasure 10 the President if l make public at this time an autograph state-
 ment made by him some months ago
 which should effectually silence and ex- | terminate the legend which certain | newspapers have endeavored to keep
 alive. He says:
 l I write now to assure you that
 never had the slightest reason to criticise | your course and service at the very im- l portant post of Berlin. You have vindi- 1 cated your appointment in every way and 1 it has given me pleasure to deny emphat-
 ically and categorieally that your resigna- tion grew put of any disagreement OF the l part of the administration with your con duct in this country's relations with Ger many in regard to the potash or any other 1 question:
 1 '' I write to you, IS you are entitled to 1 have full statement to your satisfac-
 tory service written by him whom you have worthily and well represented at
 the great capital of Berlin
 | ''I make public this statement now to
 assure my friends in Europe and Ameri-
 ca of my faithful allegiance to the princi-
 ples of loyalty by which l have been ac- ! tuated throughout my official life, which
 has been of considerable duration, and to
 show appreciation of the sense of justice l by which the President was inspired in | recognizing the wrong done me by others | whose misrepresentations he has desired ] as far as possible to repair in circum- stances which have reason 10 believe he 1 at present entirely understands"
 1 Ambassador Hill was not willing to in- dicate more closely persons he believes were interested in discrediting him. The
 ambassador and Mrs. Hill will leave Ser | lin tomorrow after a luncheon which will | be given in their honor by Herr Non | Kderlen Waechter, secretary of foreign
 affairs. to which Dr. Won Gethman nn ol-
 veg, the imperial chancellor: Represen-
 tative Richard Bartholdt, and c. B.
 wolfram. the special ambassadors of President Taft to the unveiling of he Von Steuben monument, Brig. Gen. E. A. l Darlington, inspector general of the United States army, and Brig Gen. W. l w. Witherspoon, |. S. A., president of the army war college. have been invited. l The porcelain to which the ambassador refers is a magnificent vase. three feet
 in height. decorated with pictures of the
 emperor's palace.
 | Washington, September 3.-Ambassador Hills statement regarding his resignation l from the Berlin post was a sequel to | stories set afloat upon the announcement 1 of. his resignation last spring and his
 own declaration later that neither potash
 nor lack of wealth had anything to do | with his retirement. The inference was | that the post at Berlin, highly desir- l able portfolio, was wanted for Ambassa-
 dor Leishman, then at Rome, next in | rank for the place and close friend Of
 Secretary of State Knox. MT. Leishman
 lator was appointed. Acting Secretary of 1 State Wilson was in Baltimore tonight | and no word was obtainable from the 1 department with regard to the incident. When pr. Hill was recalled to Wash | ington last March he conferred with the
 state department officials regarding the | then pending potash controversy with | Germany, an acute and protracted issue. | Almost immediately correspondence be- | tween himself and President Taft, em- bodying his resignation to take effect dur l. ing the summer was made public. l Many conjectures were circulated as to
 the real reasons underlying the resigna- | ton. Delicate social questions involving | American citizens and court invitations
 In winch Dr. HI had figured as ambas-
 sador were recalled. The delay In set
 ting the potash controversy was referr-
 ed to but In subsequent official state-
 ment Secretary Knox declared that Dr. Hill's handling of the situation was en- tirely satisfactory"
 | When Dr. Hills appointment at Berlin was decided upon three and half years
 ago, it was announced that he was per-
 sonally unacceptable to Emperor William
 and that he had offended Prince Henry on the latter's vsit to the United States l in 1902, but these were quickly denied | The emperor announced that he had no | objection whatever to him, but Dr. Hill
 no sooner reached his post than gossip again became active concerning himself ! and his family and their democratic
 ways. Since the resignation incident last | spring there has been general shift In | the diplomatic corps.
 |