Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-02-02
|COL. ROOSEvELT,S
LONGEST letter
Telling OF Trip From Khartoun
To London, Appears In
Magazine Out Toay
i. (By Associated Press)

velt's longest letter., a 25,O00-word
personal account of his trip from
Khartoum to London in 1909 and
which is described by his biographer,
Joseph Bucklin Bishop, as "a human
document of exceptional character,
appears as the first of two install
ments in the February issue of
Scribner's Magazine, published today.
"Soon after retiring from the Presi-
'dency", explains Mr.. Bishop, ''the
Colonel went to Africa on hunting
trip. He had arranged before his de.
parture for several formal address
es, which he was to make in Germany,
England, France and Norway on his
return. When he reached Khartom
in March, 1910, on his way home, he
yielded to urgent appeals and made
two addresses on Egyptian affairs, one
at Khartoum and the other at Cairo,
which aroused much controversy and
led later to speech on the same sub
ject, also by urgent request, at the
Guildhall in London.
"From Khartoum he went to Rome.
Vienna, Budapest, Paris, Brussels,
The Hague, Copenhagen, Christiania,
Stockholm, Berlin and thence to Lon
don. AT the close of his tour he paid
a long visit to his long time cores
pondent and friend, Sir, George Otto
!
TreVelyan, at the latter's estate at
Welcome, Stratford-on-Avon. During
the visit his narrative of his expert
ences IN Egypt and Europe so strong
ly impressed S George that he urged
him most earnestly to put it in writ
ing. This Roosevelt did the follow
ing year, in the form of letter to
/ Trevelyan, under date of October /,
1911"
The former President, in the
missive, made "frank and searching
comments upon the characteristic and
personalities of kings, emperors and
other eminent personages; requested
that it should not be made public
until, long after all of US who are now
alive are dead" Trevelyan, in authoriz-
ing its publication, said: 81 do not hesi-
tate to say that it should be published
and the sooner the better. The world
would be much the richer for it. The
times are such that the human inter
rest and solid value of this wonderful
paper would be very great indeed
now"
The Colonel drew an intimate pic
ture of British rule in Egypt, praised
it on the whole and declared that the
task Of "super-imposing the twentieth
century upon the seventh, was a
mighty one, which only "a great and
powerful nation could attempt and
which it is high and honorable thing
to have attempted. Nearly 5000
words are devoted to 'The Vatican
Incident" and the reason Roosevelt
was not presented to Pope Plus X A
certain Methodist clergyman in Rome
Fhad been conducting an attack upon
the head of the Catholic church and
when Vice President Fairbanks, some
time before, visited the Holy City the
Supreme Pontiff stipulated that he
would not receive him in audience if
he addressed Methodist gatherings
Roosevelt took the same attitude as
Fairbanks, that he "must decline t.
submit to any conditions which in any
way limit my freedom of conduct"
The Colonel said in his letter to Sii
George that one of his volunteer
secretaries at that time was "anxious
to prevent the Vatican from commit
} ting what he felt would be-a ;grea
> blunder" and while the Colonel was a:
f Naples went to Rome to see tn,
/ Papal Secretary of State, Cardina
= Merry del Val. The stipulation by th'
Pope was not withdrawn and Colone
Roosevelt adhered to his resolution O.
making no agreement to refrain from
speaking before Methodist meetings
, Accordingly, he wrote, ri was no
presented at the Vatican"
= In public statement at the time
the Colonel declared that "the respec
and regard of those of fellow-Ameri
: cans who are Protestants" and he ex
0 pressed the hope that the inciden
: would be treated asa merely persons
: matter without rancor or Bitterness.
i While in Rome the Colonel visite
i King Victor Emmanuel and Quee
S Helena of Italy whom he describes a
e faithful, conscientious and wise" a
well as a lovable couple. Later he sa,
in Vienna the aged Franz Josef, En-
lperor of Austria, who said he wa
"the last representative of the oil
Il system, whereas embodied the ne'
: movement"
n ~ shall always bear testimony t
e the good manners, and the obviou
e sense of responsibility ana duty, Q
the various sovereigns", the Colons
wrote. "I thoroughly liked and re