The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-04-18
TRUE AMERIcANIsM DEFINED.
Il. B. Cahoon, the southeast Missouri
Gubernatorial Candidate Favors
the Largest Political and Iselig-
ious Toleration Reasonable.

ious Toleratfon Reasonable.
FREDERICKTOwN. Mo-. April b.
Hon. B. B. Cahoon of this town,
whose candidacy for Governor has at
last practically solidlfed Southeast
Missouri for him. has just written the
following public letter, which explains
itself:
''FREDERICKTOwN. Mo-. April 13.-
DR.. ). y. Bates, Piedmont, Wayne
county. Mo-: My Dear Sir-I am in
receipt of yours of the 18th inst. in
forming me that men claiming to be
Republicans are and have been at
work secretly to poison the minds of
Republicans in your county, who do
not know me personally, by charging
that | am Il Catholic. You kindly
Suggest that | should at once take
steps to counteract that sort OF pol
iticS.
Il am frank to say that several
years ago | leaned toward and took
preliminary steps to join the Catholic
church. | was not nor do | expect to
be confirmed Catholic or TO Join
that church for reasons personal,
which. to me. are sufficient and which
do not concern. nor is the public in
tercsted therein. | do not think n
man like myself. whose paternal an
ceStOr was soldier under George
Washington during the Revolution
my fifteenth to my nineteenth year,
need in order to prove | am good
American, eternally smite my breast
and proclaim that fact on the street
corners.
Il do not feel that |. who acquired
a limited education solely in and who
was afterward a teacher of the public
schools. and who have since been
their devOtee. need not prove | am
their friend, and carry a placa"d on
my breast. inscribed: L am public
school man That and my American
ism 90 without saying, and must be
tested by my past services to our
country and to its glorious public
schools.
Il am ready, if need be, to fight for
both, as | certainly will against all
foreign or priestly. be it Catholic or
Protestant, interference with the con-
troll OF our politics, because we do not
propose to tolerate for an instant
the slightest direct or indirect union
of church or state in this country.
Yet. for myself, | will ever fight my
political battles openly and above
board. and not as Il member of any
secret political society or party.
In my judgment, the Republican
party, which can certainly b. depend
ed upon at all times to protect the
country and its public schools, and
to guarantee freedom and justice to
all men, so completely covers by its
sublime creed all that is good in
American politics and thought, that
there is actually no excuse, especial
ly Just now. for the existence of any
other political party, be it public or
secret | say, in all seriousness, that
the Republican party itself embraces,
in my judgement, all that is worthy of
in our public or political
life. and it may, in the future, as in
the past safely be depended upon to
guard all our public institutions and
our national interests. and to be
equal to all our public needs.
Besides these views. wish to en-
phatically say that | stand where
and Lincoln stood, ready
to take by the hand any worthy for
eigner. who, in good faith, comes to
Join his political and personal for
or furnishing a man on account of his
religion or on account of his lack of
it: favOring, in short, the largest po-
litical and religious toleratiOn con-
sistent with the brOadest Americanism.
| intend ever so to stand, come per-
sonal failure or success. | would
rather so stand than be the occupant
Of the executive mansion of Missouri.
Not so to stand is, in my judgment,
to ignore the best of the fundamental
for which our fathers died.
ITO abandon for temporary Office
Dr. success the principles of political
assimilation and recognition of peo-
pie of foreign birth who come to
share our political blessings and of
federation is to my mind a
desertion of what esteem is the best
in true Americanism. /, for one. will
never abandon either Sooner tha.
DO it, | LAY perish honor, fame, glory.
riches: perish life itself.
Very sincerely yours.
.'B. b. CAHOON."