The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-27
A Forbidden Subject.

This letter discusses a question the
raising Of which by Roman Catholic
paper of Boston we lately took occasion
to rebuke:
To THE EDITOR OF TEE SrS-.sfr: THE SUN
must admit that there Is something In the com
plant of the Boston Republic. Now. the question
is. are Catholics Disseminated against, as such.
The statistics quoted BY the Republic certainly
seem to prove that they are. And II they are have
they not right to protest. Not to protest would
be a tacit admission that the grounds on which
they were Disseminated against were Just, or, In
other words that they arc under Just suspicion Of
disloyalty.
THE Sun says that under the Constitution Of the
United States any natural born citizen is eligible
to the Presidency, Irrespective OF his religious be
lief. But of what use is this the Constitution Is
nulllncd BY the will Of the people,
1t is probably true that II THEODORE RoosE-
yELr were to turn Catholic and run again for the
Presidency he would he defeated by a larger ma
jorly than he was elected by last year. What does
this prove' Why. simply that religious blRotry Ia
rampant In this country. Yet, forsooth, we pre-
tend to be so lberall Across the border we see
Catholic head OF Protestant Government Can.
not We learn a iesson'
In conclusion | must absolve THE SrS from
sharing in the popular prejudice. Would that It's
scarn of cant and bigotry and narrowness were
generally initiated, FAIR PLAY.
NEW YORK May ?5"
We do not admit that there is some
thing in the complaint of the Boston
Republic" There is nothing in it. We
repeat our rebuke of the suggestion az
both groundless and mschievous.
The circumstance that only minority
of the officeholders bearing the commits
sion of the State of Massachusetts are
Roman Catholics ia no sort Of justifica-
ton for the complaint that people OF
that religious faith are "discrminated
against" The religious faith of office
holders is a matter Of importance only
to the men themselves. 1t cannot enter
into consideration as political factor
without offence to our political system.
1t is expressly excluded by the Consti-
tuition from consideration. 1t is a oues-
ton wholly outside the domain of Ameri-
can politics. When an attempt to lug it
into our politics was made in the middle
of the last century and pernicious
agitation resulted the American people
soon rebuked the impertinencea and finally
drove out the issue from the field of
politics.
OF what avail, asks our correspondent
is the eligibility Of any natural born
citizen to the Presidency, irrespective of
his religious belief, if practically this
constitutional privilege is nullified by
the people? But it is not nullified. The
question has never been raised; the issue
has never been before the people.
The American people are free to elect
to the Presidency whom they choose, pro-
vided that he be "a natural born citizen"
OF IS years of age or more. They can
elect Protestant Roman Catholic, a
Jew or an infdel. Any political party is
free to nominate candidate, within
these restrictions az to nativity and to
age, whatever may be his private views
as to religion. Nobody. then, is discrirn-
mated against except the foreign born
and those Below the prescribed age.
A man having been put before the