Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-14

DEFENDS HIS
COIN RULE
"IN GOD WE TRUST" OMITTED
PURP0SELY
PRESIDENT THINKS SUCH USE IS
IRREvERENT
Solemn Sentence Has Been Jeered at
and cartooned, He Asserts;
Consequently He Made
Change

BY Associated Press
WASHINGTON. Nov. BIN answer TO
one of the numerous protests which have
been received at the White House against
the new gold coins which have been
coined without the words: In God we
trust" President Roosevelt has written
letter which he today made public The
letter follows:
when the question of new coinage
came up, we looked into the law and
found there was no warrant therein for
putting In God we trust on the coins
AS the custom, although without legal
warrant, had grown up, however, 1 might
have felt at liberty to keep the inscrip-
toin had / approved of its being on the
coinage. But as 1 did not approve of it,
did not direct that it should again be
put on.
"Of course the matter of the law is alb
solutey in the hands of congress and any
action in that direction will be immedi-
ately obeyed. Al present there is no war
rant in law for the inscription.
My own feeling In the matter is due to
my very firm conviction that to put such
motto on coins, or to use 1t in any kim
dred manner, not only does no good but
does positive HARM and is in effect irrev-
erent, which comes dangerously close to
sacrilege.
"a solemn sentence, such as the one in
question, should be treated and uttered
only with that fine reverence which nee
essarily implies a certain exaltation OF
spirit. Any use which tends to cheaper
it, and above all, any use which tends
| to secure its being treated in a spirit
of levity Is from every standpoint pro-
foundly to be regretted. 1t is a motto
which is indeed we'll to have inscrib I'D
on our great national monuments. in our
| temples of justice, in our executive halls.
and in buildings such as those at West
| Point and Annapolis, in short, wherever
| 1t will tend to arouse and inspire lofty
| emotion i'm those who looked thereon.
| But ii seems to me eminently unwise
| to cheaper a motto by use on coins
such as it would be to cheaper ii by use
| on postage stamps or in advertisements.
! AS regards it's use on the coinage, we
| have actual experience by which to go.
In all my life l have never heard any
| human speak revercntly of this
motto on the coins but l have hundreds
of times heard 1t used as an occasion OF,
| and Indictment to the sneering ridtcule,
which it is above all things undesirable
| that so beautiful and exalted a phrase
should excite.
| For example, throughout the long con-
! test extending over several decades on
the free coinage question, the issuance
of this motto on the coins was con
stant source of jest and ridicule; and
! this was unavoidable.
"Everyone must remember the innu-
merable cartoons and articles based on
phrases like In God we trust for the
| eight cents; In God we trust for the
short weight In God we trust for the
| thirty-seven cents we don't pay and so
| forth.
"surely I am we'll within bounds when
| 7 saw that a use of the phrase which
invited constant levity of this phrase is
| undesirable.
"If congress alters the laws and directs
me to replace on the coins the sentence
in question, it will be Immediately put
| into effect, but trust that the sentiment
| of the country the spirit of reverence III
the country, will prevent such action be-
| ing taken. aor,,,,-, ,r ;,