The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-11-21
Jest Over Motto.

In God We Trust" will not be
upon any United States coin designed
in the future if the president can pre-
vent the use of that motto. He has
written a vigorous letter on the sub
ject, copies of which are now being
mailed to ID correspondents who have
sent him protests on the absence of
the words on the new gold pieces In
order to make his position on the
subject perfectly plain to all the peo-
pie, Secretary Loeb gave out copies
of the letter, which is IN part as fol-
lows:
Dear Sir-When the question OF the
new coinage came up we looked into
the law and found there was no war
rant therein for putting In God We
Trust on the coins As the custom,
although without legal warrant, had
grown up, however, | might have felt
at liberty to keep the inscription had
| approved of its beng on the coin
age. But as | did not approve of it,
| did not direct that it should again
be put on.
My own feeling in the matter IS
due to my very firm conviction that
to put such motto on coins or to use
it in any kindred manner, not only
does no good, but does positive harm.
and is in effect irreverence which
comes dangerously close to sacrilege.
\ beautiful and solemn sentence, such
as the one in question should be treat
ed and uttered only with fine rever-
ence which neces sarily implies a GER
tain 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 1evity is
from every standpoint profoundly 20
be regretted. Ii is a motto which is
indeed we'll to have inscribed on our
great national monuments, in our
temples of justice, in our legislative
halls and in buildings such as those
at West Point and Annapolis-in
short, wherever it will tend to arouse
and inspire lofty emotion But it
seems to me emineDfly unwise to
cheaper such motto by u.e on coins,
just as it would cheaper it by use on
postage stamps, or iI. advertisements
I'm all my lie | have never heard
any human being speak reverently OF
this motto on the coins, or show any
sign of its having appealed TO any
high emotion in him But I have lit
orally hundreds of times heard it used
as an occasion of, and Indictment 10.
the sneering ridicule which it is above
all things undesirable that so beautiful
and exalted a phrase should excite
For example throughout the long
contest, extending over several dec
AIDES on the free coinage question, the
|existence of this motto on the coins
was constant source of jest and rid
|
one must remember the innumerable
cartoons and articles based on phrases
like I'm God we trust for the short
weight" In God we trust for the
other eight cents" I'm God we trust
for the 81 cents we do not pay" and
so forth and SO forth.
Surely ! am we'll within bounds
when | say that use of phrase which
invites constant levity of This type is
most undesirable. If congress alters
the law and directs me to replace on
the coins the sentence in question the
direction will be Immediately put into
effect; but | very earnestly trust that
the religious sentiment of the country
rfle spirit of reverence in the country,
will prevent any such action being
taken.
Sincerely yours,
Theodore Roosevelt" 4"