The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-13
Says That There is No
Legal Warrant for Use Of
Motto on Coins.
DECLARES IT IRREVERENT
Quotes Occasions on Which II
Has Served Testing Scribes
and Sarcastic CartOOnists
as Handy Material for
Undesirable Levity.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13.--In answer
to one of the numerous protests which
have been received at the White House
against the new gold coin which have
been coined without the words In
God We Trust" President Roosevelt
has written a letter which he today
made public. 1t reads as follows:
"When the question Of the new coin
age came up we looked into the law
and found there was no warrant there's
in for putting In God We Trust on
the coins As the custom, although
without legal warrant, had grown UP,
however. l might have felt at liberty
to keep the inscription had approved
of It's being on the coinage, but as
did not approve of 1t, L did not direct
that 1t should again be put on. OF
course, the matter of the law is abb
solutely in the hands of Congress, and
any direction of Congress in the matter
Will be Immediately obeyed. At pres
ent, as I have said, 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
a motto on coins or to use 1t In any
kindred manner. not only does no good
bHt does positive harm, and Is In effect
irreverence which comes dangerously close
to sacrilege. A beautiful and solemn sem
tence, such as the one in question should
be treated and uttered only with that
fine reverence which necessarily implies
a certain axaltation of spirit.
ANY use which tends to cheaper 1t, and
above all, any use which tends to secure
its being treated in spirit Of levity. is
/ from every standpoint profoundly to ba
/ regretted 1t is a motto which 1t is In
deed 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-ln short wherever it will tend
to arouse and inspire n lofty emotion In
those who look thereon. But 1t seems to
me eminently unwise to cheaper such
motto by use on coins. just as 1t would
be TO cheaper it by use on postage
stamps, or in advertisements.
'As regards its use the coinage we
have actual experience by which to go. In
all my life have never heard any human
being speak reverently of this motto on
the coins or show any signs of its having
| appealed to any high emotion In him, but
l have literally hundreds Of times heard
II used as an occasion of, and Indictment
| to the sneerng ridicule which 1t is above
| all things undesirable that so beautiful and
exalted phrase should excite
"lror example, throughout the long con-
test extending over several decades on
the free coinage question the existence of
this motto on the coins was a constant
source of Jest and ridicule; and this was
unavoidable Every one must remember
! the klnumerable 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 thlrty-seven cents we do not pay
and so forth and SO forth.
Surely l am well within bounds when
say that a use of the phrase which in
vites constant levity Of this type is most
undesirable. II Congress alters the law
and directs me to replace on the coins the
sentence in question. the direction win be
Immediately put into effect; but I very
earnestly trust that the religious senti-
ment of the country, the spirit Of rever-
ence In the country. will prevent any such
action being taken.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"