Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-11-15
I'm GOD We TRUST"
President Roosevelt Opposed to
Putting Words on Coins.
COMES NEAR TO SACRiLEGE

Slb'S GC'bSI VI w HtCN ne wives tbs
Reasons fer Leaving motto OF Of
the New Goid Coins.
WASN'T stpn. NCy, lin answer Ia
one Of the uUngiOu, prCto.ts mat nave
been received at tne White House
against TIE new gold coins which have
been coined without ne words in God
We Trust" PRESIDENT Roosevelt has
written letter, witch &C has made
public, The lclcr fellows:
No Warrant for Its Use.
"When the question If the new coin
came up, We lo)krd into the Las and
found tEere was 10 warrant therein
for putting In God We Trust on the
coins. As tie cus.om although with.
out legal warrant, rod grown up,
however, uigft have felt at liberty
to keep the Inscription nal am owed
Of its being on the coinage Blt as
did not approve CT #, did not di-
rect that 1t should agdin he put on.
OF course, the matter Of the law isl
absolutely in the hands of congress
and any dirCcti,n OF congress in the
matter will be Immediately obeyed. Att
present. rs | have said there is no
warrant In law for the Inscription.
My own feeling in the matter is
due to my very firm conviction That
10 put such a motion on coins, or to
use It in any kindred manner not
only does no good. but does positive
harm, and Is in effect, irrevererrct,
which comes dangerously near to sac
rilege. A beautiful and solemn SEN
tence such as the one In question
should be- treated and uttered only
with that fine reverence which nee
essariiy implies a certain exaltation
OF spirit. Any use which tends to
cheaper It, and above all, any use
which tends to secure It's being treated
In a spirit OF levity. Is from every
standpoint profoundly to be regretted
II is motto which It Is, indeed
Wen to have insert bed On cur great ma
tional monuments, in our temples Of
justice, in our legislative halls and in
buildings such as those at West Point
and Annapolis-in short. wherever i'll
viii tend TO arouse and inspire a
lofty emotion In those who look there,
on, But II seems TO me emlnently
uRwisC 10 cheaper such a motto by
using 1t on coins. Just as Il would be
TO cheaper II by use on postage,
stamps. or In advertisements.
AS regards IFS use on the coinage
We have actual experience by which
to 81. In all NY rfc have ncverI
heard ANY human being speak rover
entity of this motto on the coins or,
show any signs OF It's having appealed
TO any such emotion In him, but n
have literally hundreds of times heard
II used as an occasion OF, and iuclte-
ment to, the sneering ridiculc which,
II IS above all things undesirable that
80 exalted a phrase should excite. For
example throughout the long contest
extending over several decades on the
free coinage question the existence
f'his motto on the coins was a CON.
slant source OF Jest AMI rid;cu's and
this WAS unavoidable Every one must
remember iunumerAble cartoons and
articles based on phrases like In God
We TruS,.--tor the eiEat cents In
Cod We trust--ior the short weights.
g. God We trust ur the s. ccH's We
DO not pay, md an on and 80 luy' 4. /
Surely a.. veil In bounds when
-, that use 81 the phrase which
invites constant levky Of this stripe
Is most undesirable II congress a, .
ten thc lAv ard directs 20 replace
on thV COINS the sentence In question |
The Dir, c'i'a MI Do Immediately pat
into crer' m, I very earnestly (
trust that tac religious sentiment
~ che country. tac spirt ~ yever-
Cnce "a 80" country. vil pro
ven; at! such action bcirs 'aktt.
fSlanRsA .Thgat..-a R..,zavs1e