Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-11-13
AS TO TAFT's RELIGION
= s
President Roosevelt Answers ReIia,
ious Critics

= During the recent campaign there
was considerable said and written
concerning the religious views Of
4. Judge Taft. in all the political mat,
ter published in the. Democrat bear
ing on thet campaign, we absolutely
refrained from this class of stuff
feeling that mans religious views
were his own business. Not only
has the religion OF candidates for
high places been brought into poll
tics, but the same thing was done
clear down the line. Since the elec,
ton, President Roosevelt has written
"a letter which is'a severe febuke to
9 such people, and ist so to the point
that We publish it in full. We COM
mend it to those in this community
who find fault with a mans relig-
ious views The letter in full is as
follows:
Washington. Nov. S.-"secretary
Taft's religious faith is purely his
own private concern and not a mat
ter for general discussion and DofH.
ical discrimination" says President
Roosevelt in letter to ]. C.. Mar
TIN of Dayton, o. The letter in which
he answers numerous correspond.
ents, was made public tonight, The
President says he deferred the publ
cation Of the lettr until now to avoid
any agitation likely to influence the
.eection The letter follows:
my Dear Sir: have received You
letter, running in part as follows:
while it is claimed as almost I'M
iyesally that religion should not en-
ter into politics, yet there i.s no de-
Hytng that 1t does, and the mass of
voters that are not Catholics,
will not support man for any office
especially for President Of the Unit.
ed States, who is a Roman Cath
olic. r,. .i;
az, * -. r.
. "Since Taft has been nominated for
President by the Republican party it
Is being circulated and is constant
ly urged as a reason for mot voting
for Taft that he is an infidel (Uni
tarian) and his wife and brother
Roman Catholics. If his feelings are
in sympathy with the Roman Catho-
lie church on account of the wife
and brother being Catholics, that
would be Objectionable to sufficient
number of voters to defeat him. On
the other hand, II be Is an infidel
that would be sure to mean defeat.
I am writing this letter for the sole
purpose Of giving Mr.. Taft an oppor'
tunity to let the world know what
his religious belief IS"
'T have received many such letters
as yours In the campaign, expressing
dissatisfaction with Mr.. Taft on re-
hgious grounds; some Of them on tn
ground that he was a Unitarian and
others on the ground that he was
suspected to be in sympathy with
Catholics. | did not answer any OF
these letters in the campaign be-
B cause regarded it as an outrage
even to agitate such question as
a mans religious convictions with
the purpose of influencing a poliu-
cal election. But now that the CAM
paign is over, when there is oppor-
tunity for men, calmly to conlsder
whether such propositions as those
YOU make in your letter would lead
I wish to invite them to CONSIDER
them and I have selected your letter
to answer because you advance both
the objections commonly urged agains
Mr.. Taft, namely; that he is a Uni
> tartan and also that he is suspected
of sympathy with the Catholics.
you ask that Mr.. Taft shall let
the world know what his religious be
lief is This is purely his own prl'
vate concern, and it is matter BE-
tween him and his Maker, a matter
for his own conscience. And to re-
uuire it to be made public under pen
atty of political discrimination is
TO negative the first principles OF our
government, which guaranteed COM
plete religious liberty and the
right of each man to act in religious
sffairs as his conscience dictates.
Mr.. Taft never asked my advice m
the matter, but Il he had asked It
, Is should have enphatically advised
HIM against thus stating publicly
his religious belief.
"Tae demand for statement OF a
candidates religious belief can have
no meaning except that there may
be discrimination for or against him
because Of that belief. Discrtmina-
ton means the holder Of one faith
means retaHatory discrimination
against men Of other faiths. The
inevitable result Of eutsdng upon suci
practice would be an abandonment
Z, - "a s..nl f~oorirsn ~ nnHarle1co az