The Cairo bulletin., 1908-11-09
TAFI'S RELIGION
HIS OWN CONCERN
ROOSEVELT REBUKES CRITIC
WHO WOULD DRAG RE
LiGloN INTO POLITICS.
AMERICANS SLANDERED
BY Suggestion That They Would
Not Vote For Men Because
Catholic or Protestant or
of No Church.

Washington, Nov, s. Secretary
Taft's religious faith Is purely HIS
own private concern and not ma :.
ter for general discussion and politi,
cal discrimination" says Prcsidcn.
Roosevelt In letter he made puhlic
tonight in which he answers numar-
Gus correspondents. The president
says he deferred the publication Of
the letter until now to avoid any aGi-
tation likely to influence the c.ec.
tion The letter follows:
November O, 1908.
My Dear Sir:
have received your letter running
in part as follows:
while II is ciai almost uni
yersalIy that religion should not en-.
ter into noltIcs, yet there Is no
len n"ing that It does and the mass
the voters that are not Catho les
will not support a man for any office
especially for president Of the
United States, who is Roman Cath.
olic
Since Taft has been nominate
for president by the Republican
party, II is being circulated and is
urged as a reason for not
voting for Taft that he Is an infidei
tunitarian) and his wife aud brother
Roman Catholics. If biz
feelings are in sympathy with tie
Roman Catholic church on account
of his wife and brother being Cath
oiics, that would be Objectionable to
sufficient number of voters to defeat
him. On the other hand If he is an
infidel, that would be sure to mean
defeat I am writing this
etter for the sole purpose Of giving
Mr.. Taft an opportunity to let the
world know what his religious be-
lief Is"
The Presidents Reply.
received many such letters Ms
yours during the campaign. ex.
pressing dissatisfaction with Mr..
Taft on religious grounds some of
them on the ground that was a
Unitarian, and others on the ground
that he was suspected to be In sym
pathy with Catholics. did not
any of these letters during
The campaign because | regarded II
as an outrage even to agitate such
4 question as a mans religious con.
with the purpose of inhu.
'ncing a political election. But now
hat the campaign is over. when
horn Il. nuuorftu}t,- for ,,,ap caI,,,t,.
70 consider whittier such propositicns
IS those you make in your letter
cad. ! wish tn invite them TO CON
,ider them, and | have selected your
etter To answer because YOU a,>-
'snce both the objections commonly
irged against Mr. Tart. namely:
hat he Is a Unitarian and also that
Re is suspected of sympathy with
he Catholics,
His Private Affair.
You ask that Mr. TAFT shall ~lct
he world know what his religious
'elief u.s. This is purely his own
r.yate concern; AMI 1t Is matter
'etween him and his Maker. a mat.
er for his own conscience: and 10
equire IL 20 be made public under
'enalty OF political discrimination is
o negative the first principles OF
'ur government which guarante"
religious liberty and the
light 10 each man 10 act as his own
conscience dictates. MIR Taft never
sked my advice la the matter but
he bad asked IT, ] should have
,mphaticallv advised him against
hus stating publicly his religious
'elicf The demand for statement
" candidates religious belief can
ave no meaning except that there
nay be- discrimination FOR or
gaiust him because Of that beicf
discrimination against the holder of
ne faith means rctaliatory discrimi.
stlcn against men Of other faiths
he inevitable result Of entering
pen such practice would b. an
of our real freedom
. conscience and reversion to the
reaifui conditions Of religious die
srtion which tn So many lands have
rored fatal % true liberty 90 true
'ligiCn and To aH advance iH civil
iti,n-
Lincoln o. No Church.
To discriminate against a ihur
rghIy upright citizen because DE-
ei0ugs % some particular chuvh.
r. because Ike Abraham Lincola. he
as not aFoweI his allegiance % any
lurcb is aH outrage against that
heuf 1T conscience shich Is one -
be- foundations ct American If
ou ere entitled 20 know whether
iar seeking your suffrage is maa
{ clean and upright life. hOnorsbls
al ris dealings With his fellow
d 81 hy Qualification and purposs
} do sell in the great ofice fc-
hlch he is a candidate. but yCn
re not entitled % tB0w matters
-hich lie purely between himself s7d
e MaEar II af u rsrrr.rr ~ irrltL