The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-22
aft's Religion.

Taft's Religion.
 New York.-A Cincinnati dispatch to the Evening Post is as follows:
 The religious issue of this campaipn ia no mirage to be seen only from the next county but 1t may be more than offset by other forces which it sets into motion. That MT. Taft will lose a great many votes of lifelong republicans because of his religious status is indisputable. The minister or the Presbyterian church of which Charles P Taft is a trustee. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft a member. and to which she pays $500 pew tax, has public " announced that he will vote for Bryan, although he never before has supported democrat Before the nominations were made, when 1t seemed inevitable that Taft and Bryan were to be the candidates. this minister, Dr. Robert Watson, de- ciared from his pulpit on Sunday morn Ing that he did not see how Christian peo- pie could do otherwise than vote for Bryan in preference to a man who re- Jected the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. and whose public life was not. according to Dr. Watson, in harmony with Christian principles. This was striking very close at home. Everybody knows a brother the candidate, has been an exceedingly important factor in recent political events. His resources. which are ample, went far to finance the Taft campaign for the nomination. His position as proprietor or leading republican newspaper had mucn 10 oo with the political preferment which began to come to his brother an soon as he left the law school
 Although Charles P Taft does not often attend its services. to have the min- ister of this church, who is also an in structor in the Lane Theological seminary, come out for Bryan, was naturally dis appointment. The minister resents the idea that he is doing this in any narrow minded sectarian spirit He says that he admits to his church people who do not even believe the apostle creed. He would vote for Jew for President, provided his life measured up to the requisite standard. His objection to Taft is that after making the famous Akron speech in denunciation of Boss Cox. if was Charles P. Taft who arose in convention and put in nomination as first delegate to Chicago this same George B. Cox, and that the Taft people, instead of admit ting the Cox gang to their camp, which would have been bad enough, actually went over to the Cox camp themselves
 Reference is made to the Foraker rec onciliation at Toledo, only to be followed a few days later by dropping Forater over the side of the ship, when MT. Roose- welt and -Mr. Taft must have known au the time what kind of man Foraker was. The Presbyterian divine wants to know if they object to Foraker's assist ance only because Foraker got caught,
 This religious question has been taken up in the Evangelical alliance of Cincin- natl, which includes all the denominat tions except the Episcopalian. the so-called I,ib- erals, and one of the German bodies It has been taken up at the Presbyterian synod. The ministers of all denomina- tlons of Ohio today wonder whether thev ought to vote for Taft or not. While Dr watson throws his objection upon Chris tian principles so called, rather than creed. it is clear that the Taft family at- titude on subjects of religious nature ,s at the basis of the trouble. The Rible has not been read in the schools of Ohio for 26 years. Mir. Tafts father, Judge AL fonso Taft, who was President Grants Attorney General, Is held responsible for this. One version of the story is f1,at he was the judge before whom the case wac tried. and another that he was a svn,s pathizer on the non-Bible side.