The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-11-27
MANS RELIGION HIS PRIVATE
CONCERN.

MANS RELIGION HIS PRIvAT
CONCERN.
Washington. Nov. s.-.secretar
Taft's religious faith is purely hi
/. own private concern and not a matte
Tor general discussion and politics
discrimination says Presiden
Roosevelt in a.letter be made publ
todny in which he answers numerou
correspondents. The president say
he deferred the publication Of tn
letter until now to avoid anything i,
influence the election. The lette
n follows:
Presidents Letter.
November s. My Dear Sir,
lAave received your letter running II
part as follows:
While it Is claimed almost uni.
versally that religion should not en-.
ter into politics. vet there is no de-
nying that it does, and the mass Of
the voters that are not Catholics will
not support q man for any office, es-
pecially the president Of the United
tates, who - q Roman Catholic.
Since Taft has been nominated
for president by the Republican party
it is being circulated and is constant
ly urged as reason for not 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 Catholic church on account OF
his wife and brother, they being
Catholics, that would be objection
able for sufficient number OF voters
to defeat him. On the other hand, if
he is an infidel, that would be sure
to mean defeat. ! am writing this
letter for the sole purpose Of giving
Mr.. Taft an opportunity to let the
world know what his religious belief
is
Outrageous Letters.
received many such letters as
yours during the campaign, express
ling dissatisfaction with Mr.. Taft on
religious grounds; some OF them on
the 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 during the campaign be-
cause regarded it as an outrage |
even to agitate such question as
mans religious convictions. with the
purpose Of influencing a political
election. But now that the campaign |
~ over, when there is opportunity for
men to calmly consider whether such
as those you make in
YOUR letter would lead. wish to in
'Vite them to consider them, and I
have selected your letter to answer
hecause you advance both the objec-
Aons commonly urged against Mr..
aft, namely: That he is a Uni
tarian and also that he is suspected Of
Sympathy with the Catholics.
81 Taft's Private Concern.
"You ask that Mr.. Taft shall let
the world know what his religious
belief is This is purely his own
private concern; and it is matter
between him and his Maker, mat
ter for his own conscience, and to
reQuire it to be made public under
penalty of political discrimination is
10 negative the first principles of our
government, which guarantees COM
plete religious liberty, and the right
10 each man to act in religious af- :
Eairs as his own conscience Dictates
Mr.. Taft never asked my advice in {
The matter, but if he had asked it, d
should have emphatically advised
him against thus stating publicly his I
religious belief. The demand for a II
statement of candidates religious t
belief can have no meaning except /
hat there may be discrimination for d
,r against him because of that belief. t
The inevitable result Of entering up t
IN such practice would be an aban- il
lonment of our real freedom of con- v
cience and reversion to the dread Iii
ul conditions of religious dissentions a
which in SO many lands have proved f
atal to true liberty, to true religion ii
nd fatal to the advance in civiliza-
ion.
Singing Rebuke.
ITO discriminate against thor
ughly upright citizen because he be-
ongs to some particular church, or