Goldsboro weekly argus., 1908-11-19

Of the Senate, and an American OF
it would be equally pro- /
per to support or oppose a man be-
cause of his view on Justification by
faith, or the method OF administering
the sacrament of the gospel OF saliva
ton by works. IF you once enter on
such a career there is absolutely no
limit at which you can legftimately
stop.
So much for your objections to MIR.
Taft beca use he is Unitarian. Now,
for your objections to him because you
think his wife and brother to be Ro-
man Catholics. AS it happens, they
are not; but if thsy were or il hs were
a Roman Catholic himself, it ought not
to affect in the slightest degree any
mans supporting him fer the position
I.of President. You say that 1.-The mass
of the voters that are not Catholiss
viii not support a man for Office, es-
peciaily for President of fhe United
States, " bo IS Roman Catholic. /
believe that when You say this you
e ally Slander your fellow country
men. / 40 not for ore morn ent he-
/ tiieve that the mass of our fellow citix-,
ems, or that any considerable number
/ OF our fellow citizens, can be influence
ed by such narrow bigotry as to refuse
tp vote fer any thoroughly upright and
fl man because he happens to have q
~; r(ar 71in q
sideratieu should never be treated as a
reason tor either supporting or oppos-
ing a candidate tor political office.
! 4 re you aware that there are several
states in this Union where the major
/ ify of the people are now Catholics? l
! should reprobate te in the severest terms
! the Catholics in these states (or in any
q her st<tes1 who refused to vote for
| the Enost fit man because he happened
| to be q Protestant and my condemna-
| ton would be exactly as severe foI
Protestants, refused to vote for a Cath
that I have known many men wins
were elected and constantly re elected
to office in districts where the great
majority OF there constitutes were of a
different religious belief L hDow Cath
olics who have for many years repre-.
sented constituencies mainly Protest.
ant and ProtsstaRfs W ho haI Q for many
years represented constituencies. main.
ly Catholic; and among the Congress
men whom L know particularly wei
was one msA of Jewish faith who rep
resented a district in which there were
hardly any Jews at all. All l'of thes,
| men by their very existence III politi
cad life refute the slander you lisuv.. ~.
| tered against yosr fellow .Americm.,s
I believe that ahis1 republic will en-
dure for many centuries :If.so there
will doubtless be among its fHresil.n,,
| Pretestants and Catholics. and very
probably at some time. I have consist
emily tried whle President to act il
relation to nay fellow Americans 0
Catholic faith as hope that any tu
ture President who happens to be (,
Crtholie will act towar rds = kis fellow
Americans of Protestant faith. Had
followed any other course sheu Id h,t Y,
felt that was unfit to represent tn
American people.
In my cabinet at the present mo
ment there sit side by side Catholic
and Protestant, Christian and jew
each man chosen because in nay be
lief he is peculiarly fit to exercise %,
behalf of all cur people the duties o
tire Office to which [ have appreciated
him. In no case does the mans re
ligious belief in any way influence hi
d scharge of his duties, save as i
makes him more eager to act juskl
and uprightly in his relations to al
men. The same principles that have
obtained in appointing the member.
of my cabinet, fhe highest officials AN
der me, the officials to whom is en
trusted the work of carrying out al
the important pslices sf my admins
tration, are the principles upon which
all good Americans should act il
choosing, whether by election or ap
pointment, the men to fill any Off
from the highest to the lowest in tn.
land.
Yours truly,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
Mr.. J. G. Martin, "
Day ton, OhI@.