The Glenwood post., 1908-11-14
ROOSEVELT DEFENDS RE-
LIaIoN OF W. H. TAFT

Roosevelt WAS in receipt of many let
ters during the past caMpaign in which
the writers seemed very anxious tt
stir up religious troubles and in theil
attempt brought w. H. Taft to the
front as either member of the Catho
lie faith or of the Unitarian denomina.
tion.
These letters aroused President
Roosevelt to a high tension and as a
result the following letter was written
in answer to one of the many would b.
trouble makers:
81 received many such letters as
YOURS during the campaign expressing
dissatisfaction with Mr.. Taft on re-
ligious grounds; some of them on the
ground that he was a Unitarian and
others on the ground that he was sus-
pected to be in sympathy with Catho-
plics. did not answer any of these
letters during the campaign, because
| regarded it as an outrage even to
agitate such question as man s re
ligious convictions with the purpose of
influencing presidential election.
But now that the campaign is over,
where there is opportunity to calmly
consider where such claims as you
make in your letter would lead. l wisn
to invite them to consider them, ana
I have selected your letter to answer
because you advance both the objec-
tions commonly urged against Mr.. Taft
namely, that he is a Unitarian and
that he is suspected of sympathy with
the Catholics.
"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, matter for his
own conscience; and to require it II
be made public under penalty of politi-
first principles of ou. government.
which guarantees complete religious
liberty and the right of each man to
act in religious affairs as his own con
science may dictate. Mr.. Taft never
asked my advice in the matter, Dut if
he had asked it. I should have en-
phatically advised against thus stat
ing publicly his religious belief. The
demand for a statement Of a candi
dates religious belief can have no
meaning except that there may be dis
elimination for, or against him be-
cause of that belief. The inevitable
result of entering upon such prae
tice would be an abanronment of our
zeal freedom of conscience and rever-
sion to the dreadful conditions Of re
ligious dissepsion which in 30 many
lands have proved fatal to true liberty
to true religion, and, fatal TO advance
in civilization.
"To discriminate against thorough
ly upright citizen because he belong,
to some particular church OF because
like Abraham Lincoln he has not
avowed his allegiance to any church
.s an outrage against thai liberty If
conscience which is one of the founda-
tions of American liberty. You are
! entitled to know whether a man seek
ing your suffrage is a man of clean
and upright life, honorable in all his
dealings with his fellows and fit by
qualification and purpose to dwell in
the great office for which he is can
didate. but you are not entitled to
know matters which lie purely between
hismeslf and his maker. If it is proper
or legitimate to oppose man for be
ing a Unitarian-as was John Quincy
Adams, for instance, IS is the Rev
Edward Everett Hale, at the present
moment chaplain of the senate and al
American of whose life all good Amer
leans are proud-then it would b,
equally proper to support or oppose
man because of views on justification
by faith or the method Of administer
ing the sacrament, or the gospel of sal
vation by works. If you once enter OF
such career there is absolutely nt
limit at which you can legitimately
stop.
$50 much for your objections to Mr.
Taft because he is Unitarian.
"Now, for your objections to him be
cause you think his brother and wifi,
to be Roman Catholics. As it happenl
they are not; but if they were, or il
he were a Roman Catholic, hereafter
it ought not to affect in the slightes
degree any man 8 supporting him 70
the position Of president. You say tina
the mass of the voters that are NO
Catholics will not support man TO
any Office, especially for president o
the United States who is Romal
Catholic. 1 believe that when you sa.