Evening journal., 1908-11-09
HITS
BIGOTRY HARD
Writes Of Mr.. Taft'S Religious
Views as They Affected
Ills Candidacy
QUESTION THAT
CONCERNED TAFT ALONE

WASHINGTON. Nov. 9.-Prcsidcnt
Roosevelt has made public letter he
wrote on November to a man named
Martin. in Dayton. o.. about the rclig-
ion of William ". TAFT.
The substance of the Presidents let
ter rs statement of the recognized
fact that mans religion has no bear-
ing on his eligibility for public office.
Mr. Roosevelt mentions with much sat
isfacti0n that in the present cabinet
"thcro sit side by side Catholic and
Protestant Christian and jew. The
letter said in part:
You ask that Mr.. Taft shall Tot the
world know what his religious belief
is' This is purely his own private
concerns it rs matter between him
and his Maker. a matter for his own
conscience. and 10 require II to be
made public under penalty Of political
discrimination Is 10 negative the first
principle Of our govtrrment, which
guarantees complete religious liberty
and the right to each man to act in re-
ligio1s affairs as his own. conscience
dictates
"Mr Taft never asked my advice In
tho matter. but II he had asked 1t
should have cmphatically advised him
against thus stating publicly his re-
iigious belief The demand for state
mont of a candidates religious belief
can have no meaning except that there
may be discrimination for or against
/ him because OF that belief. Discrimi-
nation against the holder Of one faith
means rctallatory discrimination
against mon )f other faiths.
/ ufTf., fr.tffaHIo Vartlf nf onfnrlnW
upon such a practice would be an
abandonment Of our real freedom Of
conscience and reversion TO the
dreadful conditions Of religious dissen-
sion which IN so many lands have
proved fatal to liberty. to true religion
and to all advance In civilization
"ro discriminate against a thorough
/ ~ upright citizen because he belongs
TO some particular church or because
like Abraham Lincoln. he has not
avowcd his allegiance to any church
is an outrage against that liberty or
conscience which is ono Of the founda-
/ tlons of American life You are en-
titled TO know whether a man seeking
your suffrages is a man OF clean and
upright life. honorable in all his deal
ines with his fellows and it by quail
]
great Office for which ho Is a candi-
date: but YOU are not ontetled 60 know
matters which lie purely between HIM
self and his Maker"
''If Il is proper or legitimate TO op-
pose a man for being a Unitarian, as was
John Quincy dams. for instance, as Is
the Rev Edward Everett Hale, at the
present moment chaplain OF the Senate
ana an American Of whose life all good
Americans are proud. then 1t would be
equally proper TO support or oppose a
man because of his views on justification
by faith or the method Of administering
the sacrament or the gospel Of salvation
by works. you once enter on such a
career there IS absolutely no limit al
which YOU can lcgiumately stop.
$50 much for your objections TO air
TAFT because he IS Unitarian. Now
Tor your objections 20 him because YOU
think his wife and brother 20 be Roman
Catholics. As a happens they are not
but n they are or II he were a Roman
Catholic himself IL ought not 10 affec'
in the slightest degree any many sup
porting him for the position OF President
You say that the mass Of tho voters
that are not Catholics will not suppor
man for any Office. especially for p 81
. dent Of the United states. who Is 4
) Roman Catholic.
II believe that when you say this yol
, foully slander your fellow-countrymen
do not FOR one moment believe that tn
! mass OF our fcllow-citizens that an.
considerable number of our fellow-citi
zens can be influenced by such narrov
hlgotry as to refuse 10 vote for an.
thoroughly upright aud ne man becaus
; he happens TO have a particular religion
creed Such consideration should neve
: be treated as a reason for either support
ing or opposing candidate for polit
:, cal office