The Washington times., 1908-11-09
Tells Dayton Writer That
Belief of Any Man Is Not
Public's Business.
QUESTION is ONE
PURELY PERSONAL
Roosevelt Says Nation Has No
Right to Inquire and Censures
His Quizzer for Letter.

for himself and his Maker, and that
no one is invested with the right to
call upon Mr.. Taft for a public state
ment as TO his religious belief, is strong
Iy advanced in letter which President
Roosevelt wrote to j. G Martin, of
Dayton, Ohio, on November 9, and Just
made public
The President says that during the
campaign. he received a number Of let
ters similar 20 Mr.. Martins, demanding
seine kind Of statement from Mr.. Taft,
a Unitarian, as TO his faith, and also
an answer to the assumption that he
leaned toward the Catholic church on
account of his wife and brother being
regarded as Catholics
Mr.. Martin is not identified. save
through his name and street address,
but his letter is evidently worthy of a
strong reply by President Roosevelt.
The Letters Text.
The letter is as follows:
My Dear Sir-I have received your
letter running. in part. as follows:
" While it is claimed almost uni
versally that religion should not enter
into politics. yet there is no denying
that il does, and the mass Of the voters
y
a man for President Of the United
States who Is a Roman Catholic.
" Since Taft has been nominated for
President by the Republican party Il is
being circulated and is constantly
urged as a reason for not voting for
Tart, that he IS an lnfidel Unitarian.
and his wife and brother are Roman
II his feelings are In sympathy
with the Roman Catholic church on ac-
count OF his wife and brother being
Catholics. that would be objectionable
TO sufficient number OF voters to de-
Leat him. on the other hand, If he Is an
lnhdel that would be sure To mean de-
Feat j am writing this letter
Tor the sole purpose Of giving Mr. Taft
an opportunity to let the world know
what his religious belief is.
Il received many such letters as
yours, during the campaign, expressing
with Mr.. TAFT on re-
HgIous grounds some OF them on the
others on the ground that ne was sus-
Pected 10 be TN sympaths' with Catho-
Why He Writes.
II did not answer any OF these letters
during the campaign because ! regard
ed II as an outrage even to agitate
such question as a mans religious
convictions with the purpose Of infiueuc-
ing A political election. gut now that
the campaign is over. when there is op-
DOrtunity for men calmly 10 consider
whittier such propositions as these YOU
make in your letter would lead. I wish
to invite them to consider them, and I
have selected your letter 10 answer
because you advance both the obiec-
tons commonly urged against Mr.. Taft.
namely that he is a Unitarian, and
also that he Is suspected Of sympathy
at Fa|r
You ask that MT. Taft shall Get
the world know what his religious be-
lief is This IL purely his own private
concern: and i- Is a matter D. w,ea
him and his Maker, q matter for his
own conscience and to require II TO
be made public under penalty OF poIitf-
cal discrimination is to negative the
first principles Of our Government.
which guarantee complete religious lib
eTty and the right 20 each man TO act
In religious affairs as his own con-
science dictates
Mr.. Taft never asked NY advice in
the matter but ii he had asked II,
should have emphatiCaIly advised him
.lglOus belief The demand for a state
ment Of a candidates religious belief
can have no meaning except that there
may be discrimination for or against
him because of that belief.
What Discrimination Means.
Discrimination against the holder OF
one faith means retaliatory discrimina-
ton against men Of other faiths. The
inevitable result Of entering upon such
a practice would be an abandonment
Of our real freedom Of conscience and
a reversion to the dreadful conditions
Of religious dissensiOn which in so many
lands have proved fatal to true liberty,
to true religion, and TO all advance in
ITO discriminate against a thorough
~ upright citizen because he belongs to
some particular church or because, like
a abraham Lincoln he has not avowed
his allegiance TO any church is an out
rage against that liberty Of conscience
which is one of the foundations Of
American life. You are entitled 10
know whether q man seeking your sUf-
frages is a man of clean and upright
life, honorable in all his dealings with I
his fellows and hi by qualification and
purpose TO do we'll in the great Office
are not entitled TO know matters which
lie purely between himself an his Maker.
Adams of Same Faith.
If it Is proper or legitimate to op-
pose man for being a Unitarian. as
was John Quincy Adams, for instance;
as is the Rev. Edward Everett Hale |
at She present moment chaplain OF the |
Senate and an American of whose life |
iH good Americans are proud. then it /
would be equally proper TO support or |
oppose a man because Of his views on !
by faith. OF the method of /
the sacrament, or the |
gospel of salvation by works. If YOU |
once enter on such a career there is |
absolutely no limit at which you can /
egitimateIy stop.
so mUrh for your objection TO Mr.. ,
Taft because he is "a Unitarian. Now /
for your objections 10 him because /
you think his wife and brother TO be !
Roman Catholics. AS it happens they I
are not; but if they were, or if he F!
we're a Roman Catholic himself, il ought |
not TO affect in the slightest degree any
mans supporting him for the position |
If President
Refers to Catholics.
''You say that The mass of IN = voters !
that are not Catholics will not sup
port a man for any Office, especially for ,
President OF the United States, who is /
Roman Catholic believe when you /
iay this You foUily SANDER your fellow
,OmtTymen. I do not for one moment 4
believe that the mass of our fellow-citi- I
.enS, or that any considerable number 7
IF our lellOW-cItiZe1s, can be Influenced (,
ly such narrow higOtTy as to refuse (