Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-08-25
DiGorl,y

llcan candidate for the Presidency on
account of his alleged theological
views A short time ago the Pente-
costal Herald contained AN editorial
Directing to Mr. Taft on the ground
that he is said to be Unitarian. The
editorial was afterwards circulated In
envelopes bearing the Louisville post
mark.
Then we hear OF some Methodists In
Nebraska joining in the attack upon
Mr.. Tart MIR. Tobey former private
secretary to Senator Bucket, told the
New York sun that a number of
Methodist preachers had asserted that
mo good Methodist can vote fol man
who openly declares he does not be-
lieve In the divinity of Christ" Mr.,
Tobey, said: ~ did not meet sin
gle preacher that was not against Taft
because Of his being a Unitarian"
With the New York Evening Post we
belive that this movement is of no
great Importance. though it reveals
the smallness Of soul and the ignor-
ance of American principles of gov
eminent on the part Of the citizens
who permit agltators 60 influence them
by appealing TO their religious views,
for political purposes. II necessary, all
party managers and candidates for
high offices could unite in denouncing
and counteracting such an un-Amert-
can agitation nation that is proud
OF jefferson and honors Lincoln as one
of the saviors of the Union cannot, con-
sistently. bar from high offices the
citizens whose views on the Trinity
are not orthodox. The Constitution
guarantees freedom of worship. If this
freedom is to be abridged by the err
ection of arbitrary obstacles in the
name of religion. the Constitution may
as well be torn up and the pieces
scattered to the four winds Jesus of
Nazareth Himself would be the first TO
denounce the bigotry that masquar-
AIDES in the disguise of religious zeal.
II we had been inclined TO believe
that Utah and Idaho are the only
states in which political ambition re-
sorts TO the stirring up of religious
q hatred, for political purposes, the agi-
tation against one of Americas most
prominent citizen because he Is Unit
r arian Is calculated TO correct this i'm
"A preston. There are bigots in other
states too But is 1t not time that all
( enlightened citizens unite in a strong
4 effort 10 eliminate from the field OF pol
( itical discussion everywhere all anti
churchism. be it Observation-Disclosures,
\ anti Catholicism. anti Semitism,o or anti
y "Mormonism?" Let the churches fight
4 their own battles, if fight they must,
contrary 10 the spirit of Christianity,
I But do not let them make the ballot
box the center of religious controversy.
Religious questions no more belong TO
politics than do questions relating to
the cut of the clothes or the color Of
the hair
We are pleased to notice that this
bgotry is by no means general among
the members OF Christian denomina-
tons. In the Homiletic Review for
September, several strong protests are
entered against IT, In the August num-
Der OF that magazine one Rev. H. -
+ Boyer assailed the religious views Of
the Candidate. \ correspondent writ
f. ing over the nom de plume Peter
Orthodox" replies:
Several millions Of orthodox Chris
tians VIII probably vote for Mr. Taft,
Z because they believe him to be u true
Christian man Very lew OF them
X agree with any Unltarlansm that he
4 may happen TO hold, but only now and
z then man who should have been born
u Two hundred years ago viii conclude