Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1908-11-27
wh..k s,ressy.

ter TO President Roosevelt, the New
York city members of the Syncdical |
Conferences ofsthe Evangelical. Luth-
eran Church Of s.Amenca, tahe issue
with thea Presidents ever The letter,
made public a week ago, In which. hs
denounced ss "unwairan'td bieotry"
any re>usal 10 vote for a Icandidate for
bieh office because Of such candidates. |
membership in The Remain Catholic
church
The letter Was authorized at recent |
meeling Of the Iecst Lutheran confer |
snee, when committee Of two was di- !
reetsd TO addiess the President. The
letter declared that 1t WAS "snbversive
OF The TASTE principles of a real separa-
on Of church and state 10 permit the |
religious lelief or non-bel,ef of any
candidate for pubic office to deter
mine the casting of ones vote for or
against tsuch candidate, except when
that very religious belief or non-bs-
lief antagoihzes this principle Of com
plete separation Of church and state.
Thus they agreed with the President
"ihat these cities are TO be severely
criticised who vote against man
merely because he lisa Unitarian, o.
Jew, Methodist, or any other reiig-
iohist.n
But for centuries, the letter went on,
the; Catholic had denounced as
wrong, and a condition only 10 be toll
Grated so long as IL could not be
changed, this separation of church and
state, and also full religious liberty,
freedom Of eonseiepcs, speech and
he press. The letter 10 subslantiate
these statements, quoted from Pope
Boniface VIII In his bull imam sane.
tam, Plus TX i'm his syllabus Of 1864
Leo Nil in encyelicals, and Gardi-
nal Gibbons in his book, "Ihe Faith Of
Our Fathers The letter asks:
Are we not then compelled 10 main
tain that loyal Roman Catholic who
fully understands the allegiance re-
CURED of him by the Pope, can never
sincerely subscribe TO the Federal Con-
stitution, nor, If he does subscribe to II,
never can be expected to abide by II,
enforce and defend ii?
How could the subscribers to the
doctrine of separation Of Church and
State, the letter went on, consistently
help TO elect TO the Presidency a Ro-
man Catholic 30 long IS that church
does not officially revoke its s'diamet
REALLY opposed declarations.
Are the 100000 and more Luther.
ans Of this country, not to speak OF the
millions of other Pro'estants, who tako
this position for the reasons stated, to
be accused of bigotry or fanat cisn be-
cause Of such their stand, ay, TO be de-
nounred as being .disloyal AmcricaG
citizens?
The letter concludes:
We protest that il il. neither person
al feeling nor religious antagonism
which determines our attitude in this
matter, but sorely our disagreement
with the Roman Catholic church on
this basic principle, a disagreement
growing out of the rejection and de-
nunciation by the Roman Catholic
church Of tnst very principle which
you admonish all faithfully to uphold,
not only in theory, but in practice
We, do not wish to be understood as
though TO accuse the bulk Of the Ro-
man Catholics OF being disloysI citi-
zens. We sincerely believe a great
many do not fully realize that the po-
sition the Hierarchy Of their church
m maintains, with reference to the lprin-
ciple.in question, especially la view of
the ontgiviDgs Of their teachers In this
country, and that if it came 10 an is
sue compelling a decision either for the
Consultation Tor the Papai hierarchy
they would decide in favor Of the form
er, upheIding the. Constitution Of the
United States.