The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-11-13
"CREED absent,
FROM POLQIcS"
SO SAYS PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
IN REPLY REGARDING RELl-
GIoUS BELIEF OF TAFT.
EXECUTIVE SCORES
ALLEGED BlGOTRY

Opposition to Any Candidate Be.
cause of Spiritual Principles Is an
Outrage, Declares Nations Head
Public Mans Own Private Concern.
Washington, Nov. 10-"Mr. Taft's
religious faith is purely his own pri-
vate concern and not matter for
general discussion and political dis
elimination" says President Roose
welt in letter he made public
in which he answers numerous
correspondents. The president says
he deferred the publication of the let
ter until now to avoid any agitation
Likely to influence the election.
The letter, which is dated November
6, is addressed to ]. G. Martin of Day.
ton, O., and says in part:
81 received many such letters as
yours during the campaign, express
ing dissatisfaction with Mr.. Taft on
religious grounds; some of them on
the ground that he was a Unitarian,
and others on the ground that he was
suspected to be in sympathy with
Catholics. did not answer any of these
letters during the campaign because
I regarded it as an outrage even to
agitate such question as mans re-
ligious convictions, with the purpose
of influencing a political election.
But now that the campaign is over,
when there is opportunity for men
calmly to consider whittier such prop
ositions as those you make in your
letter would lead, l wish to invite
them to consider them, and 1 have
selected your letter to answer because
you advance both the objections COM
monty urged against Mr.. Taft, name
ly: that he is Unitarian and also
that he is suspected of sympathy with
the Catholics.
Mr.. Taft's Own Private Concern.
you ask that Mr.. Taft shall let
the world know what his religious be-
lief is This is purely his own pri,
vate concern; and it is a matter be-
tween him and his Maker, matter
for his own conscience; and to re-
quire it to be made public under pen.
atty of political discrimination is to
negative the first principles of our
government, which guarantee com.
plete religious liberty, and the right
to each man to act in religious affairs
as his own conscience dictates. Mr.
Taft never asked my advice in the
matter, but If he had asked it, l
should have emphatically advised him
against thus stating publicly his re.
yligious belief. -.
ITO discriminate against thorough
ly upright citizen because he belongs
to some particular church, or because,
like Abraham Lincoln, he has not
avowed his allegiance to any church,
is an outrage against that liberty of
conscience which Is one of the founda-
lions of American life. You are en-
titled to know whether man seeking
your suffrages is a man of clean and
upright life, honorable in all his deal
ings with his fellows, and fit by quail
fication and purpose to do well in the
great office for which he is a candi-
date; but you are not entitled to know
matters which lie purely between him
self and his Maker.
No Cause for Criticism.
IF it is proper or legitimate to op-
pose man for being Unitarian, as
was John Quincy Adams, for instance,
as is Rev. Edward Everett Hale, at
the present moment chaplain of the
senate, and an American of whose
life all good Americans are proud
then it would be equally proper to
support or oppose man because of
his views on justification by faith, or
the method of administering the sacra-
ment, or the gospel of salvation by
works. If you once enter on such a
career there is absolutely no limit at
which you can legitimately stop.
$50 much for your objections to Mr..
Taft because he is a Unitarian. Now,
for your objections to him because you
think his wife and brother to be
Roman Catholics. AS it happens, they
are not; but if they were, or If he
were a Roman Catholic himself, it
ought not to affect in the slightest de-
gree any mans supporting him for
the position of president
SANDER of Americans.
"You say that the mass of the
voters that are not Catholics will not
support a man for any Office, espe-
cially for president of the United
States, who is a Roman Catholic l
believe that when you say this you
foully SANDER your fellow coun-
trymen. l do not for one mo-
ment believe that the mass of our
fellow citizens, or that any consider
able number of our fellow citizens,
can be influenced by such narrow
bigotry as to refuse to vote for any
thoroughly upright and fit man be-
cause he happens to have a particular
religious creed"
Corn Production Is Reported