The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1908-11-14
IAFTS RELIGION HIS OWN CONCERN
President Roosevelt In OPEN Letter, Answers Queries.
People. Says President, Have Right Only to Know II
Candidate Is Upright In Public and Private Lie

Washington, Nov. S.-"Secre-
tary Taft's religious faith is purely
his own private concern, and not a
matter Tor general discussion and
political discrimination says
President Roosevelt in aletter to
]. c. Martin OF Dayton, o., made
public tonight, in which he answers
numerous correspondents. The
president says he deferred the pub.
location OF the letter until now to
avoid any agitation likely to in.
fiuence the election. The letter
follows:
November g.. zoos.
my Dear Sir;-l haze received
your letter running in part as fol-
lows: while it is claimed almost
universally that religion should not
enter into politics, yet there is no
denying that il does, and the mass
OF the voters that are not Catholics
will not support a man Tor any
Office, especially tor president OF
the United States, who is a Roman
Catholic.
EMBoDIES TWO OBJECTIONS.
Since TAFT has been nominated
for president by the republican par.
~, Il is being circulated and is
constantly urged as a reason Tor
not voting for TAFT that he is an
inhdel Unitarian and his wife and
brother Roman Catholics. II
his feelings are in sympathy with
the Roman Catholic church on &C.
count OF his wife and brother being
Catholics, that would be objection.
able to sufficient number oi voters
to defeat him. On the other hand.
II he is an intidel, that would he
sure to mean defeat. am
writing this letter for the sole pur.
pose OF giving Mr.. TAFT an oppor.
tunity to let the world know what
his religious belief is
II received many such letters as
yours during the campaign, ex.
pressing dissatisfaction with Mr..
TAFT on religious grounds; some OF
them on the ground that he was a
Unitarian and on the ground that
he was suspected TO be in sympathy
with Catholics. | did not answer
any OF these letters during the
campaign, because | regarded it as
an outrage even to agitate such a
question as a mans religious con
victions, with the purpose OF in.
fiuencing a political election.
NOT PUBLIc's BUSINESS.
But now that the campaign is
over, when there is opportunity for
lei calmly TO consider whittier
such propositions as those YOU
make in your letter would lead,
wish to invite them to conside;
them, and | have selected your let,
ter to answer because YOU advance
both the objections commonly urg.
ed against Mr.. Taft, namely: Thai
he is a Unitarian, and also that he
is suspected OF sympathy with the
Catholics.
You ask that Mr.. TAFT shall
Let the world know what his reli.
eious belief is This is purely his
own private concern; and it is a
matter between him and his Max.
er. a matter for his own conscience
and to require il to be made public
under the penalty OF political dis
elimination is 10 negative the first
principles OF vi government, which
guarantee complete religious lib
erty and the right to each mar TO
ect in religious affairs as his own
conscience dictates.
MIR. Taft lever asked my advice
in the matter, but il he had asked
il | should emphatica!ly advised
him against thus stating publicly
his religious belief.
BACH TO MIDDLE AGES.
The demand for a statement OF a
candidates religious belief can
have no meaning except that there
may be discrimination for or
against him because oil that belief.
Discrimination against the holder
Of n OF the faith means retaliatory
discrimination against men OF 9th.
er faiths. The inevitable result OF
entering upon such a practice