Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-10
TAFT'S VIEWS ON
RELIGION OWN BUSINESS
Continued on Page 8, Col. 81


purpose to do well in the great office
for which he Is a candidate; but you
are not entitled to know matters which
lie purely between himself and his
Maker. If it Is proper or legitimate to
oppose man for being Unitarian, as
was John Quincy Adams, for instance,
as is the Rev. Edward Hale, at the
present moment Chaplain of the SEN
ate, and an American Of whose life all
good Americans are pround-then 1t
would be equally proper to support or
oppose a man because of his views on
justification by faith, or the method of
administering the sacrament, or the
gospel of salvation by works. II you
once enter on such a career there Is
asolutely no limit at which you can
legitimately stop.
Pays Respects to eisots.
80 much for your objections to MI.
Taft because he Is Unitarian. Now,
think his wife and brother to be Ro-
man 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 as President. You say the
mass OF the voters that are not Catho-
| liCS Will IlCl SuppOIL d ioi any
office especially for President of the
| United States, who Is a Roman Cath
Ole. l believe that when you say this
| you foully SANDER your fellow country
| men. / do not for one moment be-
! lieve that the mass of our fellow cit
liens, or that any considerable num-
| Der of our fellow citizens, can be in
| fluenced by such narrow bigotry as TO
refuse to vote for any thoroughly up
/ RIGHT and fit har9nSo he hanDenS
! to have a particular. religious creed
| Such a consideration should never be
treated as a reason for either support
| ing or opposing candidate for po-
| litcal office. Are you aware that there
are several States in this Union where
the majority Of the people are nov
Catholics?' should reprobate in the
those States Cor in any other States)
who refused to vote for the most fl
man because he happened to be 6
| Protestant; and my condemnation
would be exactly as severe for Protes.
! tants who. under reversed circum
stances, refused to vote for Catholic
In public life I am happy to say thai
have known many men who were
elected and constantly reelected. tt
office in districts where the great ma
jority of their constituents were of {
different religious belief. I know
Catholics who have for many year:
represented constituencies, mainly
! Protestant, and PrOtestantsi who have
| for many years represented constr
tuencies mainly Catholic; and among
the Congressman whom | know par
ticularly well was one man of Jew
ish faith who represented a district il
which there We're hardly any Jews a
| all All of these men by their yer!
existence in political life refute thu
slanGer you have uttered against you,
fellow Americans.
All Creeds in Cabinet.
II believe that this Republic will en-
dure for many centuries. If so Their
will doubtless be among its President
Protestants and Catholics, and yer
probably at some time, Jews. l hav
consistently tried while President I
actin relation to my fellow American
of Catholic faith as I hope that an
future President who happens to be
Catholic Will act toward his felloy
Americans OF Protestant faith. Had
followed any other course | shout
have felt that ! was unfit to represen
the American people.
''In my Cabinet at the present mo
ment there sit side by side Cathol!
and Protestant, Christian and Jew
each man chosen because in my belle
he is peculiarly fit to exercise on be
half OF all the people the duties OF tn
t office to which I have appointed hin
In no case does the man't religious be
lief in any way Influence his dischas
OF his duties, save as it makes hil
more eager to act justly and upright
lily in his relations to all men. TIL
same principles that have obtained
appointing the members Of my Cabine
the highest officials under me, Il
officials to whom IS entrusted the wor
of carrying out all the important pc
icies OF my administration, are tt
principles upon which all good Amer
leans should act in choosing, whetht
by election or appointment. the me
to fill any Office from the highest
the lowest in the land.
Yours truly.
"(Signed) Theodore Roosevelt.
MI J. c. Martin.