Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-11-10
NO ROOM IN AMERICA
FOR A BIGOT, SAYS
ROOSEVELT
President Answers Cores.
pondent In Regard to
Tdfl'S Religious
Belief.
OUTRAGE TO ACETATE
SUCH A QUESTION
A Mans Religion Is Purely His
Private Concern and Has No
Bearing on His Fitness for
Any Office al the Hands
OF the People.


tcsdiscriminate against a man because
OF his religious belief is condemned
as un-American and against the cause
of liberty and civinzation 0y Presi-
dent Roosevelt in a letter to ]. c.
Martin, of Dayton. Ohio. The letter
has been made public because the
president declares he has received a
number of similar communicatl o us
and takes this means of answer. ng
them. He says:
Nov. 6, 1908.
MY Dear Sir: have received your
letter running in part as follows:
While 1t is claimed almost uni
Versally that religion should not enter
into politics, yet there Is no deny .ng
that it does, and the mass of the vot-
ers 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.
Since Taft has been nominated
for president by the Republican party
1t is being circulated and Is constant
ly urged as a reason for not voting
for Taft, that he is an infidel (Uni-
tarian) and his wife and brother Ro-
man Catholics.
If his feelings are in sympathy
with the Roman Catholic chrch, on
secount of his wife and brother being
Catholics, that would be objectionao, e
to sufficient number of voters to de-
feat him. On the other hand, if he is
an infidel, that wou be sure 20
mean defeat. l am writing this letter
for the sole purpose of giving Mr.
Taft an opportunity to let the world
know what his religious belief is
Outrage to Agitate Such Questions,
Says Roosevelt.
II 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 De
cause l regarded it as an outrage eyen
o agitate such questions as a man
religious convictions with the purpose
If Influencing a pol. tical election.
But now that the campaign is
over. when there is opportunity for
men to calmly consider whittier such
propositions as those you make in
your letter would lead / wish To in
vite them to cons d them, and
have selected your letter to answer
because you advance both the objec-
tions commonly urged against M
Tart, namely: That ne is a Unitarian
and also that he is suspected of sym
pathy with the Catholics.
You ask that Mr.. TAFT shall let the
world know what his religious belief
is This is purely his own private
concern; and it is a matter between
him and his Maker, matter for his
own conscience; and to require it to
oe made public under penalty of po-
Iitical d.scrim nation is to negative
the first principles of our governm1 nj,
which guarantees complete religious
liberty and the right to each man to
act in religious affairs as his own
conscience dictates.
Religious Determinations Fatal TO
True Liberty.
Mr.. Taft never asked my advice
in the matter, but if he had asked Il,
| should have emphatically advise d
him against thus stating publicly his
religious belief. The demand for a
statement of a candidates relig Gus
belief can have no meaning except
hat there may be discrimination for
0r against him because of that belief
fhe inevitable result of entering upon
such practice would be an abandon
mem of our real freedom Of con
science and reversion to the dread
Iul conditions OF religious dissension
which In 50 many lands have proved
iatai TO true liberty, to true religion
and fatal to advance in civilization.
TO discriminate against a thor
nughly upright citizen beoau e he be-
'ongs to some particular church, or
because, like Abraham Lincoln. he
has not avowed his allegiance to any
church. Is an outrage aga 'nst that
liberty of conscience which il one OF
the foundations of American liberty.
You are entitled to know whether a
man seeking your suffrages is a man
of clean and upright life. honora5i
N all his dealings with his fellows.
and Fit by qualification and purpose
ID do well In the great office for
which he is candidate; but you are
not entitled 10 know matters which