The San Francisco call., 1908-11-09


November 6, 1908.
Ny Dear Sir: I have received your
letter. running in part as follows:
While 1t is claimed almost univer-
sally that religion should not enter into
politics. yet there is no denying that II
does, and the mass of voters that are
not Catholics viii not support man for
any office, especially the president OF
the United States, who is a Roman
Catholic
Since Taft has been nominated for
president by the republican partYa 1T is
being circulated and is constantly urged
as a reason for not voting for Taft that
he is an infidel (Unitarian) and his wife
and brother Roman Catholics.
" IF his feelings are in sympathy with
the Roman Catholic church on account
of his wife and brother being Catholics,
that would be objectionable to suffi
cient number of voters to defeat him.
On the other hand, if he is an infidel
that would be sure to mean defeat.
am writing this letter for the sole pur-
pose Of giving Taft an opportunity to
let the world know what his religious
belief is.
ANSWER WAS WITHHELD
Il received such letters as yours dur
ing the campaign expressing dissatis-
faction with 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 sympa-
thy with Catholics.
Il did not answer any of these letters
during the campaign, because | regard
ed it as an outrage even to agitate such
a question as mans religious convic-
tions with the purpose of influencing a
presidential election.
But, now that the campaign is over,
when there is an opportunity for men
to calmly consider whittier such propo-
sitions as those you make in your letter
would lead, / wish to invite them to
consider them, and 1 have selected your
letter TO answer because you advance
both the objections commonly urged
against Taft. namely. that he is Unita-
Sian and also that he is suspected of
sympathy with the Catholics.
You ask that Taft Shall let the world
know what his religious belief is.
MATTER FOR OWN CONSCIENCE
This is his own private concern
and it is q matter between him and his
maker, matter for his own conscience;
and to require IL to be made public
under penalty of political discrimina-
tion is to negative the first principles
of our government, which guarantees
complete religious liberty and the right
of 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 il !
should have emphatically advised him
against thus stating publicly his re-
ligious belief.
The demand for statement of a
candidates religious belief can have no
meaning except that there may be dis
elimination for or against him because
of that belief. The inevitable result of
entering upon such a practice would be
an abandonment of our real freedom
of conscience and a reversion to the
dreadful conditions of religious dissen-
sion which in so many lands have
proved fatal TO true liberty, to true re-
ligion and fatal to advancement in
civilization.
To discriminate against a thoroughly
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 con-
science. which is one of the founda-
tions of American liberty.
WHAT QUESTIONS ARE PROPER
You are entitled to know whether
man seeking your suffrage is a man
of clean and upright life, honorable in
all his dealings with his fellows and
fit by qualification and 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 be-
tween himself and his maker.
IF it is proper or legitimate to op-
pose man for being a Unitarian, as
was John Quincy Adams, for instance,
as the Rev. Edward Everett Hale at
the present moment chaplain of the
senate and an American whose life all
good Americans are proud of-then it
would be equally proper to support or
oppose man because of views on
justification by faith or the method of
administering the sacrament or the
gospel of salvation by works If you
once enter on such career there is
absolutely no limit at whichSy you can
legitimately stop.
SO much for your objections to Mr..
Taft because he is 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 hereafter, it ought not to affect
in the slightest degree any many's sup
porting him for the position of presi-
dent.
BIGOTRY NOT CREDITED
You say that the mass of voters
that are not Catholics will not sup
port man for any office. especially
for president of the United States, who
is a Roman Catholic | believe that
when you say this you foully slander
your fellow countrymen.
4 DO not for one moment believe
that the mass of our fellow citizens.
or that any considerable number of our
fellow citizens, can be influenced by
such narrow bigotry as to refuse to
vote for any thoroughly upright and
fit man because he happens TO have a
particular religious creed. Such a con-
sideration should never be treated as
a reason for either supporting or op-
posing candidate for political office.
Are you aware that there are sew