Bisbee daily review., 1908-11-13
"TAFTs RELIGION IS HIS
 0WN'- THEODORE ROOSEVELT

of administering the sacrament. or the gospel of salvation by works. If you once enter on such career there is absolutely no limit at which you can legitimately stop.
 So much for your objection to MT. 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 ne were a Roman Catholic himself, it ought not to affect in the slightest oe- gree any mans supporting him for the position of president. You say that
 the mass of the voters that are not Catholics will not support a man for any office, especially for president of the United States, who Is a Roman Catholic I believe that when you say this you foully islander your fellow citizens. do not believe that an< considerable number of my fellow cit izens can be influenced by such narrow bigotry as to refuse to vote for any thoroughly upright and fit man be- cause he happens to nave a particular religious creed. Such a consideration should never be treated as a reason CAlhCI bdPlOIttAt6 OupOoluS q candidate for political office.
 Are you aware that there are sew eraT states in this union where the majority of the people are now Cath olics? I should reprobate in the se- verest terms the Catholics who. in those states tor in any other states), refused to vote for the most 1t man because he happened to be a Protes- tant; and my condemnation would be exactly as severe for Protestants who, under reversed circumstances, refused to vote for Catholic.
 In public life I am happy to say that have known many men who were elected, and constantly re-elect- ed to office in districts where the great majority of their constituents were of a different religious belief. [ know Catholics who nave for many years represented constituencies main Iy Protestant, and Protestants who have for many years represented con stituencies mainly Catholic; and among the congressman whom knew particularly well was one man of Jewish faith who represented dis trict in which there were hardly any Jews at all All of these men, by their very existence in political life, refute the islander you have uttered against your fellow Americans.
 'I believe that this republic Will endure for many centuries. If so. there will doubtless be among Its presidents Protestants and Catholics, and, very probably, at some time, Jews. I have consistently tried while president to act in relation to my fel- low Americans of Catholic faith as I hope that any future president who happens to be a Catholic will act to- ward his fellow Americans of Protest ant faith. Had I followed any other course l should have felt that I was unfit to represent the American peo- pie.
 ''In my cabinet at the present mo ment there sit side by side Catholic and Protestant, Christian an Jew, each man chosen because, in my belief, he is peculiarly fit to exercise on behalf of all our people the duties of the office to which I have appointed him. In no case does the mans religious be- lief in any way influence his discharge of his duties, save as it makes him more eager to act justly and upright ly in his relations to all men.
 The same principles that have ob- tained in appointing the members or my cabinet, the highest officials under me, the officials to whom is entrusted the work of carrying out all the fza- portant policies of my administration, are the principles upon which all good Americans should act in choosing, by elecetion or appointment, -he men to fill any office from the highest to the lowest in the land
 Yours truly,
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
 ''Mr. J. c. Martin, corner Fourth md Jefferson streets, Dayton, O."