Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-11-13

church, is an outrage against that
liberty Of conscience which is one of
: the foundations of American life. You
are entitled to know whether a 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 candidate; but you are
not entitled to know matters which
lie purely between himself and his
Maker. ,,
! IL. it is proper or legitimate to op-
pose a man for being a Unitarian, as
was John Quincy Adams, for instance
as is the Rev. Edward Everett Hale,
at the present moment chaplain of
the Senate, and an American of
whose life all good Americans are
proud-then 1t would be equally prop
er to support or oppose man be-
cause Of his views on justification by
faith, or the method of administering
the sacrament, or the gospel of sal
walton by works. If you once enter
ON such career there is absolutely
no limit at which you can legitimate
ly stop.
so much for objections to Mr.. TAFT
because he is a Unitarian. Now for
your objections to him because you
think his wife and brother to be Ro-
man Catholics. AS 1t happens, they
are not; but II they were, or II he
were Roman Catholic himself, it
ought not to affect In the slightest
degree 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 Presi-
dent Of the United States, who is
Roman Catholic"
"I believe that when you say this
you foully slander your fellow coun-
trymen. ] do not for one moment be-
lieve that the mass Of our fellow cit
izens, or that any considerable num-
Der. Of our fellow citizens, can be in
fluenced by such narrow bigotzy q to
refuse 10 vote for any thoroughly up
right and fit man because he hap
pens to have a particular religious
creed.
"Such a consideration should never
be treated as a reason for either sup
porting or opposing candidate for
a political office. Are you aware that
there are several states in this Un-
ion where the majority of the peo-
pie are now Catholics? l should re-
probate in the severest terms the
Catholics in those states, or in
any other state, who refused to
vote for the most fit man because b
happened to be Protestant; and my
condemnation would be exactly as
severe for Protestants who, under
reversed circumstances, refused to
vote for a Catholic.
"In public life am happy to sa!
tina | have known many men who
were eleced, and constantly re-elect-
ed, to office in districts where the
great majority of their constituents
were of different religious belief.
| know Catholics who have for many
years represented constituencies
mainly Protestant, and Protestants
who have for many years represented
constituencies mainly Catholics. And
among the congressman whom know
particularly we'll was one man of Jew
ish faith who represented district
in which there were hardly any Jews
at all. ALI of these men, by their
very existence in political life, refute
the slander yoa have uttered against
your fellow Americans.
81 believe that this republic will en-
dure for many centuries. If so there
will doubtless be among its Presi-
dent Protestants and Catholics, and,
very probably at some time, Jews.
| have consistently tried while Pres
ident to act in relation to my fe[
low Americans Of Catholic faith as
/ hope that any future President who
happens to be a Catholic will act
toward his fellow Americans Of Pro
testant faith. Had l followed any
other course l should have felt that
I was unfit to represent the Ameri-
can people.
"In my Cabinet at the present mo-
ment there sit side by side Catholic
and Protestant, Christian and Jew,
each man chosen because IN my belle
he Is particularly fit to exercise on
behalf Of all our people the duties of
the office TO which / have appointed
him. In no case does the mans re-
Asious belief in any way influence his
discharge of his duties, save as It
Imakss him more eager to act justly
land upriehtiy In his relations to