Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-10-27
Judqe Taft's Religion.

| According to Some enthusiastic DEM
ocratic statesmen who are energetic
ally hunting for an tissue" which they
hope may be worked to the disadvan-
tage Of Taft's candidacy, there are peo-
pie in the country who will refuse to
vote for the Republican nominee be
cause he is a Unitarian by religious
preference. According to these Demo-
cratic authorities, there are multitudes
of Republicans in all parts of the
| country who are in revolt against their
rarty's candidate for this reason, and
| they declare that the Methodists, Bap-
| lists and others will lack but little of
joining en- masse with the great army
| of Bryanites in sending the Nebraskan
stupendous landslide Of votes Of
course, this is all tommyrot OF the
most puerle kind. 1t is inconceivable
that any American voter with iatelli-
gence and patriotism enough to make
him worthy of American citizenship
| would vote against Judge Taft because
he is liberal in religious belief. Hap
PLY, the matter of religion has cut
very small figure in American politics
Democratic managers to introduce it in
| this campaign can only be a complete
fiZzle
This country has already had five
Presidents who We're Unitarians and il
managed to survive their administra-
lions without serious difficulty. Thorn
as jefferson, whose memory is insulted
by Bryan Democrats when they refer
to him as the founder of their party,
was himself a Unitarian, and John
Adams. John Quincy Adams, Mar
tin Van Enren and Franklin
Pierce We're four other Presidents of
that same faith. Chief Justice Mar
snail was Il Unitarian, and so is the
present Chief Justice, Melville Weston
Fuller, native of Augusta, but our
highest court would hardly have been
better ministered had they been Pres
byterians or Free VIII Baptists or
Christian Scientists.
Other Unitarians who have figured
more or less prominently in American
public life have been Edward Everett
| Charles Surnner, Daniel Webster. John
{. Calhoun, Justin S. Morrill, Rufus
Choate, the late Senator Hoar, John A.
Andrew, the war governor of Massa-
| chusetts, John ID. Long, Senator Lafol-
lette and Governor Guild of Massachu-
| setts--a fairly notable list and it is
was less efficient in public service or
| less respected by his fellow men be
| cause he was Unitarian
Going outside the realm of politics,
We find that the most distinguished
names in American literature are those
| of Unitarians, as, for instance, Henry
w. Longfeilow. Ralph Waldo Emerson,
| William Cullen Bryant, Oliver Wen
| dali Holmes, George Bancroft, Thomas
| Bailey Adrich, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
| Edward Everett Hale, George William
Curtis. Henry Thoreau, w. II. Prescott
James Freeman Clark, w. D. Howells,
| Louise NJ. Alcott, Margaret Fuller
Julia Ward Howe, William Ellery
| Charming, Minot ]. Savage. Certainly
| there would not be much left Of Amer
| lean literature if the Unitarians were
| taken out of it. And in the education-
al world we find such unitarians as
Horace Mann, Professor Agassiz, Car
| roll -. Wright. David Starr Jordan,
Andrew D. White and Thomas y. An
CELL
| If the terrible charge is to be brought
| against William Howard Taft that he
is Unitarian. it may at least be
| pleased IN his defense that he is i'm very
distinguished and very respectable
| company.