The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1908-11-12
A BLOW AT BICOTRY
President Roosevelt Takes Scathine
keply to Man Who Criticises
Mr.. Taft's Religion.
Declares That People Should be Judged
by Their 1ode of Living and
Not by Their Greed.

Washington, D. c., Nov. 9.-"Secre-
tary<Taft's religious faith is purely
his own private concern and not
matter for general discussion and
political discrimination" says Presi-
dent Roosevelt in letter he made
public last night in which he answers
numerous correspondents. The presi-
dent says he deferred the publication
OF the letter until now to avoid any
agitation likely to influence the elec-
ton. The letter follows:
November, 6 1908.
My Dear Sir:
I have received your letter running
in part as follows:
"While it is claimed almost univer-
sally that religion should not enter
into politics, yet there is no denying
that it does, and the mass of the
voters that are not Catholics will not
support man for any Office, especial
~ for president of the United States,
who is Roman Catholic.
'Since Taft has been nominated for
president by the republican party, it
is being circulated and is constantly
urged as a reason for not voting for
Taft that he is an infdel (Unitarian)
and his wife and brother Roman
Catholic. 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 a sufficient number of
voters to defeat him. On the other
hand if be is an in6del, that would be
sure to mean defeat. = I am
writing this letter for the sole purpose
of giving Mr.. Taft an opportunity to
let the world know what his religious
belief isl
I received many such letters as
yours during the campaign expressing
dissatisfaction with Mr.. Taft on re-
ligious grounds: some of them on the
ground that he was Unitarian and
others on the ground that he was sus-
pected to be in sympathy with Catho-
lies. I did not answer any of these
letters during the campaign because I
regarded it as an outrage even to agi-
tate ssch question as mans relig-
sious convictions, with the purpose of
Influencing a political election. But
now that the campaign is over, when
there is opportunity for men calmly to
consider whittier such propositions as
these you make in your letter would
lead, wish to invite them to consider
them. and have selected your letter
to answer because you advance both
the objections commonly urged
against Mr.. Taft, namely: That be is
Unitarian and also that he is sus-
pected ofsympathy with the Catholics.
You ask that Taft shall "let the
world know what his religious belief
isl This is purely his own private
concern: and it is a matter between
him and his Maker, a matter for his
own conscience: and to require it to
be made public under penalty of po-
litical discrimination is to negative
the first principles of our government
which guarantee complete religious
liberty, and the right to 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 it,
should have emphatically advised him
against thus stating publicly his re-
ligious belief. The demand for a
statement of candidates religious
belief can have no meaning except
that there may be discrimination for
or against him because of that belief.
Discrimination against the holder of
one faith means retaliatory discrimin-
alton against men of other faiths.
The inevitable result of entering upon
such practice would he an abandon
ment of our real freedom of conscience
and a reversion to the dreadful con-
ditions of religious discussions which
in so many lands have proved fatal
to true liberty, to true religion, and
to all advance in civilization.
" To discriminate against a thorough
ly 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
conscience which is one of the founda-
tions Of American life. You are en-
titled to know whether a man seeking
your suffrage is man of clean and
upright life, honorable in all his deal
ings with his fellows, and fit by quail
fcation and purpose to do we'll in the
great Office for which he is candi-
date; but you are not entitled to know
matters which are purely between him.
self and his Maker. If it is proper or
legitimate to oppose man for being
Unitarian, as was John Quincy
Adams for instance, as is the Rev.
Edward Everett Hale, at the present
moment chaplain of the senate and am