The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-16
press dispatch from Lincoln. Neb.. and

press dispatch from Lincoln, Neb, and
says:
George Z. Eubey. until a year ago pri-
vate secretary TO United States Senator
Burkett and secretary of the Nebraska
assembly, has warned the Republican
state committee that Taft is in danger of
losing the Methodist vote. the bulk of
which has been Republican. Eubey said
today:
The Methodist preachers at the an
nuai EpWorth assembly in Lincoln this
week have gone wild over Bryan. Scores
ol me lay members association have
caught the Bryan fever. They make no
secret of their opposition to Taft. and
they have been button-holing everyone
they meet and urging them to vote
against the Republican nominee. They
assert that no good Methodist can vote
Tor man for president who openly
avows that he does not believe in the
divinity of Christ, and it was argu-
ment which, with stiff-backed Methodists.
has been very effective. If a concerted
effort is made to defeat Taft on that
ground. as / am informed it will const-
tute a serious menace to his success |
did not meet a single preacher that did
not strongly object TO Taft on account of
his being a member of the Unitarian
church. Most of them knew that l was
lifelong Republican and that L was 10y
al to Taft and L was strongly criticised
for my determination to stick with the
Republican ticket"
If Mr. Taft were distinctly irreligious
or if there were any question as to his
morality, a general movement against
him by the church people of the coun-
try could be understood and would be
proper; but it would be unfortunate to
have mans belief made an issue in a
presidential campaign when there is no
charge against him affecting either his
uprightness or his fitness for the Office
to which he aspires.
It goes without saying that the
United States is Christian nation in
the sense that the very large majority
of its people hold to some form Of
Christian faith 1t Is also part of the
national creed that no question of re-
ligious belief shall ever be test of
civil employment or honor. Nothing
that savors of a religious test has ever
been known in national affairs, though
unquestionably religious prejudice has
at various times played a large part
in the political affairs of the country.
That was shown clearly in Blaine's de-
feat by the Burchard speech; it has
been a strong, though silent influence
in the selection of presidential candi-
dates. At the same time, in country
which prides itself on its freedom of
worship and guarantee of liberty in
thought and action of the individual, it
would be violation of the spirit, If not
the letter, of the constitution TO assail
Taft on such grounds.
II, however, the Methodists as body
get the impression that Mr. Tafts the
illogical beliefs disqualify>him for their
support. his following will be greatly
weakened all over the country, and
particularly in the farming and rural
towns of the middle west where the or
ganization of the Methodists is strong,
compact and aggressive in action when
a question of this sort is involved. To
the average evangelistic denomination,
the Unitarian faith is confused with the
agnostic and the atheistic. The more
scholarly know, of course, that the
Unitarian is a deist; he only disavows
or questions the divinity of Christ; and
in the New England states, particular
ly, the Unitarians have been among
the most intelligent, devout and force
full of believers in a Divinity.