The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-07
BOUQUETS FOR ROME.
President Taft Gives Much Praise to
the Catholic Church.

Plattsburg, \. Y July 7.-President
Taft's welcome at the Catholic summer
school today was a hearty one and the
edifce was packed to the doors. AT
the presidents right on the platform
was Cardinal Gibbons. while on his left
was Governor Hughes.
President Taft devoted his address
mainly to his dealings with the Catho-
lie church in the Philippines as having
a bearing on the present celebration.
Il am not q Catholic said he, but
I have had in the last 10 years a great
deal to do with the Catholic church My
lot did not carry me into a part of the
world that made me as familiar with
the French explorers, the French lead
ers of civilization life Champlain as 1t
did into the regions of those leaders
that came from Spain-intO the Phil
fpDtnes where the same influence that
carried Champlain here and that same
influence that controlled him. controlled
men equally brave and In certain re-
spects more successful
ssIeGaspi, who came out to the Phil
4uuInes Nth four or five Augustinlan
monks, converted 20 Christianity thdt
entire archipelago now having some
seven or eight million SoulS-tnen per
hans 500. OOO-the only community OF peo-
pIe in the entire orient that TO-DAY a.
a people are Christians think We are
reaching a point in this country WlleL :
we are very much more tolerant u
everything and everybody than IN cle
mast and where we are giving Justice
where justice ought to be given. w are
no longer cherishing those narrow pre-
iudfces that come from denomlnatloLal
figotry. and we are able to recognize
IL the mast these great principles III
religion and in Christian faith ana ap-
preciate the virtues they exhiolted anu
follow the examples they set for US
A Modern Invention
asReligious tolerance is rather mod
ern Invention. Those of US of puritan
ncestry have been apt to think we
we're the inventors Of religious toler-
ance. Well, as a matter of fact what
We were in favor of. If I can speak
for puritan ancestry. was In having
right to worship God as We pleased
and have everybody else worship Goo
in the same way. But we have worked
that out now and there has been great
change, I am sure-and his emlnence.
the cardinal. will agree with me-eVen
in the last % years. have nao per
sonal evidence of It in some Of the
work that we had to do in the phil
fppfues. Fifty years ago, If il had been
proposed to send representative OF
the government to the vatican to ne
gotiate and settle matters arising IN
country like the Philippines between
the government and the Roman Cath
Ole church, il would have given rise
to the severest condemnation and crit
fcism on the part of those who nave
feared some diplomatic connection be-
tween the government and vatican con-
trary to our traditions; but within he
last ten years that has been done, with
the full concurrence of all religious de-
nominations, believing that the way to
do the things is to do them directly
and when a matter is to be settled that
it should be settled with the head of
the church who has authority to act
His Visit to Rome.
f'And so it fell to my lot and in that
respect just by good luck, I came to
be an exception. which Will perhaps
stand for many years as the sole ex-
ception, of being a representative of
the United States at the vatican. There
I had the great pleasure of meeting
that distinguished statesman and pom
tiff, Leo XIII.
II am gratffied to say now that every
question between the church and the
state in the Philippines. which were so
closely united that it seemed almost
impossible to make a separation of the
two as 1t had to be made under our
constitution-has been settled fairly and
Justly TO both sides and no bad taste
o. injustice exists on either side with
respect to those questions. 4"
Cardinal Gibbons addressed the gath
ering briefly when the president had
concluded. He endorsed what the presi-
dent had said about religious liberty as
true and expressed a profound sense OF
gratitude for the presence Of the presi-