The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-02-01
CATHOLICISM Of
HON. BEN JOHNSON
Should Play No Part in
GubernatOriaI Race.
QUESTION BEING DISCUSSED
A Mans Religious AffiIiation
Should Not Dominate
His Politics.
JUST RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR

Our attention has been called re-
Gently to an item in the Benton
Tribune-Democrat and a comment
on 1t by the Todd County Times,
both Of which are unfair because the
first is absolutely untrue and a part,
at least. of the comment is, we be-
Iieve, altogether -unwarrRnted. The
Embellishments article is as fol-
lows:
ED Shinnick, of the Shelbyville
Record. is determined to keep the
religion of the Hon. Ben Johnson be-
fore the public. Notwithstanding the
fact that Mr.. johnson is a Catholic.
We must confess that we cannot see
how this is going to benefit Mr..
Johnson, and can't understand why
Mr.. Shinnick persists in keeping 1t
before the public"
The Todd County Times comment
is as follows:
Possibly Mr.. Shinnick thinks 1t
will help Johnson. Didn't this or
thodox Christian country elect as
President of the United States, two
wears ago, man who no more be-
lieves in the immaculate conception,
ETC., than did Bob Ingerso1? OF
course there's no comparison be-
tween Catholicism and inhdelity,
but as the people seem to have ac-
quired habit of bestowing their
best Offices upon the men who differ
the most widely from them. and as
the Catholics are outnumbered near
ly ten to one by the Protestants in
Kentucky, it looks like Mr.. Shin
hicks logic isn't altogether faulty.
THE editor of the Times has just
as much respect for a good Catholic
as he has for a good Protestant,
and just as much contempt for a
mean Protestant as he has for a
mean Catholic. The only possible
excuse for making Ben Johnson's re-
ligious convictions an issue in this
campaign is the fact that a number
of leaders of his church have an
nounced that they wished that or
rani7ation to control this country,
tNinc that no RELIGIOUS denomination
should be permitted to do, whether
Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian,
Methodist or anything else. Our
forefathers fought and bled for re-
ligiors liberty. and everv man is on
titled 70 the endowment Of that bless
I'd heritage. Keep church ani
State forever separate is the wisest
advice ever given by Americas wis.
est statesman.
eff Mr.. Johnsons friends persist
in making his religion an issue. of
course it will be met bv the other /
side. They can expect nothing else. |
The people, however, are not dis
posed to make it an issue, as was
evidenced two years ago when Taft,
not a believer in the divinity of
Christ in the orthodox sense, defeat
ed William J. BRYAN. one of the most
orthodox of Presbyterians, for the
highest Office in the land, and those
who bolted Taft on account of his
religious views were shown, by the
returns, to be as scarce as the pro-
verbal hens teeth"
In answer to the first, we want to
saw that as to what Ben Johnson's
is, the Shelby Record has
never referred. 1t has said, how
ever, that no mans religion, his
Democracy, integrity and ability be- !
ing equal to that of his opponent
should cut any figure in the race. {
The question of Mr.. Johnson's re- {
igion was not injected into this
'ace by him or his friends. It was ]
started and worked altogether by [
lis opponents, who hoped thereby {
% influence bigoted few in ignor- {
ng his merits when they go to the {
)olls. |
The Times says: Didn't this or
hodox Christian country elect as
President of the United States, two ]
ears ago, man who no more be- {
ieves in the immaculate conception '
han did Bob Ingersoll?" Yes, it ]
lid. But did the Democrats of Ken {
lucky contribute in any way to that |
'lection2 Ben Johnson's race is for {
State ONCE in Kentucky He asks !