Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-27
BY CHARLES D. HILLEs,
Chairman Republican National Com
Inittee

nIttee,
NEW YORK, Aug 27-President
Taft is Unitarian and attends regu-
arly All Souls Unitarian church in
Washington. Mrs Taft is and always
has been an Episcopalan She is a
member and regular attendant of St
Johns Episcopal church in Washing
ton. popularity known as The Church
of the Presidents" because so many of
the nations chief executives have at
tended it. 1t seems almost trite to
state such well known facts as these,
but it also seems necessary to do SO
because of an undetermined campaign
against the president which is being
carried on in certain parts of the coun-
try, some going so far in their perver-
sion of the facts as to assert that Mrs.
Taft is a Roman Catholic.
In this same connection, I wish to
brand as absolutely false the state
ment being circulated in the same quar-
ters that President Taft sent Major
Butt to the vatican to procure from the
pope the support of the Catholics in
this country. the statement that Mr..
Taft has attended Catholic services for
political purposes, and the further
statement that the president has been
unduly favorable to Catholics. Every
one of these statements is not only
false. but wholly without foundation. 1t
is sad reflection on the presidents op-
ponents that they should stoOp to such
unworthy methods although it indi-
I.ov, ri, ell hot
ident Taft will defeat them
Just to All the Creeds.
President Taft is a just man. and,
being Just man, he has been perfect
ly just to Catholics, precisely as he has
been to every other denomination. He
is irrevocably opposed to any union of
church and state and never hesitates to
say so, and nothing he has ever done
has tended in that direction These
facts are well known to all who come
in close touch with the president, who
have an opportunity to learn his views
at first hand and to observe his acts at
close range. 1t is somewhat remark
able that in these days of free and rap
id communication between all parts of
the country it should be possible to
mslead any one regarding such obvious
facts But unfortunately it is, and
even Masons have been heard to assert
that the president is a Catholic, APP
parently ignorant of the fact that the
president, in addition to being Unita-
rian, is himself Mason.
President Taft's whole course in the
white house. in the cabinet and in the
Philippines has been guided by an in
tense desire to live up to his concep-
ton of a just man and in the white
house to be president of all the people,
North and South. East and West Prot
cstant and Catholic, religious and non
religious. In the Philippines he was
called upon to conduct many negotia-
tions with the Catholic church, begin
ming with the time he was sent to Rome
by President Mckinley to induce the
pope to compel the friars, or monks, in
the Philippines to part with their i'm
mense land holdings at a reasonable
price.
Splendid Bargain Made.
There. are probably few Americans
w ic ItclliHt lilt mag III ttht VI lllt ull-
dertaking which President Mckinley
confided to Nh Taft.
But President Taft achieved it with
such infinite tact that he made no enc
mics in Rome and yet perfected bar
gain which, even from the standpoints
of Yankee shreWdness, must be pro-
nounced a good one. These lands ag-
in the Philippines. They We're occu-
pied by 10000 people. the heads of the
families being tenant farmers. The