New-York tribune., 1914-11-16
RABBI WISE RAPS
RELIGIOUS ISSUE
Calls on Church Leaders
to Disavow midnight
AssassinS."

The Rev. DR.. Stephen s. Wise took
Religious Bigotry as Political Issue"
as his subject at the Free Synagogue,
Carnegie Hall, yesterday morning. DR.
Wise said in part;
1T is not too late to consider re-
ligious bigotry as a political issue, for
it is not merely an election item or
factor, and ought TO be viewed with
alarm by every true American. After
the passions of the election season are
stilled the issue remains with US, for
no election can give the decision Of the
electoral judgment and conscience
touching that religious bigotry which
made itself felt during the recent cleo
tion.
IF it be urged that the matter is too
exquisitely delicate to be handled by
Church or Synagogue, may we not ask
whether the issue should be left amid
the hurly-burly of election campaigns
or lifted up to the higher level Of dis
passionate and unprejudiced reason
ing?
"If the Roman Catholic Church is in
the wrong, let the leaders of the
Protestant churches frankly say so.
But no fighting under coverl The
anonymous assailant does fatal hurt
10 any cause he serves, and the Pro-
testant churches of America are 70 be
pitied if they are ready 10 stoop TO the
acceptance of service from men who
shelter themselves within the safe
places Of cowardly anonymity.
Let Them Speak Out.
"If. | repeat, the heads of the Prot
estant churches IN America believe
it TO be imperilling to American in
terests that a communicate Of the
Roman Catholic Church should be the
Governor of the State Of New York or
the President Of the United States, let
them give their reasons for the faith
that is in them. Let them have the
courage of their Americanism and the
conviction of their righteousness, or
else the leadership OF, the Protestant
churches ought TO disavow response
bility for and tolerance of the mid
night assassins who have prowled
about within the boundaries Of our
state. If they choose to be dumb dogs
when passion and strife menace the
solidarity of American life, let them
abdcate from the places of leadership.
Even at the risk Of offending cher
ished friends, 1t must be said that 1t is
hardly honoring TO the leadership OF
the Protestant churches in our state
that few, if any, were the voices raised
in the course of the recent campaign
by men of power as against the un-
American and anti-religious issue that
was invoked.
Do Not Oppose Anti-Semites.
an sorrow, rather than in anger, as
a friend of Christendom and foe of
Christlessness, ] ask: What leadership
have we had from the teachers OF the
great Churches in combating anti
Semitism? Now and again voices have
been raised, but what leader of Prot
estant or Roman Catholic faith m
America has carried his opposition to
the point of Withdrawing from the
company of men avowedly anti-Jewish
"To hold up the threatening posi-
bility of a Jew serving in high place
in the state, as did the Guardians Of
Liberty in the recent campaign, was
iustifiable only if it were true that
there were something in the very ma
ture of the Jew which untitled him tor
American citizenship, or if there were
ANYTHING in his life which untitled him
for high service to city and state.
THAT either Of these propositions IS
true these subverters rather than
Guardians of Liberty will not dare to
affirm. ! represent my people truly
when | say that there IS not the re-
hottest likelihood of Jews voting as a
unit on any public question or with re-
gard TO any particular candidacy.
There is not a Jewish vote, nor VIII
there ever be Jewish vote.
"At the recent election there seemed
in one Congress district to be jew
ish vote. but that vote was altogether
honoring 10 the Jewish population OF
the East Side. Il was not vote Tor
particular candidate, because the three
candidates representing the three
parties were all Jews. 1t was vote IN
revolt against the corrupt political
practices and methods which had too
long obtained under the bipartisan
Tammany control in New York