Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-04-25
The Distinguished Mississippian
Is Not Narrow i'm His
Principles.
Declares Himself as Good q Pro-
testant as Is Anybody
Else.
TUMULTY EDUCATED and LOYAL

The broad tolerance of Senator
John Sharp Williams, of Mississippi,
on the subject of religion is strik-
ingly shown by the following letter
written by him to one of his con-
stituents, who enclosed a clipping,
criticizing President Wilson because
the latter's Secretary, Mr.. Tumulty,
is a Roman Catholic:
'T have yours of the tenth. | have
seen several copies of the Liberator
and several of the anti-Roman Cath
olic newspapers, containing articles
in substance such as you refer to.
OF course it is true that Roman
Catholics are flocking to the coun-
try because a majority Of the
immigration we receive today Is
from countries where Catholicism is
the State religion established by
law. 1t is equally true that Cath
olics hold office in the United
States-in the army and in the navy
and in the civil service, just as Pres
byterians, Episcopalians, Methodists
and Baptists do. None of them hold
office because they are Catholics, or
because they are Presbyterians, or
Episcopalians, or Methodists, or
Baptists, but they are in the army
because they we're appointed to West
Point, in the navy because they were
appointed to Annapolis, and in the
civil service because they passed the
civil service examinations. Our
Government is one which pays no
attention to the religious convic-
tions of men; 1t is a cardinal doc
trine underlying our system that It
ought not to do so and that there
must be a total separation Of
Church and State. A man is not dis
qualified for office because he is a
Methodist, or a Presbyterian, or an
Episcopalian, or Baptist.
.J. do not know whether any OF
the Bishops or Cardinals of the
Catholic church are meddling with
or defying our laws as you say they
are. or not. expect there is
great many high officials in all
churches who are not over-lawabid-
ing, probably no more in one church
than in another. AS I stated, do
not know of any case like that TO
which you refer. Mr.. Tumulty, the
Presidents Secretary, undoubtedly
is not dangerous to the freedom or
independence of the American re-
public. He is young fellow, with
a clean, open face; was appointed by
President Wilson because he was an
excellent, intelligent and loyal
Secretary, and for no other reason,
and think that you will conclude
with me that It would be brutal in
the President to discharge him be-
cause he is a Roman Catholic.
Every church member believes in his
own church of course, or at least is
supposed to believe in it. Then II
the President got Presbyterian
Secretary the other churches might
rise up and swear that he ought TO
discharge him. Then IL he dis
charged him and got Methodist
Secretary, the others might rise up
and swear he ought to be discharged,
for fear that the Presbyterian Sec
retary might influence in favor OF
'predestination,' or the Methodist in
favor Of falling from grace
LET us take II for granted, my
dear friend, that our President, Mr..
Wilson, has some sense, some char
acter, and some independence. IL
you do not know It, we people In
Washington do know that he is not
only nominally but really the Presi-
dent of the United States. and
neither Mr.. Tumulty. nor I. nor any
body else controls him. The truth
is, nobody influences him very much.
The further truth is that he is not
subject TO the amount of influence
that he ought to be from the argu-
ments and knowledge of those more
experienced perhaps than he in pub
lie matters.
"You may rely upon II that Presi-
dent Wilson has already seen the
Liberator and that he has already
seen the Menace. another newspaper
violently anti-Catholic. You may
equally rely upon II that the Presi-
dent is not going TO discriminate in
favor or against anybody on account
OF that persons religion. You may
still further rely upon the fact thar
Mr.. Tumulty is not going to seek TO
persuade him to do so. In the first
place, he would not want to do so,
and in the second place he could not
do so II he wanted to.
'Tn conclusion, let me say that
expect that 4 am as good Protestant
as you or anybody else. My fore
fathers fought for Professionalism
when II meant a good deal"