Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-15
a Matter of Common Justice


hands of the public it is citizen who
has grown up in the service of the COM
munity where he was bred and born, who by
dint of integrity and competence has risen
to a position of trust, and who, with such a
record, comes before the people asking to
be retained as their employee. Is he not due
rs just deal from his city as he would re-
ceive in like circumstances from a private
employer? Is it not his right in seeking re-
election to be judged upon his merits as a
man and as an official, upon his efficiency,
his faithfulness, his character, and not by
tests quite foreign to the duties of his Of
fcie? Would it be square, would it be sensi-
BILE to discriminate against him because for
sooth he was Baptist, or because he was a
Methodist, or because he was Catholic, or
because of any fact irrelevant to his fitness
for service?
It is upon these principles, to which as
guredly all thinking people will subscribe,
that friends of John Malone-and their num-
Der is legion-ask consideration of his
candidacy to succeed himself as one Of the
scity's tax assessors. For fifteen years. they
point out, he has filled that office, peculiar
1y responsible one, with credit to himself
and wit dissatisfaction to the rank and file.
He entered the citys employe as a lad work.
ing his way, with no influence save his own
pluck and diligence. And because he was
faithful in small things, this Atlanta boy rose
apace as manhood brought experience, rose
in the respect of his fellow workers, in the
confidence of business men, in the esteem of
the community. Is he not entitled, then, in
offering for reelection, to be judged upon
his ability as revealed by his record, and not
by church affiliation-which for every man
should be matter of conscience, not of
politics?
The truth is that we never can deny any
man or woman this right without violating a
basic principle of American democracy, as
well as every prompting of common justice
and commonsense. President w. w. Gaines,
of the City Board Of Education, stated the
case with wisdom and cogency when he de-
clared last week, in the course of his adj
mirable speech explaining why he could not
vote against retaining competent school
teachers merely because they CHANGED to be
members of the Catholic church:
ITO my mind the greatest provision
in our national constitution is it's guar
antee of religious liberty to all the peo-
pie. And next in Importance, in my
opinion, is that other closely related
\ provision for the separation of church
and state. . We must preserve these
ideas and ideals in their complete integ-
I rity. We must make no law and we
must establish no practice that will in
any degree infringe upon these great
{ and fundamental doctrines. And
religion, whatever it may be, is also
( that other principle that no person is to
+ be Disseminated against or penalized on
+ account of his religion. For person to
( be Discriminate against in business in
| the holding of office or other places of
responsibility on account Of his religion
! is to violate the principle of religious
/ liberty. For person to be penalized
because of his religion is religious intol-
erance, and religious intolerance leads
\ Ind iS
ton
The truths thus ringingly stated are too
high in American history, too dear to freedom
of conscience, too vital to democracy ever to
he challenged or compromised. Let them
be consistently applied at the forthcoming
tax assessors election, applied to every can
Sidate, whatever his church connection and
regardless of the form of his religious faith.
This is the least that can be done in fair
hess either to Mr.. Malone or to any one else
IA the race Irrespective of candidates, 1t Is
Abe only principle which stanch American
and lover of justice can pursue.