The Washington times., 1924-08-12

the entrance of America into the
League can occur. will occur or
should occur until the common
judgment of the American people
Is ready for the step! We waited
for this Judgment to ripen in or.
der that we might enter the war.
am content, IL need be, to walt
until it speaks for the agencies Of
peace.
That a day can ana will come
when this great question will
finally be lifted entirely above the
plane OF partisan politics; when
men Will cease to take counsel
solely Of their passions, their
pride and their fears; and when
the voice Of public approval will
find means to make itself heard, /
am serenely confident.
Until that day arrives / deem
II the duty Of the Chief Execu.
tive to cooperate officially by
every means at his command with
all legitimate endeavors, whether
they coTpe from the League or
from any other source, to lessen
the prospect Of future war; to aid
in repairing the ravages OF the
wars that are past: to promote
disarmament and to advance the
well.boing Of mankind.
Religious Freedom.
Equally, too. his duty and the
duty of Congress, burdensoms as
It may be, is to maintain the
means Of adequate defense until
reason is permitted to take the
place Of force; we cannot throw
away the sword when other scab-
bards are not empty. Nor can
reconcile It with my ideas OF the
dignity Of a great nation to be
represented at international gath.
erings only under the poor pre-.
tense of unofficial observation"
If / become President Of the
United States, America will sit as
an equal among equals whenever
she sits at all.
This brief outline OF the views
and purposes Of the party as I
understand them, might well serve
all the demands of this occasion,
but in the platform we have
adopted / find a further declara-
ton concerning which my own
convictions are too profound for 81.
lence.. We have taken occasion
to reaffirm our belief in the con.
stitutional guarantees of religious
freedom, and to deplore and con-
denim any effort from whatever
source to arouse racial or reli.
gious dissensions in this country.
Such declaration every right.
thinking American must indorse.
No disaster that the mind can
picture equals in its hideoLs pos
sibilities the coming in this coun-
try of a separation Of its citizen.
ship into discordant groups along
racial or religious lines. Nothing
would so utterly destroy our hap
piness and security at home and
our dignity and influence abroad.
Let us thank God with rever.
ence that those who builded the
inheritance we now enjoy dealt
with that question and settled it
long ago. Let it be said to the
immortal glory Of those who
founded the Province of Mary.
land that religious freedom on
this side of the water began
with the federation Act which
they adopted in 1649. 1t broad.
ened with the years until 1t was
written into the Constitution in
language too plain to. be mis-
taken that in this happy land Of
ours every man might, without
loss or threat Of loss, without
lessening or threat of lessening,
his civic, social or political rights.
worship in his own way and fash
ion the one God and Father Of
/ us all. ~
This liberation runs not only
20 the creed professed by a ma
jority but to every creed, no mat.
ter how numerous or how few
its adherents. It was written,
too, that church and state should
be forever so far scparate that
4 neither the right nor the duty of
public service should be dimin-
ished or enlarged by the religious
belief of any man.
It is the solemn duty of every
believer in American institutions
to oppose any challenge of this
. sacred doctrine, organized or un-
organized. under whatever name
or in whatever character it may
appear.
From one who aspires to the
Presidency, however, declara-
ton even more direct than this
may rightfully be expected.
wish, therefore, not merely to de.
nounce bigotry. intolerance and
race prejudice as alien to the
spirit of America, / wish also to
state how and in what way the
views I entertain are to influence
my actions.
Free From Pledges.
Into my hands will fall, when I
am elected, the power to appoint
thousands Of persons to office
under the Federal Government.
When that time arrives I shall
set up no standard of religious
faith or racial origin az quail.
fication for any office. Ny only
: query concerning any appointee
will be whether he Is honest,
whether he is competent, wheth.
or he is faithful to the Consti.
tuition. No selection to be made
by me will be dictated, inspired
creed of the appointee.
One word more and I am done,
and this of personal character.
1t is known of all men that the
nomination which you tender me
was not made Of my seeking. 1t
comes, am proud to believe, as
the unanimous wish Of one Of the
most deliberate conventions in
American history, which weighed
in the balance with soberness my
too scanty virtues and my mani.
fold shortcomings. II 10 not for
me to reject so clear a call to
duty.
am happy, however. In the
thought that II finds me- free
- - 4 a.