The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-07
By THOMAS R. MARSHALL ,rmer Vice President of the United States

rOrmer v1ce fre8hoone 0f tn0 UMt0u otAScs N HY Scotch Presbyterian soul was unutter- |lVI ably shocked not long ago. when l %e read of the baptism of child in Rus sia to the theories of anarchism and com munism. Yet more recently I have been wondering whether some of the good in the Russian idea may not be abstracted and ap- piled in our own land.
 For yeays-ever since, in fact, the alien has constituted q domestic question--we have been concentrating on the subject of making good Americans out of those who come to our shores. The native-born have not dis turbed us. We have assumed that every American Is loyal to his country, her Consti- tuition and her laws. Just now, however, l am wondering whether civil baptism of American-born babies would not be q good thing.
 I am, of course, favorable to infant bap- tism into the church. care not to which church parents belong, I feel that 1t is proper for them to enter into a solemn covenant to train their children along religious lines. And I am inclined to believe that q civil baptism to supplement religious baptism "a civil baptism that would pledge the parents to train up the child with reverence for and obedience to the Constitution and laws of the United States--wouId be good for the coming generation and the nation.
 tI IA-s ..t .7 r It is not enough to assume that person is all right merely because he was born in the republic Our present-day view of the duties imposed by the Constitution is too hazy for that Parents, themselves, are too care less and indifferent about some of the pro visions of the document. We compel those of foreign birth to declare that they are friendly and well disposed toward the con- stitution and government of the United States before admitting them to citizenship and sui frage. No such declaration, is required of natiye-born, on the theory that no one could be born in this free land without breathing loyalty to its great charter. Birth has been regarded as conservation to the government. All of which is proper and right, but an ad- ditional oath of loyalty might not be amiss in view of recent developments. ft$
 The Constitution declares in substance that there shall be freedom of religious thought in the United States and that the right to hold office shall not be based upon the re- ligious views of the citizen. Of course, I am well aware that reasons for voting against a candidate cannot be prescribed, may vote against a candidate because l do not like | his party, his personal views, his morals, his manner or even his wife. l may vote against Ithim because l do not like his race or his
 religion, but If either is my reason l ought,
 at least, to keep it to myself, for such req son is not countenanced by the constitution.
 Most surely men who have prejudices ought not to bind themselves together in crusade against a religion or race. Such conduct is
 unworthy of the second thought of a good American. No difference what others may be doing, or may be thought to be doing, it is the business of each American to obey the Constitution. Any organization having for its purposes the ostracizing of race or faith is not worthy of an American's membership. We can't join and at the same time hold fast to the faith transmitted to us by the fathers.
 The great charter of our liberties, the Declaration of Independence, was largely