Evening star., 1927-04-18
SMITH RECOGNIZES
NO CHURCH POWER
OVER CONSTITUTION
Reply to Marshall Letter
States Stand as San
American Catholic"
LETTER BRINGS RELIGIOUS
ISSUE OUT INTO THE OPEN
Reaction of Voters to Governors
Views Expected to Make or
Break His Candidacy.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Gov. Alfred +. Smith of New York
can and will give complete allegiance
TO the Constitution of the United
States il elected President. Declaring
himself devout Catholic. the Cover
nor of New York asserts that he rec
ogniZes no power in his church to "in-
terfere with the operation of the Con-
stitution of the United States or the
enforcement of the law of the land"
Such is the sum and substance of
The reply of Gov. Smith to an open
letter addressed to him by Charles c.
Marshall, a New York lawyer, an
Episcopalian, asking whether, as a
Catholic, the governor must give first
allegiance to his church if he become
Chief Executive of the Nation. The
reply of Gov. Smith is to be published
In the Atlantic Monthly, as was the
lett of Mr. Marshall. Gov. Smiths
reply is made public by the Atlantic
Monthly today.
Gov. Smith, in his letter, does not
announce that he is a candidate for
President. Indeed. he reiterates his
statement of last January. at the
time of his inauguration as governor,
that he will take no step to achieve
The presidency except to give the peo-
pie of New York State 1.-The kind and
character Of service that will make
hle deserve it.
Brings Issue Into Open.
The letter of Gov. Smith is regarded
Us the most important political docu-
hlent in many years. The questions
propounded to him by Mr.. Marshall
and his replies bring into the open an
= ive4d hiFf
about which there has been little
ppen public speaking.
Recognized at this time as an out
standing figure in the Democratic
party, with more pctential and actual
strength in the Democratic national
convention to be held next year than
nnv other man, Gov. Smith has seized
upon tho opportunity presented In the
Marshall letter to attempt to lay the
religious issue The reaction TO the
reply of Gov. Smith among the voters
nf the country will go far either TO
make him or break him as q candldate
Tor the Presidency.
Ever since the publication of the
Marshall letter three weeks ago in
The Atlantic Monthly, the reply of
Gov. Smith has been awaited with the
keenest interest. 1T had been an
nounced by The Atlantic Monthly
that Gov. Smiths letter would be.
made public, April 25. The premature
publication in two newspapers Satur-
6ay of what purported to be the smith
reply caused The Atlantic Monthly 70
give out the text week earlier than
It had intended.
Answers All Questions.
Gov. Smith was asked by Mr.. Mar
than to define clearly his views on the
relation Of the Roman Catholic
rhurch to the state. Mr.. Marshalls
hole reason for calling for the def1nl-
tion Of these views was that COY.
Smith is a potential candidate for the
Presidency. The governor has an
twered question by question, tahi,ls
his stand on all the points raised by
Mr.. Marshall. In the conclusion OF
his letter, Gov Smith gives his creed
As an American Catholic" in which
he asserts without qualification That
he recognizes no power in his church
10 interfere with the Constitution OF
he United States; that he believes in
Equality of all churches before the
law: that he believes in the absolute
separation Of the church and the state;
that he believes in the public school
las one of the corner stones of Amer
han liberty" and that he believes In
the principle of noninterference by
The United States in the internal af-
fairs of other nations, adding I'VE
should stand steadfastly against such
Interference by whomsoever it may
be urged
Fglery Sedgewick, editor of the
Atlantic Monthly. in a preface which
Mil appear 10 the Smith letter, will
tay:
This is a historic incident, historic
.or the country and for the church.
Now for the first time in the Re-
bublic's history under constitution
which forever forbids religious tests
Is qualifications for office, a candidate
Tor the presidency has been subjected
Continued on Page. s, Column -