Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-04-21
Governor Al Smith
Answers His Critics
No Conflict Between State and Cath.
olic Church, Declares New York
Executive

ter 10 the Atlantic Monthly, today de-
cIared that he recognized no power
in the Roman Catholic church to in
terfere with the operations of the
constitu ion of the United States or
the enforcement, of the laws of the
lanG
The governor. a Roman Catholic,
and potential candidate fCr the presi-
dency, wrote the letter to the maga-
zine in reply to an open letter, pub
lished in the monthly Lost month by
Charles c. Marshall. New York law
yer and Episcopalian, who asked him
a number of questions seeking to de-
fine his views on the relation of the
Catholic church to the state. Mr..
Marshall has been described as an
authority of canon law
The governors Interpretation of
Mr. Marshall's questions is described
in his letter, as follows:
Taking your letter as a whole
and reducing it to commonplace Eng
lish, you imply that there is conflict
between religious loyalty to the Cath
olic faith and patriotic loyalty to the
United States"
The governor declared that "every-
thing that has happened to me during
my long public career leads me to
know that no such as that is true"
Governor Smith summed up his
creed as IAN American Catholic" as
follows:
81 believe in the worship of God
according to the faith and practice of
the Roman Catholic church. | recog-
nize no power in the institution of
my church to interfere with the oper-
ations of the constitution of the Uni
ted States or the enforcement of the
law of the land
Il believe in absolute freedom of
conscience for all men and in equality
of all churches, all sects and all be-
hefs before the law as a matter of
right and not as matter of favor
Il believe in the absolute scpara-
ton OF church and state and in the
strict enforcement of the provisions
of the constitution; that congress
shall make no law respecting an es-
tabishment of religion or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof.
81 believe that no tribunal of any
church has any power to make any
decree of any force in the law of the
land, other than to establish the
status of its own commandments with
in its own church.
Il believe in the support of the
public schools as one of the corner
stones of American liberty. be-
lieve in the right of every parent to
choose whether his child shall be edu-
Gated in the public school or in re-
ligious school supported by those of
his own faith.
81 believe in the principle of non
interference by this country in the
internal affairs of other nations and
that we should stand steadfastly
against any such interference by
whomsoever it may be urged. And
believe in the common brotherhood OF
man under the common father hood /
of God.
"In this spirit | join with fellow
Americans of all creeds in a fervent
prayer that never again in this land
will any public servant be challenged
because of the faith in which he has
tried to walk humbly with his God"
9" u ndef our system of gov
ernment," the governor wrote, the
electorate entrusts to its officers OF
every faith the solemn duty of action
according to the dictates of his own
conscience. | may fairly refer to my
own record to support these truths.
No man, cleric or lay, has ever dl-
rectlN or indirectly attempted to eX-
ercise church influence of my ad-
miniStration OF any Office L nave ever
held. nor asked me to show special
favor to Catholics or exercise dis
elimination against non-Catholics.
at is we'll known fact that l
have made all of my appointments to
public office on the basis of merit
and have never asked any man about
his religious belief. In the first
month of this year there gathered in
the capitol at Albany the first gov
ernor's cabinet that ever set in this
state. 1t was composed, under my
appointment, of two Catholics, thlr-
teen Protestants and one Jew.
"The man closest to me in the ad-
ministration of the government is he
who bears the title Of assistant to the
governor. He has been connected
with the governors office for 80
wears in subordinate capacities, until