Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-16

you know what happened to the
! Jesuits. They were run out Of most
of the countries Of Europe. Now, / say
! 10 you that the political parsons OF this
/ country are riding to fall. On one
side the fundamentalists, the Ku KluX
! Khan and the political parsons, and
on the other side liberalism. II the po-
! litical parsons carry the Sou.h against
! Smith they will set back the spirit OF
/ liberty and educational development OF
! the South for years"
John Stewart Bryan. publisher of the
| Richmond Times-Dispatch. said:
we must preserve the freedom Of
/ thought All churches together could
! not force religion on this country.
| am going to vote for Smith to show
that this country Is big enough not to
be dictated to by bigotry."
See Loss TO Hoover.
Prof. Thomas H. Reed of the Uni
versity OF Michigan said that If he
suspected the religious issue had been
raised or fostered by Republicans he
| would vote for Smith but he was con-
vinced that Herbert Hoover or any re-
sponsible adviser never had said one
word to justify bringing this issue into
the campaign. He pleaded with the
audience not to desert Hoover merely
TO demonstrate their hatred of the until
Catholic issue raised against his OPP
pOnent.
Willis j. Abbott, editor of the Chris
tan Science Monitor, also expressed
fear that the spirit of tolerance would
prevent some from voting for Hoover.
Prof A. II. Hatton of Northwestern
University said that he was neither a
Catholic nor a Protestant, but that it
was the misfortune of American Cath
olics that the avowed dogma of their
church should arouse certain suspicious
for which people can hardly be blamed.
He said that this was purely an aca-
demic contention, and could not pos
Sibly have any effect toward the sub
version of State to church in the United
States.
/ The debate was cut off py Victor
Rosewater. the chairman, although
+, there were efforts to speak from sew
= eral parts of the hail.
DR. Diffenbach, who personally is an
admirer of Gov Alfred E. Smith and
: who has been foremost opponent OF
Protestant fundamentalism. presented
the subject from a purely academic
standpoint and Internationally, at the
open forum meeting which had been
scheduled under the innocuous title
Characterization of the Press
Selects Southern Location.
He insisted that his object was to OK
: press openly in the quiet campus at
mosphere of the old college which was
established by the father of the concept
70 of religious freedom in the United States
what he considers as valid objections tC
the election Of a Catholic as President
and which. since he has been in Viz
: ginia. he has found troubling maay
: sion of those offered b. Charles c. Mar
: shall last Winter and answered by Gov
> Smith. The presentation Of them il
!. this section of the South, where they
!, are political dynamite, he believes, vii
] serve to bring them into the open
l VII re they can be answered instead O
leaving them in the dark to work thei
!. effect on the attitude of the voters.
;, The Catholic Church, he said. repre-
. scented a monarchic form of govern
: ment and a mOnarchic system of think
n ing-that is. with the spiritual author
. ity vested in supreme head presum
n ably endowed with divine authority.
: Gov. Smith. DR.. Dieffenbach insisted
\ failed to answer to the satisfaction O
: many persons the arguments of Charlie:
:. c. Marshall last Winter. He QuoteC
{ Prof. John A. Ryan of Catholic Uni
. verSity as saying in a recent book thai
] the state should officially recognize the
Catholic religion as the official religion
), and insisted that. in the final analysis
' this was the present position of thu
| church. 1t is impossible he said. fol
I a monarchiSt in religious thought TO b:
, | otherwise fundamentally than a mon
l archiSt in political thought. although
! streSSing the fact that he did not ques
] ton the honesty or sincerity Of Gov
: Smith
! Quotes Constitution.
= He quoted Article 6 Of the consti
c tuition that no religious test sinai
ever be required as a qualification Il
any office of public trust under thu
United States" but insisted that thL
2 never was intended to bar people from
> desired, but merely 10 prevent setting
. up an official body of American re-
ligiouS beliefs to which candidate
, ! must subscribe.
DR.. Dieffenbach also insisted that tht
| first article of the bill of rights also has
been misinterpreted This reads; Con
gress shall make no Law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof This. he
said, guarantees the Catholic right 70
worship without restraint. and nothing
| more
1T is because" ne said. that many
Americans believe the Roman Catholic
system would prohibit the free exercise
of religion by other faiths than its own.
according to the avowed Catholic doc
trine on this subject. that they have
made up their minds to take no
chances, not so much with Mfr Smith
as with the hierarchy of which he is a
! member. The issue is not MFR Smith
We do not need To be told what kind
OF man he is. but we do want to de-
clare what kind OF church the Roman
Catholic Church Is and would be in the
American State
THE Roman Catholic Church does
not believe in religious liberty for the
individual but in religious authority.
When it pleads for religious liberty it
means liberty for itself to maintain its
dogma of religious authority When ii
heSpeakS our tolerance it asks for itself
what II never grants 10 others. Toier-
ance is no part OF the Catholic system,
Questions Catholics Fitness.
We may do what we please by our
voting. As Lincoln said. we may amend,
revolutionixe or even destroy our Gov
eminent. The people decide. A Roman
dent, But is he fit. in view Of his &C.
clesiaStical fealty?"
Most States and cities spend unbe~
lievable sums for registering voters
Prof. James K Pollock, ir. OF the Unit
versity of Michigan told the institute
this morning This ranges from II
cents per voter III Milwaukee where
system Of permanent registration has
been introduced. to 81 IS III Phlladel-
phia, The cost of registration In Kan
Sas City. he said. was sl27 600 year
New York City spends more money in
providing for its city election. he point