Imperial Valley press., 1928-09-29
RELIGIOUS
PREJUDICE:
IS FLAYED
Hoover Indignant Over
Circular Letter On Reli-
gi0us Issue.
TO INVES TIC A T E
Document Signed by Mrs.
Caldwell, Virginia Com
mitteewOman.
by United Press Leased Wire

by United Press Leased wire
WASHINGTON, Sept. 90 - The
Republican party wants no support
based on religious prejudice, Herb
ert Hoover declared today in a
statement expressing Indignation at
the published circular letter Of Mrs.
Willie w. Caldwell, Republican ma
tional committeewoman of Virginia,
urging that women "save the Unit
ed States from being Romanized
and ridden
Hoover ordered an investigation
to determine authenticity or falsity
of letter Mrs. Caldwell wrote Mrs.
Clara Lyon, Virginia Highlands
(Alexandria) Va, which was re-
produced.
The action followed sharp re-
pudiation of the letter by Hoover.
He advised the United Press that
whether the letter were authentic
or forgery, cit does violence to
every instinct that L possess.
81 cannot fully express my indig-
nation at such circulars, Hoover
stated. "Nor can I reiterate too
strongly that religious questions
have no part in this campaign.
"I have stated repeatedly that
neither l nor the Republican party
wants support on that basis.
----'slrhere- are important and vital
reasons for the return of the Repub-
lican administration, but this is not
one of them.'
"Such an attitude is entirely OPP
posed to every principle of the Re-
publican party he said. 81 made
my position clear in my acceptance
speech when l said:
Pleads for Tolerance
Gin this land, dedicated to toll
erance, we still find outbreaks of
ill-tolerance. l come of Quaker
stock. Ny ancestors were perse-
cuted for their beliefs. Here they
sought and found religious freedom.
By blood and conviction, l stand
for religious tolerance both in act
and spirit. The glory of our Amer
lean ideals is the right of every man
to worship God according to the
dictates of his own conscience.
''I meant that then and 1 mean
it now. -
The letter which drew Hoover's
fire was printed on stationery used
by the Republican national commit
tee, and contained the stamped sig
nature of Mrs. Caldwell.
The document in question, pub
lished in facsimile in a copyrighted
article of the Washington Post, was
signed by Mrs. Willie w. Caldwell,
Republican national committeewo-
man of Virginia. "We must save
the United States from being Ro
manized and run ridden, and the
call is to- the women to do so,'' the
text said, "Rum" being misspelled.
Mrs Caldwell at Roanoke advised
the United Press that she sent the
letter but did not recall having
dictaed the words Romanized and
rum-ridden. She did say, however,
that she recalled debating that Mr..
Hoover and the national committee
are depending on the women to save
our country in this hour of very
vital moral religious crisis. Mrs.
Caldwell said she was trying to
wage a dignified campaign and
added she was not inclined to blame
her secretary in the matter.
ROANOKE, Va, Sept. 20 - 81
have made a statement to the Re-
publican national committee. | have
nothing more to say" Mrs. Willie
W. Caldwell, Republican national
committee woman from Virginia,
told the United Press shortly after
noon today, in regard to a letter
purported to have been written by
her to Mrs. Clara Lyon of Virginia
Highlands, Va, saying "We must
save the United States from being
Romanized.
She refused TO say what future
alton, if any, she would take in
tho matter