Evening star., 1939-12-27

of political dis
cussion such as
is inevitable per- David Lawrence.
haps because of the background of
the issue itself.
For years there has been a def
mite cleavage between churchmen
on the subject of formal recognition
Of the Vatican as temporal state
or as the headquarters of one of the
principal religions of the world. The
belief that the Government of the
United States should not formally
recognize the Vatican as do other
governments has been expressed by
various Protestant clergymen, and
indeed some Of them have rejected
President Roosevelts intention to
avoid such a development.
The Catholic clergy, on the other
hand, have felt that recognition by
the American Government and some
kind of diplomatic relations with
the Vatican would be in line with
the custom of other governments,
and that it would aid the Catholic
Church's efforts for world peace,
which are parallel to those Of the
United States.
When the present Pope was
chosen. published reports of his
friendship for the President, whom
he had visited on the occasion of
his trip to the United States. indi-
Gated that relations between the
White House and the Vatican could
be counted on to be rather close.
Moral Support for Peace.
Undoubtedly Mr.. Roosevelt want
ed to follow up his friendship with
the Pope and his own belief that the
Vatican could be a strong influence
for the ending of war by putting
the American Government morally
If not officially behind the Popes
peace initiative.
To select Myron Taylor as per
sonal representative" with the rank
of an ambassador, yet not with the
title, was the only way the President
could accomplish the purpose he had
in mind without opening up the
whole issue to vote in Congress.
Fortunately for Mr. Roosevelt,
Myron Taylor is a man of means,
so he will doubtless not have to be
dependent upon a salary from the
Government, and If the issue of
specific use of Government funds
for an unauthorized purpose were
raised the former head of the United
States Steel Corp could become a
dollar-a-year-man.
Mr. Taylor has spent many winters
In Italy and is familiar with the
whole European situation by reason
of his Craftsmanship of the Inter-
governmental Committee on Ger
man Refugees. Recently he was
awarded by Jewish organizations
the medal for distinguished service
to the Jews. AS a prominent layman
in the Protestant Episcopal Church
himself, Mr.. Taylor was believed by
the President to be an excellent
choice in that contact with the
American Government would be
maintained not on a religious basis,
but on the formula OF a special am
bassadorship such as the President
can create from time to time for
particular missions.
Sectional Suspicious.
Naturally the White House is
anxious that the appointment be re-
ceived as an incident of a broad
international situation wherein the
possible objective of world peace
should be considered as outweighing
any domestic elements of contro-
versy over church differences. But
the fact remains that in some Sec
tions Of the United States, particu-
larly the South, the Presidents
action will be viewed as at
tempting to accomplish ultimately
q formal recognition of the Vatican,
even though the device for the
present is that of personal repre-
sentative" and the occasion is re-
lated to special situation in the
war.
Politically, the action is fraught
with all sorts of delicacy, and some
observers are saying that, more than
anything else Mr.. Roosevelt has
done in recent months, 1t shows he
does not take seriously the prospect
that he will be drafted for third
term. It is the kind of controversy
which candidate for the presidency
doesn't start, for while the vast body
Of Americans will take literally the
statement that no formal recognition,
but a special method of handling
relations growing out of the war is
contemplated, there will be many
sizable groups who will react ad-
versely in political sense. It's the
sort of debate in politics which rarely
gets to the surface, but all politicians
frankly recognize its currents and
usually try to avoid any entangle-
ment therein, though Mr.. Roosevelt's
formula of personal representa-
tive" will be adjudged by the tacti-
clans In the political arena as deft
compromise on q ticklish question.