Show PRESIDENT WRITES OPEN LETTER ABOUT MUCH Of 0 TABS TAfTS WASHINGTON Nov 7 D. D U. Secre Secre Secretary tary Tafts Taft's religious religions faith is purely his bis own pr private atc concern and ami tot a matter atter for fot general di discussion c and political discrimination discrimination dis crimination says President noo Roosevelt c in a letter ho made mado public last night ni ht in which ho answers numerous correspond The president s fa says ays S 'S he be deferred the publication of the latter letter until now to avoid oid any u agitation likely to influence enco ence the election The fhe l letter follows follow Ie Nov flo C G My My t dear lr s s sir ir r I have ha receiver received your our letter running funning 1 in past part as follows C I While it i is claimed almost universally universally uni uni- that religion ion should not enter into politics yet vet there thero is no denying that it does and the mass s of the voters that arc not Catholics will not sup sun sup support port a man for an any o offit especially for president of the United States who who I is is a l Roman Homan Catholic I III II Since Taft raft has been nominated for president b by the tho Republican party part it itis is 18 being circulated and and ii itS is constantly r I ur urged d n ns as a l reason for not voting for forTail I Taft Tail that heis beis an infidel Unitarian and his wife anti and brother Homan Roman Catholics Cathy Cath olics olies If Tf his feelings I callI-I are are I in in sympathy with ith the Roman i Catholic church all on on account of hi his wife will and brother being Catholics that would be bo I objectionable to a sufficient number of voters oters to defeat him On the other I band hand if he i is an infidel that would bo ho sure surd to mean man defeat I am writing this letter for the solo purpose of giving giving iv ivin in ing Mr Taft an au opportunity to let the world worM know what his religious belief be boy lief is Many Letters on oil CaseI CaseI Case I HI received e many such uch letters n as yours ours during durin the tho campaign n. n expressing dissatisfaction with mth Mr Taft TaCt on religious religious re ious rounds grounds somo some of them on the I ground that ho he was suspected to be he in in sympathy with Catholics I 1 did not answer any aDY of these letters durin during the I campaign because I regarded it as an m outrage o to even e agitate such a question ques jues tion as a mans man's religious convictions with the purpose of influencing a political political 1 cal eal election electron II But But now DOW that the campaign is is is' is over r when there is opportunity for men to caln calmly consider whither such uch propositions propositions tio s as those you vou make male in your our letter let ter would lea lead I I wish wih to invite in them to con consider them and I have ha selected your letter to answer because you ou ad all- advance vance both the objections commonly urged against fir Mr 1 Taft namely that th t tb b ho ha is a Unitarian and also tb that t ho he is 8 suspected of sympathy with tho the Catho Catho- lies You ask that Mr Taft shall let Jet the world know kno what his religious us belief belief be Le- lief is This is purely his own private private vate ate concern and it is a matter between between between be be- tween him and his bis maker makE a matter for his own conscience and to require rc it to be made made made- public under penalty of political l discrimination is to nc negative ti c the tho first principles of our government which guarantees complete religious liberty lib lib- liberty erty and anti the right to each man mall to act in religious ous affairs as his own conscience di dictates Mr lr Taft never Ol ask asked ell IDad ID my ad ic in n tho the matter but if he had asked i r It I should have emphatically advised him him against thus stating elating publicly pub pub- publicly l ly his religious belief The demand for a a. statement of a candidates candidate's re reo re- re I I belief can ean have no meaning mcanin except except except ex ex- that there m may be tI discrimination rl for or 01 against him ini because became o of that be be- lief lh The inevitable le result of entering upon such a practice walt would hI bo Lo an abandonment of or our real freedom of conscience and a reversion to th the dreadful conditions con of religion t i dissension dissension dissension dissen dissen- sion which in so many lUany Jam laut have ha proved fatal to true lIb liberty rt to true t religion and fatal to advance t 3 cc in ci I Outrage Against Ae Liberty To To discriminate 1 against ain t a i thoroughly thorough thorough- I ly 1 upright cit citron citizen because he belong to tome seine particular church hUTch or because like liko Abraham Lincoln he has not owl avowed his hU allegiance to nu nuy church is an outrage against that fibert liberty ot of conscience which is if- is ont one of the foundations foundations I of American liberty You Vou are arc entitled to know whether a 1 man mun seeking ticking tick seek king k ing YO your Ill suffrages i is a man mun of clean and antl upright Iii life honorable in all his ii dealings Jr with his follows fellows and fit by 11 qualification and purpose to do well in inI in inthe the tho great o otice i co for which he is a can candidate but hut you yon are arc not entitled to know matters which lie Jie puit y between himself and his maker If it is proper or legitimate to oppose a man for being a Unitarian as as was John Quincy Adams dam or for instance as tho the Rev Hev Edward Everett g link Hale at ut tho the present moment chaplain of the senate and nn an i American whose life all good Americans Ameri Ameri- Americans I cans are arc proud of then thon it would In III i equally proper to support or oppose a tuna man because of views on n tion by faith or the mot method hod of ot admin administering the sacrament or the gospel of salvation by works work If i you rou onto enter on such a career there is absolutely no limit at which you Jou can call l legitimately stop So much for your our objections ons to Mr Mr Ir Taft because he is a 3 Unitarian Now ow for your our objections to him bim because YOU vou think h his s wife and brother to bo be Roman Ro Ilo- Ro Roman man mau Catholics As it happens they arc nc not but if they were or if it he were a Roman noman Catholic hereafter it ought not to affect in the slightest degree any mans any man 5 supporting him for the tho posit position position po po- sit on of president ent You say sar that the mass of the voters oters that are arc not Catholics Catholics Catho Catho- is i's will not support a man for an any office of of- lice fice especially for president o of the United States who is a Roman Catho he tic I believe that when you yon ay say this foully slander fellow fellow fellow-coun- you ou your jour 1 f do not for one moment behove be- be hove o that the mass mas of our fellow citi citizens zens Zeus or that any considerable number of our fellow citizens fellow can be influenced b by such narrow bigotry as to refuse to vote for any thoroughly upright and fit flu man because ho he happens to have a parti particular ulal religious erred creed Such a con con- consideration consideration should never be he treated as a reason for either cither supporting or opposing in lag ing a candidate for political office Are you ou aware that there thero arc are several states in iii this Union where the majority of the people are arc now Catholics 1 I should reprobate in tho the severest terms tho the Catholics in those states or in in all any other states who refused to vote oto for forthe forthe the most fit man because he happened to be a Protestant and my con condemnation condemnation emna tion would be exactly as severe for Protestants who under rever reversed ed circumstances circumstances cir cir- refused to vote ote for s a a Ca Catho Catholic ho- ho lic lie In HIn pub ic life I am happy to say fay that I have havo known man many mon men who were elected and constantly constant elected re-elected to office office of of- fice fico in districts where whore the great cat majority ma ma- of the constituents were of a a. dif dif- different if ferent religious ious belief f. I know Catholics Catholics Catholics Catho Catho- who ho have havo for many Y yearn r represented represent represent- ed ld constituencies mainly Protestant and Protestants Prote who have ha for many man years ears represented constituencies main- main 3 y Catholic and aDd among the congress cong congressmen congressI I men mn whom I know particularly well wen wellI i I was one man of Jewish faith w who o rep represented represented I resented n a a district in which there there- tb ro- ro were VcrA I hardly any at all All of these men h by by their yen very existence in political cal life refute the slander you OU have ha I uttered n against a your f How Americans I II I believe that this rc republic will willI endure for many mans centuries If E so there thero I will doubtless bo he among mODI its it presidents I Protestants and Catholics Catholic and very ory probably at some home time JC Jews Jens EI I have I consistently tried while pre president to net act in equal relation to my follow follow follow-Ameri ri- ri I cans cams of Catholic faith Had I followed any other course I should have havo felt th that t I II I was unfit to represent tho the American can people I In mv nJ cabinet at nt the present moment there st sit t side Hido by bv sid side Catholic and Protestant Protestant Pro Pro- Christian au and Jew TEw each man mau chosen because in my uty belief he is particularly par particularly fit to exercise c on un behalf of I Ithe all the people the d duties of he ho office to tl I which L have ha appointed him barn In no I I case a c does fines the man mans man i religious belief in in any way influence the discharge of of his duties duliN save sate as 15 it makes maks more mort eager ea er erto to act net justly and antI uprightly uprightly- in his relations rela relay to all mien The same principles I that have havo obtained in in appointing the members of my cabinet tho the b highest hest oli under me the tho officials cin to whom is entrusted th the work of carrying out all tho the important policies of my administration adminis admin s. s are Te the tho principles upon which I all coo good Amer Americans lans should act in choosing choosy choos ing whether by election or appointment appointment appoint appoint- ment the men rnea to fill an any office from tb the hi highest to tho the lowest in the tho land Yours truly THEODORE ROOSEVELT Mr H Mr 1 J l C C. C Martin Dayton 0 |