The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191?, September 25, 1908, Image 6
NOT AN ISSUE POLITICIANS PRESENTING RELIG IOUS ISSUE DENOUNCED BY EMINENT EDITOR. Philadelphia "North American" Scores Politicians Who Would Deny the Constitutional Right of Lib erty of Conscience. The un-American .inn indefensible attempt of democratic politicians to make a partisan political issue out of the religious beliefs and church at tachments of William 11. Taft has re ceived the following deserved anil fitting condemnation from the editor of the Philadelphia "North American," one of the best and most intelligently edited newspapers of the United Stales. The "Norih American” says: "We have received numbers of let ters inquiring about the religious be liefs of Taft. The two which wo print below we have selected as fair samples, lA eam - they raise the two questions which constitute the basts of all similar communications: To the Editor of the North American. It is rumored In this place that William Taft is a staunch Roman Catholic. Is it true? If so, can Americans, and especially those horn on American soil, support him for president, as he would be subject to a for< ign potentate? JOHN It. MYERS. Hanover. Pa., June 10. To the Editor of the North Atnorleau. 1 have heard a report today, in Pittsburg, to the effect that the Hon. William II. Tafl is a Unitarian and does not believe in (lie divinity of our Jesus Christ. I do not wish to crit icise or question the wisdom In se lecting our candidate for presidency, but desire to rail it lo your atten tion, and (rust you will make propc tnvestlgation and let the facts be known promptly. If he Is an unbeliever, we cannot hope to elect him at a general elec tion to the presidency of a Christian country, and ! trust you will see the advisability of a proper investigation and use your powerful influence to place a man with proper standing at the head of our ticket. We cannot count on the support of a Christian people for an unbeliever. lb It. EVANS. Jeannette, pa„ June 15. To dispose of questions which should not bo asked, ns speedily as possible, let 11s sav that Mr Taft is not a Roman Catholic. He is a member of the Unitarian church. That was the ehurch of his parents, and he has never separated himself from if. His wife, however, Is an Episcopalian, and he worships more often beside her in her church. 'I host arc Hie facts, which are ut terly and absolutely unimportant. TVi matter of a man' religion hus re 1 ghtful place in consideration of bis fitness for the presidency. The constitution of the nation, ordained an i t s'ahltshed "to secure the bless ings of libert\ to ourselves and our posterity," expressly places the ver> *ugg> stion of siu-i, thought outside the | ;,le of putt ioi i-o,. Vo words can Ir' clearer than these from our country'; fundamental law: '•1 'Ions lest ever shall be re <ju ■ '< a a (y.i iltfl Ion to any of t!' 1 I ublic ' i ruler the United P ' " , - n -'-v-roM i .ies about Mr. Tatis religion- ’ f show simply the extent to wbi: 'i bis enemies have gone to rouse some prejudice against him Since there was no spot upon Ids whole clean record of private conduct and public service to which they could point to Taft’s detriment, they displayed their willingness to descend to any depth of petty, cow ardly, contemptible attack that might do him h^rnr t Now. it was not because Mr. Taft was born of a Unitarian family that It was thought possible to dissem inate a false sentiment. His enemies saw their chance in the fact that Taft, when governor general of the Philippines, adjusted for all time a diplomatic question of such extreme delicacy that, handled by any other American representative, it would Skely have rankled for half a cen tury a source of danger and disc pute. • The disposition of the friars’ lands Involved, besides important finances, religion in Europe and this country and revolution in the islands. The ^}ace to do business is at headquar ters. Taft went to the Vatican. And In two days’ talk he settled the con troversy upon lines so fair, so broad, so impartial as to win for America the honor and admiration of the hierarchy of the Catholic church, yet braking no concession that ever yet has offered a loophole for censure by the bitterest opponent of Roman Catholicism. Rut Taft went to (lie Vatican. That was his first offense. The second offense was having his picture taken beside lie pope. Thai picture has been reprinted and <lis tributcd throughout the country.- And tlie letters we have received vhuw that this had some effect, even In a suppose illy sane and civilized na tion. Those two incidents constitute the foundation for all the censorious gossip that lias been set going con cerning Mr. Taft's religion. The first won for American states manship and American fair-dealing the approval of the world. Nor can we see a semblance of excuse even for covert attacks by | unscrupulous enemies In the recog j nltion of an American representative by Rome or in dignified deference shown by that representative to the head of the oldest Christian church, the revt red chief of 230,000,000 Chris tians throughout the world, including 11,000,000 loyal Americans. Tlie attempt to hurt Taft by essay ing to identify him with the Roman Catholic church we place on the same plane as the attempt to censure him because he has refused to turn from the church In which li is mother knelt. Hoth are kindred appeals to the bigotry which we hold in utter detestation. We ha-l thought, as we have hoped, that the day of religious prejudice in national politics was done in this country. What better proof could we have asked of the disappearance of that vicious error than the re ligious complexion of Roosevelt's cabinet? No sane man believes that the president chose any adviser save for ids fitness—certainly not because of liis religion. So wo have seen the Dutch Reformed churchman surround ing himself with Root the Presbyter ian, Tuft the Unitarian, Straus the Jew and Ronaparte the Roman Catholic. And not because of their varying faiths, but because not. one word was spoken of the religion of any as a qualification or a disqualification, we though! we had reason to believe that the prejudices which never should have existed were dead at last. The North American yields to no one In its Americanism. And in the spirit of the normal, but intense, American, we say that if Mr. Taft were a Roman Catholic or a Hebrew or the adherent of any other faith, our support of his candidacy would be no less ardent because he chose to worship God according to the dic tates of his conscience. What the man murmurs with bowed head on Sunday matters much to his soul. Tint what, concerns us In, the filling of an office with which re ligion has no affair is, that not on one day. but every day. with his eyes facing till men. the every act of this man has proved hint the God-fearing patriot who has done Christ's own work in earning the title of "the secretary of peace.” That religious prejudice has sur vived so long tinder thts government, whose basic principle is civil and re ligious liberty, has puzzled the deep est students. True, much of this Is the inherit ance of the ages. In part, it all dates back to the barbarous martyrdoms of Catholics and Protestants in turn, as each in turn gained dominance. We can trace it through the prompt, shifting of the Puritans from perse cuted to persecutors. Knownothing isiu, tl\e fruit of a long growth, left a bad bitterness not yet wholly ob literated. But while much of the prejudice may thus be accounted for, in our judg ment the feeling is kept alive and nurtured less by the persecutors than by the persecuted themselves There Is no ethical difference between sup porting h had man for high civic place because he professes a certain religion and opposing him or any other man because of his religious faith. Any man who is not a good and upright citizen is not a good and up right follower of any religion. What ever altar the betrayer of public trust kneels before he is a Judas. And he is far less worthy the sup port of members of the faith to which he is a traitor than of the votes of those indifferent or opposed to the creed he speaks, but in acts denies. Church members lose claim to good citizenship and honest religion when they approve the man who gives color to the charges of the enemies of their faith and promote, instead of rebuking, the dissembler who dis graces their church. Nor is that the worst. By their ac tion they foment ami foster this same religious prejudice which has bloodied the pages of history. They do more than aught else could to justify the persecutors and the persecutions they cry out against. For their own solidarity in a wrong cause forces a factional alignment of all who think unlike them. - - Republican Record in Nebraska En titles Party to Public Confidence. Taxes are raised from the people and are spent by the public officials elected ay the people, consequently the public officials are the business agents of the taxpayers pure and simple. The interests of the people are consequently buutid up in the intelligence, honesty and efficiency of our public officials. How have tlie republican officials of Nebraska discharged this business trust for the people of Nebraska? One illustra tion will go far to show. The state debt of Nebraska, created by fusion extravagance and mismanagement largely, reached its high point in December, 1905, amounting to two and one-third million dollars at that | date. Republican legislation and | the careful administration of repub I ilean state officers reduced this debt to $179,000, on August 1st, 1908, without noticeable burden to the tax payers. That is the way the repub lican party discharges a business trust confided to it by tho people. : I ho record Is one to be proud or. What else lias the republican party achieved for good government in Ne I braska to entitle it to a continuance i of public confidence? The republican party is in power in the state now. It is giving the Nebraska people clean, progressive and forceful slate government, the very best state government we ever had. We have had progressive state legislation. The two cent per mile passenger rate luw, the railroad commission law reducing freight rates and express rates, the anti-pass law, the primary; election law, the pure food law and other progressive measures, all put forward as the result of higher ideals evolved and crystalized into the senti ment and the progressive spirit that, dominates the republican party in this state. All these things have come through the republican party of Nebraska and not through the influence of Candidate Bryan or his political associates in Nebraska, for neither he nor they have helped to work out these bet- j lered conditions. When these prac tical things were being done Candi date lU/t-an was always somewhere else talking up his candidacy at $500 a talk. The Nebraska people, proud of the progress of their state, in business and government, owes nothing to Can didate Bryan for any constructive as sistance rendered by him. The material conditions in the state are such as to hold the public mind in an optimistic ntood and optimism i is an antidote to Bryanism. Corn is high and it's a corn state. Wheat is high and it's a wheat state. Cattle are high and it's a cattle state. Hcgs are high and it’s a hog state. Land is high, going higher every day and it’s a land state, and it’s a state of farmer voterB. Governor Sheldon has made an en viable record with the Nebraska peo ple by being a courageous, level headed. strong, manly man in the executive office. As the leader of the party in this campaign he at tracts universal respect for his high character and universal confidence for his broad minded fairness as an executive. Taking all these things into consideration one can see noth ing in the outlook for the coming election but the usual republican ma jority in Nebraska. The Nebraska voter this year will have an opportunity to choose be tween promise and performance. If promises alone will satisfy him he can vote the democratic ticket with reasonable assurance that he will get promises and nothing else. If he wants performance, if he wants things done, he will have to vote for the republican candidates as that party is the only "do it now” party in this state. This is the proof: In 1897' the democratic party with fusion, con trolled every department of Nebraska government and power. They had the governor and state officers, the legis lature and the supreme court. The party kept no promises made prior to the election and gave the people no relief from railway domination, trans portation abuses, extortionate freight, passenger or express rates. They grabbed free-passes from the railroads with both hands and left the people to paddle their own canoe. Now note the difference. In 1906 the re publican party promised Nebraska a long list of reforms and put the prom ises in the platform. A republican legislature enacted every promise into law; every law was approved by Gov ernor Sheldon, republican state offi cers have intelligently administered every law enacted and not a pledge is left unredeemed. That’s the re i publictyi way. s HIS PLATFORM THREATENS RU RAL DELIVER/ AND AGRI CULTURAL PROGRESS. Denounces Expansion of Departments Which Work Exclusively in the Interests of the Farmer. How many Nebraska farmers wish to see the Free Rural Delivery of Mail i rippled and perhaps abolished and the great work of the Department of Agriculture hampered and possibly reduced to a stagnant condition and all real progress in that department slopped? As many as wish such a result in the two great departments of the government devoted exclusive ly to the daily interests of the farmer, stock-raiser and horticulturist should vote this year fty Candidate Bryan and ills democratic platform, because in that platform, made and approved in every word by Candidate Bryan, is a plain and unmistakable threat to do that very thing. That this statement is true and is not mere idle criticism is amply proven by the official record on which Candidate Bryan himself has placed the seal of his personal approval. It is a matter of common knowl edge that the democratic platform this year was prepared under the per sonal supervision of Candidate Bryan and had his approval in every word, line and statement before it saw the light of day in the democratic na tional convention at Denver and was there adopted with the full knowl edge that it was the personal plat form of Candidate Bryan. What does this democratic platform say in re lation to the matters of vital daily interest to the men and women who make their homes and spend their lives on the farm? Under a section of the democratio national platform denominated "Office holders," the platform undertaking to denounce the administration of the republican party in keeping abreast of the progress of the country and ex tending benefits to the agricultural classes of the nation, says: “Coincident with the enormous” "increase in expenditures is a” “like addition to the number of" “officeholders. * * * \ye de-” "nounce this great and growing” "Increase in the number of" “officeholders as not only unnec-” “essary and wasteful, but also” “as clearly indicating a deliberate” “purpose on the part of the ad-” “ministration to keep the repub-” “lican party in power at public” “expense by thus increasing the” “number of its retainers and de-” “pendents. Such procedure we” "declare to be no less dangerous” “and corrupt than the open pur-” “chase of votes at the polls.” Now let the Nebraska farmer ex amine this declaration carefully in the light of the facts, to determine exactly what it means, remembering that Candidate Bryan is promising in every speech he makes to carry into effect, if he is elected, every word found in his platform. To know what he means it is nec essary first to learn wherein lias been the great Increase in “office holders" in recent years which Can didate Bryan and his platform so roundly and viciously condemn and by plain inference threatens to abolish. That “increase in office holders" in recent years has been very largely in the two great depart ments of the government conducted exclusively for the benefit of the American farmer; the Rural Free De livery of Mail and the Department of Agriculture. Every rural letter car rier and every employee of the De partment of Agriculture counts in making up the government list of "officeholders” and it is the growth and expansion of these great depart ments established by the republican party for the benefit of the farmer that Candidate Bryan condemns and threatens to reduce to a condition of wreck and ruin. The facts obtain able amply prove the case. In 1896 there were no rural delivery carriers, no “officeholders” to be counted, be cause in spite of republican legisla tion establishing this service for the farmer a democratic president refused to avail himself of the appropriation made for this purpose. The repub lican party took hold in 1897, fostered and expanded the rural delivery and on June 30th, 1908, 39,227 employees were engaged in the R. F. D, serv ice, delivering the mail daily to millions of our farm residents. This added over thirty-nine thousand “of ficeholders" to the list of government employees in the twelve years ant} with its cost of thirty-five million-; per year gives Candidate Bryan his opportunity in 1908, to denounce the Increased number of "officeholders” and the inct used expense. Does any Nebraska farmer wish :to join with Candidate Bryan in abolishing this service, reducing the number of • officeholders’’ thereby and “saving" ihe money it costs? For a genuinely crazy idea of “economy” is not this ‘position of Candidate Bryan entitled to first place? Consider next the Department of Agriculture, the farmers' exclusive department ;n our government. Es tablished by republican legislation, with ('tide Jerry Busk its first Sec retary, mis department has grown and expanded under republican en couragement into a work of tre mendous importance to the American farmer. Ten years ago about two thousand ‘officeholders'’ at an annual cost of three million dollars repre sented the total of men and money given to this great work. On July lit, 1908, the "officeholders,” or in other words the necessary employees to carry on the work, had increased to 10,320 (an increase of 8,000), and Congress appropriated fifteen million's for the work of this farmers’ depart ment. This is another item to add to Candidate Bryan’s denunciation of the "Increase of officeholders." Let us add up the sum. Thirty-nine thou sand "officeholders” and thirty-five million dollars' “increase" for the farmers Bttral Free Delivery; 8,000 "officeholders" and fifteen million dol lars tor tne tanners Department or Agriculture, a total addition of 47,000 government employees and fifty mil lion dollars, all working for the Amer ican farmer and the increase of em ployees and expense roundly de nounced by Candidate Bryan. All this was done for the farmer by the republican party. Does the Nebraska farmer wish to continue these great undertakings by supporting the re publican party with his vote or does he wish to assist Candidate Bryan to throw it all overboard as he threat ens in his platform to do? Can the Nebraska farmer afford to risk the continuance of the two greatest agencies for his prosperity and well being ever established by the general government by casting his vote for Candidate Bryan and his experimental ideas of economy that are pointed di rectly to the abolition of the “office holders" who serve the farmer ex clusively? None but the thoughtless will incur such a risk and Nebraska farmers are not thoughtless or easily deceived. Menace of Bryanism. Because Mr. Bryan is unsafe we op pose him. Because he can believe or change belief at will we oppose him. Because he is the victim of his own delusions we oppose him. Because ho is convinced that whatever may win should be advocated and whatever may lose should he renounced we oppose him. Because he is the idol of the desperate, fanatical, credulous and visionary, and makes them his confidants and aids, we oppose him. Because he is a populist and not a democrat we oppose him. To us, to do th's, the duty is plain. The conse quences of duty done belong not to those who do it. The consequences of duty neglected or violated or mis conceived belong where and to whom need not be said. None of those con sequences shall belong here.—Brook lyn (N. Y.) Eagle (Demo.) Does the farmer and business man fully realize the great value to them of the railway commission legislation enacted by a republican legislature and how many abuses have been righted by appication to the ooinuns sion, thus avoiding the tedious, ex pensive and long-delayed litigation formerly necessary to establish indi vidual rights when contested by a railway corporation. Hundreds of cases of complaint from Nebraska citizens have been adjusted by the commission when the delays and ex \.‘ nse of former conditions would have left the complainant practically help less and forced to endure what he was powerless to cure. The republican policy of performance, of promises kept and carried into effect, is re sponsible for the new and changed conditions. The republican party in Nebraska has proven Us right to public con fidence. No party ever fulfilled its promises so completely as did the republicans of the state in the last legislative session. The old debt created by fusion extravagance and mismanagement is being rapidly ex tinguished, railroad regulation is an accomplished republican fact and not a mere democratic promise and all the affairs of the state are being in telligently and economically admin istered. /' Mr., Bryan i astenM to say that if elected this yt ar he Vill never be a candidate for i second term. This is tempting bait, hut the viiances are the voters will make sure il- their own way that he y,a^ never he a candi date for a se<Jond term, eve^ aj the risk of having him continue a& a can. didate for a. first term. P'^sburg 1 (Pa.) Dispatch A GOOD INVESTMENT Nebraska Reaps Large Returns From Republican Rule in the State. When a man Invests bis money in any enterprise he usually does so with the expectation of reaping something of profit; of drawing something iu the way of dividends from his investment. The people of Nebraska have "invested” in the re publican party in recent years. It is reasonable that they ask what have been the profits to the people; what dividends have the people re ceived for their investment of con fidence in the republican party? To name all the valuable returns the people of Nebraska have received would require a volume. The Nebraska republican platform of 1906 contained seven important pledges to the people of the state, everyone of which were "redeemed” by being enacted into law by repub lican votes in the legislature and ap ! proved by overnor Sheldon. The principal pledges were: 1.—A memorial to congress to en act a law compelling railroads to pay their taxes at the same time and iu the same manner as private persons are compelled to do. Twenty-four republican senators, flfty-six republican representatives, a majority in each house, enacted the bill. 2. —Direct Primary Law. Twenty-seven republican senators, fifty-three republican representatives, a majority in each house, enacted the bill. 3. —Anti-Pass Law. Twenty-five republican senators, sixty-three republican representatives, , majority in each house, enacted the bill. 4. —Railway Commission Law. Twenty-six republican senators, sixty-two republican representatives, a majority in each house, enacted the bill. 5. —Employers’ Liability Law'. Twenty republican senators, fifty nine republican representatives, a majority in each house, enacted the bill. 6. —Municipal (Terminal) Taxation of Railway Property. Twenty republican senators, fifty one republican representatives, a ma jority in each house, enacted the bill. 7. —Pure Food and Dairy Law. Twenty-six republican senators, fifty-six republican representatives, a majority in each house, enacted the bill. Each and everyone of these meas ures were promptly approved by the republican governor of Nebraska, Hon. George L. Sheldon, who lias again been selected b.v the republican elec tors of the state at the recent direct primary election to head the repub lican state ticket as the candidate of the party for re-election to the high office he has so ably filled during the past two years. The legislative vote above given by which these important measures were enacted shows plainly that the repub lican party is alone responsible for this progressive legislation and is en titled to the credit for these meritori ous laws. While the time since their enactment has been comparatively short, it has been long enough to in dicate conclusively the enormous im portance of these policies to the peo ple of the state and many of the direct benefits flowing from them to all the people of Nebraska. The Rail way Commission law alone has al ready proven to be of immense Im portance and has, without injury to the railroads in Iheir legitimate earn ing powers, saved *o the people of the state millions of dollars in freight and passenger rates, cutting off the free-pass evil and equalizing railway pharges between persons and places on a practical “square deal” plan, whereby the humblest receives sub stantial justice and the most powerful are helpless to force an unjust dis crimination in their own special in terest. If the Railway Commission alone were the only achievement of the republican party in the past two years, the people of Nebraska would have been well repaid for their investment of confidence in the re publican party of this state. But this is not all the republican record, in fact but a fraction of republican achievement of the same period. The careful, business-like apd economical administration of ail state institutions under republican state officers has kept them all at a high standard of efficiency, as the people desire them to be, yet at a cost demonstrating careful and economical supervision; state funds have been kept invested „ earning larger interest returns by thousands than ever before in our history; the state debt has been re duced from two and one-third millions to less than half a million. In a thou sand other ways, too numerous to mention here, the people have profited by their investment of confidence in the republican party of Nebraska.