To the Editor of The Star:
We note Mr. P.E. Downs’ criticism in last week’s Star. President Harding said after being in office a year, the thing that pained him most was to learn of the bitter religious intolerance springing up in our country.
Our government was founded on political and religious liberty in free speech, free press and free religious conscience. That was so well understood that no president mentioned it until Lincoln appealed to it. Roosevelt reiterated it and put a Jew on the Supreme court. Taft sustained it by making a Catholic chief justice of the U.S. Supreme court by appointing Judge White, a southern Democrat. Wilson expressed it in suggesting a Catholic general to command our allied armies n the world war, and that move brought a quick conclusion. I write from the viewpoint of history without prejudice. “The truth alone will make us free.” Disraeli, Jew, was one of England’s greatest prime ministers, 1868 to 1880, he advocated the freedom of common people. civilization is based on tolerance in respect of different opinions. That all questions have some merit or they could not be debated. People inherit their policies and religion and can not all see alike. Lack of understanding cause most quarrels.
Our Christianity stands for peace and good will to all men, with mutual tolerance. Where Catholics are fewest, prejudice against them is greatest. They can be misrepresented without defense. What I said in regard to a Catholic president was n the interest of the national Democratic party, southern Protestant and northern Catholics, chiefly compose the Democratic party, and if the party lives, they must work together. If they split, it may be best for the country for the Democratic party to suicide and get out of the way. Mr. P.E. Downs made diligent search of history to dispute my contention and the most he finds is the presumption that the Catholic Baltimore colony had acted on the principle of real estate profiteers in allowing religious liberty. And he finds that some Baptist missionaries were ill-treated in Brazil 50 years ago. But he admits that those Catholics founded a republic and now allow religious liberty. President Coolidge’s church once persecuted Baptists and Quakers and hanged witches, but they reformed and he did not object to being on a presidential ticket headed by a Baptist.
It is within my memory that Mormon elders were stoned out of Shelby, and they never came back.
There is propaganda being retailed for good money to make ignorant people believe that if Catholics get in power they will burn Protestants at the stake as they did under the Spanish inquisition 400 years ago. I don’t’ think the few Catholics in this country could menace Protestantism if they wanted to. The “Holier-than-thou” pretenders are the greatest joke of the age. Only the K.K.K.’s claim it, and their white robes attest to it.
--J.C. Elliott
P.S.—I heard the lecture of ex-Governor Brough of Arkansas at Shelby Chautauqua May 29 on conditions and prospects of our country. He presented our great material wealth and prosperity in industry, commerce, finance and education; and how we were leading the world on all lines of human endeavor. But unfortunately, compared this great Protestant republic with Catholic Italy (the nest hole of Romanism). He said we had 10,000 murders a year, 70 times as many as Italy. A people must see their sins before they will forsake them. Here all are profiteers and grafters, including the politicians and all the professions. The farmer is the meat of them all; off him they live and eat. He gets 50 cents for a barrel of apples that is retailed for $7.50. Sells a cowhide for $1.30; 7 cents worth of which makes a $12 pair of shoes.
Our preachers are helpless to stem the tide of wickedness and appeal to the Ku Klux to save us, and they are entering the churches in their white robes as ministering angels. Is that Protestant?
J.C.E.
From the editorial page of the Cleveland Star, Shelby, N.C., Tuesday, June 3, 1924
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