K 2- 7 Have Catholics their Normal Representation in Public Offices and Schools? So long as Catholics pay their taxes and faithfully perform their patriotic duties in peace and war, AS THEY HAVE EVER DONE, it is a crime to discriminate against them, because of their religion, the actual ef- fect of which is to make them better Chris- tians and citizens. Statements to the contrary are but the ravings of ignorance and 1 bigotry. THE ALLEGED PREPONDERANCE OF CATHOLICS in public offices and schools is too evidently mendacious to be taken seriously by our broad-minded citizens. The “fake-statistics” which enemies are circulating are an insult to all intelligent minds*. Having nearly 20 per cent of the population, Catholics should math- ematically have one-fifth of the public offices. But the fact is that prejudice, unfairness and discrimination have practically eliminated them in many places, though federal and state constitutions forbid a religious test for office. While Catholic citizens are treated thus, they uniformly show the greatest fairness, liberal- ity, toleration. In spite of all the poison injected1 into a recent Oregon campaign by an- ti-Catholics, the little town of Mt. Angel (99 per cent Catholic) elected a non-Catholic may- or and gave the largest vote of all to the non- Catholic candidate for councilman. HOW CATHOLICS “DOMINATE” OFFICES How many United States presidents have been Catholic ? None. How many in the cab- inet today are, or in that of former Presidents Harding or Wilson were Catholic? None. How many United States senators? Half dozen or less, when the normal percentage would be 18 or 19. How many congressmen? About 30 to 35, out of over 425. Some time ago the board of morals of the Methodist Church announced that there were then 27 Methodists in the Senate and 90 in the House. But no one hears Catholics charging the Methodists with controlling the country, even though their representation in Congress is vastly larger than their percentage of the population warrants. There were 22 Episco- palians in the Senate and 57 in the House, many times their normal proportion if we re- gard them as Episcopalians instead of as citi- zens. But again Catholics always pass this by without comment, almost without a thought. Moreover out of 425 there were 304 MASONS in the House and 65 in the Senate, the Board of Morals of the Methodist Church further an- nounces; hence although Masons form but a small fraction of the country’s population, they do form a huge majority of the country’s rulers. ROME “MANIPULATING” PUBLIC OFFICES After the Federal Circuit Court had de- clared unconstitutional the Oregon anti-re- ligious School Law, everyone knew the case would go before the United States Supreme D@addffi§d Judges, two of whom were Catholics. Never- theless, very shortly before the case was called one of the two Catholics on the Supreme Court bench, Justice McKenna, resigned. A non- Catholic successor, Justice Stone, took his place. This fact and the statistics above given strikingly illustrate how Catholics fail to try to “manipulate” and “dominate” politics and political offices to their own advantage. To Catholics and all lovers of liberty in America, the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the Oregon case was to be the most important decision ever rendered by that au- gust body. Yet the “crafty” Justice McKenna, “tool of the American hierarchy” quietly re- signs and gives place to a Protestant succes- sor. Still the cry of “Rome dominating Amer- ica in public offices,” goes on as lustily as ever. Theodore Roosevelt and the Reli- gious Test for Office On November 4, 1908, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United State, wrote to J. C. Martin of Dayton, Ohio, answering his request for a public statement relative to the religious belief of Wm. H. Taft, candidate to succeed Mr. Roosevelt in the presidency. In our day when the business, political and social life of our nation is often demoralized by the vicious injection of the religious issue—the words of the illustrious Roosevelt are illuminating and refreshing. The original draft is -still in pos- session of the man who obtained it from President Roosevelt himself and can be found reproduced in the book “Under Four Admin- istrations” by Oscar S. Straus, pages 259-262, on the shelves of the Portland public library. We offer this extract: WHAT ROOSEVELT SAID “So much for your objections to Mr. Taft because he is a Unitarian. Now, for your ob- jections to him because you think his wife and brother to be Roman Catholics. As it hap- pens they are not; but if they were, or if he were a Roman Catholic himself, it ought not to affect in the slightest degree any man’s supporting him for the position of President, You -say that “the mass of the voters that are not Catholics will not support a man for any office, especially for President of the United States, who is a Roman Catholic.” I believe that when you say this you foully slander your fellow countrymen. I do not for one moment believe that the mass of our fellow citizens can be influenced by such narrow bigotry as to refuse to vote for any thoroughly upright and fit man because he happens to have a particular religious creed. Such a considera- tion should never be treated as a reason for either supporting or opposing a candidate for political office. Are you aware tha't there are several States in this Union where the ma- jority of the people are now Catholics ? I should reprobate in the severest terms the Catholics who in those States (or in any other States) refused to vote for the most fit man because he happened to be a Protestant; and my condemnation would be exactly as severe for Protestants who, under reversed circum- stances, refused to vote for a Catholic. ... I believe that this Republic will endure for many centuries. If so, there will doubtless be among its Presidents Protestants and Catho- lics, and very probably at -some time, Jews. I have consistently tried, while President, to act in relation to my fellow Americans of Catholic faith as I hope that any future President who happens to be a Catholic will act towards his fellow Americans of Protestant faith. Had I followed any other course I should have felt that I was unfit to represent the American people.” (Write for further information and FREE literature on any subject to Catholic Truth So- ciety, 304 McKay Bldg., Portland, Oregon.)