Digest of Public Opinion on Jewish Matters

[The purpose of the Digest is informative. Preference is given to papers not generally accessible to our readers. Quotation does not indicate approval.–Editor.]

Governor Smith’s reply to Mr. Chas. Marshall’s letter is lauded by the Jewish press, which views the Governor’s utterance as a victory in the cause of religious tolerance which is of particular interest to the Jews.

The “Jewish Daily News”, drawing an analogy between the position of the Jews and the Catholics as religious minorities in this country, says:

“The Catholics in America are a religious minority, true, a much larger one than the Jews, but nevertheless a minority, and in this respect the two groups are in the same position. Those who say that the Catholics are ‘disqualified’ for the office of President are employing the method that is used against the Jews wherever Jews are discriminated against. In this case the same thing was done. Mr. Charles Marshall in his questions sought to establish the ‘evidence’ that a Catholic has a divided loyalty: the state and the church, and hence, being loyal to the Pope he cannot be loyal to the state. This resembles very much the complaint that the Jews have a divided loyalty: one to the country and one as a Jew. In both cases, Catholic and Jew, this complaint is due either to viciousness or to stupidity, or to both things.”

The “Jewish Morning Journal” expresses itself thus:

“In a question of discrimination, of an effort to disqualify a certain group owing to their religious convictions, we Jews cannot remain indifferent. Under the law a Jew, if only he is a native citizen, can be eligible to the office of the Presidency of the United States. In practice, however, people are never as free from prejudice as the best law which they themselve create. Whenever a prominent Catholic comes up for discussion, there is talk about the influence of Rome and the power of the Pope. If a Jew should emerge in such a role the ignorant fanatic would be frightened by the alleged ‘Elders of Zion’ and many who know better would still entertain a fear of the ‘danger’ of the fictitious international Jewish conspiracy.”

If there was any doubt before in the minds of American citizens, avers the “Day”, regarding the wisdom of bestowing the highest office in the gift of the American Republic on a Catholic, those doubts must have been effectively dissipated by Governor Smith’s utterance.

“The Jews of America always felt,” the paper says, “that Smith is an upright, loyal American in whom his religious faith could only serve as a ground for greater tolerance rather than oppression of other religions. Smith’s declaration is to us but a substantiation of what we knew and felt before.

“It is in the interests of all Americans and particularly of the Jewish citizens that religious fanaticism should disappear as soon as possible, and since Governor Smith’s reply is an important step in this direction it must be welcomed not only as a significant document which will surely figure in the next Presidential campaign, but also as a remarkable manifestation in the inter-relations between all the religious groups in America.”