Quote of the day - Separation of church and state

The following quote was included by George Erickson in the Lake Superior Freethinkers Newsletter for March 2013.  I found a more complete extract by a Google search.

"Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and private schools entirely supported by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate."
- President Ulysses S. Grant, Des Moines, Iowa, 1876
From "Ulysses S. Grant: the Separation of Church and School", Encyclopedia Britannica Profiles: The American Presidency http://www.britannica.com/presidents/article-9116880

The rest of the speech in the article is worth reading.  In some parts he sounds like modern Republicans, but in other parts he is far removed from what modern Republicans practice.

Many famous Republicans would be RINOs today

Many can make a long list of Republicans who would not be welcome in today's Republican Party. Because these Republicans of another era didn't fall in lockstep with a laundry list of "conservative" positions, they would be called RINOs – Republicans in name only. Among them would be Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower.

Here's a surprising Republican who definitely would not be welcome in today's Republican Party. He said "Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul." This person was a personal secretary to Sen. William Morris Stewart, Republican, Nevada, a friend of former Republican President Ulysses S. Grant, and a supporter of James A. Garfield in the 1880 election. A forged letter was circulated that Garfield was in favor of Chinese immigration, something very unpopular at the time. You can see more about it in http://www.twainquotes.com/BillBarnum.html. This same article has a speech in which our surprising Republican praises the Republican Party and skewers the Democratic Party.

Who is this RINO who would be very disappointed in today's Republican Party? Mark Twain!!