The guardian., 1953-10-17
BOSTON
BAKED
BY MABE KOUNTZE

By MABE KOUNTZE
"Tho better world we all de-
sire must be built around OuI
similarities-nOt our differences
Madame Pandit
=
COLUMBUS DAY, October IL
this week, paid homage to a
great italian explorer and Eu-
ropean discoverer of our con-
tinent. There were earlier dis
covererS. The AsiaticS we call
Indians" came centuries pre-
vious. So did certain Africans.
Early Northmen put in a claim,
But Columbus had the best Eu-
ropean records. His honors are
well deserved.
MARCO POLO and his rela-
tives were among the other
great Italian explorers who pre-
ceded Columbus as early as 1860
in their then fabulous trips to
Asia, notably Cathay. But
throughout history the Italian
people have been great trave-
lers. builders and inter-racial
mixers. Even so, Columbus re-
esiyed little glory for his Am
Orlcan mission. And for long
time, Italians were called go
reigners" by other American
people like Bilbo.
BOSTON GLOBE, perhaps the
best balanced and most demo-
cratic editorial newspaper in the
Bay State, paid a fine tribute to
progress since the first big TIA
Ian immigration arrived here
in the year 1910. Most of the
early families settled in the
North End. In effect, they were
jim crowed and given the poorer
jobs. Like Colored.
NO ITALIAN was given any
notable political consideration,
even in the Bay State, until the
New Deal influenced 1905 when
New York'S lovable Mayor La
Guardia opened new fields of
tolerance. Senator Langone in
1932became one of the first TIA
Ian Office holders here. In 1884
the State Legislature had four
more. Today there are around
20 italian Americans including
Piemonte, Furcolo, Volpe, and
Julian, holding high civic Of
flee.
THE POLITICAL barriers
which were originally levelled
against the Irish and Italian
newcomers" is gradually be-
ing lifted, and much OF this has
happened in the last fifty years.
That is a good sign for America.
But there is still a job for both
major political parties. And
that is granting of equal "poli-
tical office opportunity for
colored Americans whose kim
folk have been on American
soil for as long as 300 years.
NO COLORED candidates
have been sponsored by either
major political party in the
Bay State with the same de-
gree of backing or intent to
"balance" the tickets as has
been done with other candidates.
An Irish-American world war II
veteran complained to me about
this fact last month. He said
every group should be repre-
sented. He was glad some TIA
lians and Jews were on the
ticket. But he wanted to see
more colored.
THE VETERANS of many
races and creeds will, I believe,
help to solve the inequalities as
some are already doing to-day.
To the real war veteran, the
narrow issues of clan, race,
creed, or color make little diff
ference. If a man is a good
joe, the skin differences will
not matter. 1t didn't matter on
the battle field; it won't matter
back home.
THE DISCOVERY of Ameri-
can is still Gin process" by many
people who call themselves
Americans. And they viii never
succeed until they accept all
races, creeds and colorS in our
land as "fellow Americans" The
day will come when the Bay
State will boast of an Italian
Governor, Colored and Irish
Senators, and a Jewish Mayor,
And nobody will be surprised.