The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1959-09-18
JOSEPH BREIC-
Must Vote
For Best

Any citizen who really believed that it would be
impossible for a Catholic, because he was a Catholic,
to be a good US. president would, of course. have to
cast his ballot against a Catholic candidate-no matter
what the candidates qualifications.
Otherwise, the citizen would be violating his con-
science and voting against his convictions concerning
the best interests of his country.
Conversely, any citizen who really believed that
any Catholic, because he was a Catholic, would newt
ably make the best possible president, would have to
vote that way.
Otherwise, he too would be violating his con-
science and acting against his convictions about
Americas best interests.
THE TROUBLE is that in each of these cases
and in one as much as the other-the citizen would be
acting on a grossly mistaken judgment, due to mis-
information or bad logic, or bad theology, or confused
patrlotiSm-or all four.
1t is a happy circumstance, therefore, that the dis
cusSion about the possibility of a Catholic in the White
basic principles of good citizenship and r~ight-minded
voting.
Let us suppose, for the sake of this rethinking,
that a Catholic has been nominated.
Immediately ], as a citizen and a Catholic, must
address myself to the task of deciding whether l will
vote for the Catholic or for his opponent, who is Qet
us say a Presbyterian of great worth.
MY FIRST DUTY is to put out Of my mind every
thing that might warp my Judgment Maybe In my
boyhood a Presbyterian lad punched my nose. May
be nothing, it really happened0 Maybe | have known
some Presbyterians who seemed unsociable and CEN
serious.
NV IIdAlSi, vi NOIiolIGl dLlUHS i uIElEVdllt, uI%
worthy and irrational. | am not being asked to vote for
any Presbyterians generally or the Presbyterian
Church. My job is to look at the particular P~resbyter-
ian who is up for president, and Judge his candidacy
by what he IS and what policies he favors.
Equally, | have no right TO leap to the conclusion
that the Catholic candidate. because he is a Catholic,
will make a better president. Above all, | do not have
the faintest right to vote for him without caring
whether he will better serve the country.
NO; IT is MY MORAL DUTY-and my conscience
tells me so-to examine as best | may the records of
the two men; to listen to their speeches; to inquire into
their integrity and wisdom, and to support the one
whom | Judge best fitted to guide the nation.
This is true not only for me as a Catholic; it is
true also for ProtestantS and Jews. for citizens who
profess no particular church connection.
Voting is a serious business. To vote honestly and
intelligently, for the greatest good of the nation. is a
moral obligation of every citizen. God demands civic
virtue OF every one.
There are some Americans, it seems clear. who
think that a Catholic president could not possibly be
a good chief executive-could not be trusted to keep
the oath of office. This is emphatically a mistaken at
ttude.
TRUE, AS LONG AS a citizen is convinced that
1t is the right attitude, he must vote accordingly. But
he has another duty to God and America-and to
himself, He has the obligation of investigating his at
tltude to discover whether it is rational or irrational.
If he will do that open.mindedly. he will come to
realize that blind prejudice is bad for America, and bad
for the person who is preludiced.
| do not expect to see prejudice vanishing-a1-
though it appears to be diminishing. But / am certainly
not going to let prejudice against Catholics trick me
into prejudice against anybody else.
If 1t should come about that a Catholic were nomi-
mated, he and his party would simply have to con-
vince me that he was the better candidate. Otherwise.
| would vote for his opponent