The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-04-29
Kennedy.

(C0nLlnued from rage ~
the total independence of the
office holder from any form
of ecclesiastical dictation," he
said.
The Senator further stated
that no candidate is exploit
ing his religious utilization"
He dened that he is appeal.
ing to a so-ealled Cath
Ollie vote" and said he wants
mo votes solely on account
of my religion"
II HAVE NEVER suggest
ed that those who oppose my
nomination are thereby anti
Catholic nor have | ever
suggested that the Democratic
party is required to nominate
me or face a political revolt
in November" he said.
Turning to the responsible
ty of news media, he said that
the duty of the press "goes
beyond lofty editorials deplor-
ing intolerance"
1.-THE PRESS, WHILE not
creating the issue, will large
ly determine whether or not
the issue becomes dominant,
whether il is kept in per.
spective, whether it is con-
sidered vely, and
whether needless fears and
suspicious are aroused he
reminded the editors.
Sen. Kennedy asserted that
during the Wisconsin primary
in which he bested Sen.
Humphrey on April 5 by a
vote of Ate, Lib to 372, 034-
his discussion of the real is
sues received little attention
in the press, while religion
was played up.
He SAID ONE article in a
news magazine, supposedly
summing the primary up in
advance" mentioned h
word Catholic" 20 times in
IS paragraphs, without referr-
ing once to any other issue.
And on the Sunday before the
primary vote, he added, the
Milwaukee Journal published
a map of the state listing the
relative strength of three
types of votes-Democrats,
Republicans and Catholics"
As for West Virginia, he
continued, "the great bulk
of the voters there had paid
little attention to the religious
question until they read re-
peatedly in the nations press
that this was the decisive is
sue"
Sen. Kennedy declared that
The only Legitimate query to
ask a candidate about religion
is: would you, as President
of the United States, be re-
sponsive in any way to ecclesi-
astical pressures or obliga-
tons of any kind that might
in any fashion influence or
interfere with you in the con-
duct of your national office
in the national INTEREST,""
II have answered that
question many times" he said.
my answer wss--and is--no."
Other questions of concern
to religious groups should be
put to candidates, he said.
But he added that he objects
to 'being the only candidate
required TO answer these
questions"
Among these issues he list
ed Federal aid to parochial
schools and the appointment
of an ambassador to the Vati.
can. He repeated earlier dec
larations that he favors Meth
er.
ne SAID THE PosslBlL-
ITY is remote that a bill
providing foreign aid funds
for birth control might come
before him as president. In
regard to this issue, he said:
Il would neither veto nor
sign such a bill on any basis
except what | considered to
be the public interest, without
regard to my private religious
views"
Il have said the same about
bills dealing with censorship,
divorce, our relations with
Spain, and all the rest" he
remarked.
REFERRING to attempts to
analyze the Wisconsin voting
on religion lines. he said: "Of
those Catholics who voted for
me, how many do so on
grounds Of my religion, how
many because they felt my
opponent was too radical,
how many because they re-
sented the attacks on my rec.
ord, how many because they
were union members, how