Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1960-09-07

| VI CONSTITUTION would nave 10
be amended to give the Presi-
cent such powers. The amend
ment would then give dictat-
orial powers to all Presidents,
and l am sure your reader
wouldn't want that. l can as
sure him that |, Catholic
would not. Since your reader
obviously does not know, le,
me state here how laws arc
made III this country. The
President may suggest laws To
the Congress, but to become
law the process must begin il
the Congress. The House OF
, Representatives must pass q
bill by a two-thirdS majority
and send il on to the Senate:
the State must pass it by a
two-thlrdS majority and send
II on To the President. If the
/ President vctOeS the bill. the
| Congress can oVerrulc him Il
I saln by u two-thirdS majority
On the other hand, if the Pres
/ ident has bill he wants to
Push throw and more than one
third of the Congress is against
II, II will never become law.
, All this Is clearly defined in
Part ,, Section 7. Article | of
our Constitution. Furthermore.
II President persists in act
ing against the welfare of the
majority of the people, the
Senate has the power To i'm
peach him and throw him out.
This IS specified in Part 6, Sec
ton 3, Article |.
1t should be pointed out that
the United States is about TO-
Protestant: the Protestant per-
ccntage IN the Congress is, |
believe, even higher. In view
OF that. II scarcely seems posi-
Die that Catholic President
would ever have a sufficiently
Catholic majority in the Con-
, sIcSS To put through any laws
which would be harmful t.
Plot1StantS or contrary to their
beliefs. If your reader thinks
opposite, then he has no faith
IN the Protestant leadership in
America, in the country or in
himself.
Your reader quotes Times
Magazine to the effect tina;
the Church has full powers OF
true jurisdiction over all the
faithful and hence has the duty
and the right TO guide, direct
and correct them on the plane
Of IDEAS and the plane of ac-
ton" The key words III that
quotation are the faithful"
That means Catholics. AS a
Catholic, let me tell your read
e. that the Church has the
power to teal me how to live
only in matters of faith and
moralS-My faith and morals.
not his. Suppose, as an Ameri-
can. / was called upon to vote
Ill referendum on a law that
affected my faith and morals.
believe the Church would
then have the right TO advise
me how to vote, but it would
not have the right TO tell him.
Does your reader, then, have
such little faith in the Ameri-
can Protestant majority that
he fears a Catholic minority
could force its opinions on the
rest of tht country? That is
both unrealistic and stupid.
Your reader complains that:
in 1850 Kennedy refused to
attend an interfaith meeting
upon the advice of his ecclesi-
astical Superiors, but in 1860
he proclaimS that he will not
be dictated to by any pressure
group" First, l would like to
ask your reader when was the
last time he attended a Cath
olic Mass? If he is so hot on
interfaith, would he allow his
children to become Catholics
or Jews? Has he ever contri-
buted to Catholic cause or
charity? Is he in favor of let
ting Catholic school children
rice on public school buses? 1t
has been my observation that
people who harp on interfaith
wish only that others go TO
their church: they are not too
willing to go to others. Furth-
ermore, if your reader humps
an interfaith religious cere-
mony together with political
pressureS then he is the man
we ought to worry about-not
Kennedy. | see no connection
between the two events your
reader has pointed out: if he
does, then Ell consider him a
dangerous man.
AS I understand the Consti-
tuition, any person in this coun-
, try has the right to be what
ever he wants-cxcept a bad
citizen. II seems to me that in
submitting to you an article