The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1960-06-09
THE PETAL PAPER

Could it conceivably be your
opinion that the aim of this
group: to strengthen world law
by strengthening the United Ma
tons, is in any way reprehensi-
BILE? If such is your opinion may
/ recommend to you the writings
on peace of Pope Plus XII.
And besides the general mis-
representation, there is one spe-
cific falsehood in your article. 1t
is the statement that 'the Com
mittee fails to mention the po-
Icing problem the United States
and the rest of the Western Pow
ers have with Russia's propos-
ais" The Committee, on the con-
trary, has mentioned this time
and again; and how, without be-
ing intimately familiar with our
literature, you could presume to
know what we have not said, |
fail to understand.
I derive small comfort from
your somewhat grudging lnclu-
sion of the 'SCounterattack" adj
mission that sit is not alleged
that the National Committee is a
Communist front at this time"
Does someone want to make an
appointment to meet me some
where at some future time to
make such an allegation? And
the comfort | derive is, as | say,
small since the admission was
evidently not enough to prevent
some of your readers from max
ing the accusation that was
Communist.
But these details can, if men
debate the issues with anything
remotely resembling honesty and
good will, be cleared up. What |
feel is a more important danger,
and more unhealthy situation is
that we are still evidently in the
middle of the MISREPRESENTATION
era.
Questionable associations may
legitimately give rise to suspi-
cion and nothing more and these
suspicious may not be allowed to
hang in the air but ought, IN JUS
tice, to be cleared up at once.
Nor are the public press or the
radio airwaves the best arena in
which to thrash out the charges,
for audiences change from day to
day and not every man who reads
a charge or an aspersion is on
hand to notice that some time
later the accusation is withdrawn.
Guilt-by-as association or blood
relationship can be considered as
strongly evidential only by men
who have renowned their claim
to rational thought. To illustrate:
one of the most notorious Of New
York's waterfront gangsters had
brother who was a Catholic
priest. Anyone who assumes that
because Of this relationship it is
proved or even suggested that
gangsters are religious, that
priests are associated with the
Malta, or any foolishness of the
sort would, if he broadcast his
assumptions, probably be locked
up. And yet something very like
this sort of reasoning occurs ev-
cry day in the field Of politics and
some men profess to be blind to
the evil of it.
And one last thought. More and
more in recent years I have been
struck, indeed appalled,, by the
fact that opponents Of all good, !
constructive steps toward social
justice and that brotherhood of
man which Christ CAM to
preach, steps such as better
wages and working conditions
for the laboring-man, collective
bargaining, old age pensions,
Social Security, a more demo-
cratic share in America for the
Negro, better medical care for
the poor, better Mental Health
facilities for our entire society,
and so forth - the opponents of
all of these necessary steps along
the path of progress have char