Minneapolis spokesman., 1963-11-21
Archbishop Ireland Pointed
The Way u Years Ago

The reaction of Italian and Irish Catholic voters
in Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania towards the
natural aspirations of the Negro frst-class Cit
izenship may be puzzling to those who observe the
work being done in the civil rights field by Catholics
IN other parts Of the nation.
Political dopesters in that area claim that the
two named groups and the Polish Catholics in other
areas are the chief opponents of the Negros drive
for his rights in large urban centers These groups
said to be critical Of any office holder who Is
civil rights advocate
Here we have the strange spectacle of Catholic
clergy and laity involvement in many areas includ-
ing the South in the civil rights cause contrasted
to the opposition from large number of Catholic
laymen in Philadelphia and Boston who seem to
take the view that the Kennedy administration and
its local counterparts are giving in to Negro de-
mands too readily"
To those Catholics who adopt the position that
what the Negro-American is demanding of his
country is unearned, unreasonable and unfair we
would like to recommend the succinct words of a
Catholic statesman of earlier day who foresaw
the problem with clarity and offered the only just
solution.
This churchman was the revered Catholic Arch
bishop John Ireland of ST. Paul who in the year 1891
seventy-two years ago had this TO say:
The Negro problem is upon u.s. and there
is other solution to it, peaceful and pernan-
ent, than to grant to our colored citizens prac-
tical and effective equality with white citizens.
1t is not possible to keep up wall Of separation
between blacks and whites, and the attempt to
do this is a declaration of continuous war.
Simple common dictates the solution. The
Negroes among to the number of eight
millions; they will here remain we must accept
the situation and abide by the consequences,
whatever pride or taste may dictate
Let the Negro be our equal in the enjoy
ment of all political rights of the citizen, the
Constitution grants him those rights let us be
loyal to the Constitution IF the education of the
Negro does not fit him to be a voter, and office
holder let us for his sake and our own hurry
to enNghten him.
IT would open to the Negro all industrial
and professional avenues-the test for his ad-
vance being his ability, but never his color.
would in all public gatherings, and in all public
resorts in halls, in hotels, treat the black man
as I treat the white"
Thus spoke this great man of the Church whose
voice cried out so early, for the things for which
the Negro still struggles TO achieve There are in
dicatons all over the nation that Organized religion
of all faiths is determined to try to put into practice
the words which Archbishop Ireland with great
foresight into the problem, enunciated with such
vision so many years ago.
We recommend to the Catholics in the eastern
states or even here who have joined in 'the line
that present Negro demands for full citizenship
in some manner unfair-read Archbishop Ireland
who could vizIalize 72 years ago that the need of
the American hour the granting of equality to
the nations Negro-Anerican citizens.