August 20, 1960

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The facts that I gave you yesterday about United States coal production did not cover the situation in such depressed areas as that of West Virginia.

We have had innumerable investigations of these depressed areas. The simple fact is that there probably should be a project to retrain miners no longer needed in the mines. This probably should be a government project and, if investigation proves that the real answer to better permanent conditions in these states lies in developing new industries, there are a number of new industries that could be developed in those areas.

The industries that exist, such as the glass industry, are not too prosperous and a real study needs to be made of the whole economic status in the depressed areas. This will probably not be done under the Republicans. They prefer to keep things as they are and to trust to the old ideas rather than trying anything new. But something new has to be tried if we are going to change conditions in areas of unemployment and serious economic dislocation.

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I have been getting a number of letters which point up some of the things that are troubling people in the present election, and I would like to take up and answer a few.

Here is a quote from one letter written by a man: "I am amazed that you are going to back the brash, mean and ferocious Kennedy and thereby bring the Vatican to the White House."1

I want to say that these words hardly describe the character of the Democratic candidate. He is not brash, he is not mean and he is certainly not ferocious!

Now, about the question of bringing the Vatican to the White House, the writer goes on to say: "Do you and the others stop to think what will be the consequences of a Catholic President for whose election no stone is being left unturned and no money spared by Catholics all over the world?"

All I can say is that my correspondent has forgotten that the only way that Catholics can have any real influence in this country, beyond that of being good and bad individuals, is if we allow them to be better citizens than those among us who are Protestants, Jews or Mohammedans. (Incidentally, I feel sure no foreign money is being used by the Democrats in this election!)

The Vatican has no way of doing anything in this country, except with people of its own faith, unless we permit American citizens of the Roman Catholic faith to pass laws which you think harmful to our freedom. Fundamentally, any citizen in a democracy, regardless of religion, according to our Constitution, should have the right to run for any public office and to be elected.

But if you disapprove of a law which is brought forward and think that it is going to give undue power to the Roman Catholics in this country and interfere with our freedoms, then it is up to you to organize those who disapprove and to prevent the law from being passed.

I have no patience with people who do not want to preserve our fundamental rights and freedoms and who will not live up to the Constitution. Every citizen has the right to belong to the religion of his choice without being questioned, but there is nothing which prevents us, if we think that religion is encroaching upon our freedoms, to fight such efforts. We do not have to become a Spain or a French Canada. Italy, where the Vatican is situated, manages to remain fairly free, and so does France. Be a good citizen and you need not be afraid.