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Authors: James A. Michener
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House. She looks like a President’s wife.
MISS OMWAKE : Mr. Nixon has been personally trained by the President. He has been responsible for most of the big decisions of the past four years.
MRS. DALE : And the way he stood up to that Khrushchev!
MISS OMWAKE : Wars always come in Democratic administrations, but the Republicans are men of peace.
MRS. DALE : And did you see how orderly everything was at the Republican convention and what a bunch of rabble the Democrats were?
MISS OMWAKE : President Eisenhower personally ended the war in Korea the way he said he would.
MRS. DALE : Mr. Nixon had to work for his money, like an honest man should. It isn’t right for a father who makes his money selling booze to give his sons a million each so that they can lord it over poor folks.
MISS OMWAKE : Mr. Nixon will protect the dollar. He knows the value of money.
MRS. DALE : The Republicans look more gentlemanly than the Democrats. Have you ever compared Ambassador Lodge with Senator Johnson. One is a polished gentleman. The other is a Texas bum.
MISS OMWAKE : President Eisenhower returned dignity to theWhite House, and Mr. Nixon is very dignified. Mr. Kennedy looks like a boy, and his wife with no hat is worse.
As I listened I became increasingly aware that I was hearing the fundamental issues upon which much of the electorate was going to base its decision and I became afraid. If Miss Omwake and Mrs. Dale spoke for America, and I was satisfied that they did, at least for large segments, this election was bound to be much closer than I had anticipated; and yet as they talked I felt that they were for the first time in many years not telling me all the truth. I charged them with this and finally they spoke of what really troubled them.
MRS. DALE : The truth of the matter is, James, I could never bring myself to vote for a Catholic.
MISS OMWAKE : Don’t ask me why. It’s a feeling I have.
MRS. DALE : I’ll tell you why. I used to be a secretary in Philadelphia. For many years. And week after week we would see in the paper pictures of Denis Cardinal Dougherty. And Cardinal Dougherty was saying, “You can’t go to this movie.” And Cardinal Dougherty was saying, “All public schools are no good.” And Cardinal Dougherty was shouting, “If you do that you’ll be damned.” James, I just got sick to my stomach of hearing Cardinal Dougherty telling me what to do. Your Senator Kennedy may be as fine a man as you say, but he’s a Catholic and he’s got to put up with Cardinal Dougherty the same way I had to.
MISS OMWAKE : I would be afraid to tell you how many people in this town feel the way we do.
MRS. DALE : All the Lutherans. Most of the Baptists. Many of the Presbyterians. They all remember Cardinal Dougherty and his arrogant ways.
ME : Then no matter what I say, no matter what Senator Kennedy says, no matter what proofs he gives you, you still won’t vote for him because he’s a Catholic?
MRS. DALE : That’s right. In this world, if you fear something deeply enough, there’s probably a reason. And I fear the shadow of Cardinal Dougherty over the White House.
ME : But he’s dead.
MRS. DALE : His spirit goes on forever, telling Protestants what they can’t do.
I returned home deeply perturbed, and the more I talked with my neighbors, the more determined they became never to vote for a Catholic. Some were German Lutherans, and their historic animosity toward the Catholic Church was understandable. But many were ordinary Protestants with no special animus toward any other religion, yet the specter of a cardinal dominating White House policy was to them positively terrifying. With many of my neighbors I could not even argue. If I spoke of religion they changed the subject, and as the campaign edged toward the starting gun I began to realize that in my early assumption that only the crackpots on the fringes would be affected by the religious issue, I was wrong. Religion was going to be a major issue. This
MISS OMWAKE : Mr. Nixon has been personally trained by the President. He has been responsible for most of the big decisions of the past four years.
MRS. DALE : And the way he stood up to that Khrushchev!
MISS OMWAKE : Wars always come in Democratic administrations, but the Republicans are men of peace.
MRS. DALE : And did you see how orderly everything was at the Republican convention and what a bunch of rabble the Democrats were?
MISS OMWAKE : President Eisenhower personally ended the war in Korea the way he said he would.
MRS. DALE : Mr. Nixon had to work for his money, like an honest man should. It isn’t right for a father who makes his money selling booze to give his sons a million each so that they can lord it over poor folks.
MISS OMWAKE : Mr. Nixon will protect the dollar. He knows the value of money.
MRS. DALE : The Republicans look more gentlemanly than the Democrats. Have you ever compared Ambassador Lodge with Senator Johnson. One is a polished gentleman. The other is a Texas bum.
MISS OMWAKE : President Eisenhower returned dignity to theWhite House, and Mr. Nixon is very dignified. Mr. Kennedy looks like a boy, and his wife with no hat is worse.
As I listened I became increasingly aware that I was hearing the fundamental issues upon which much of the electorate was going to base its decision and I became afraid. If Miss Omwake and Mrs. Dale spoke for America, and I was satisfied that they did, at least for large segments, this election was bound to be much closer than I had anticipated; and yet as they talked I felt that they were for the first time in many years not telling me all the truth. I charged them with this and finally they spoke of what really troubled them.
MRS. DALE : The truth of the matter is, James, I could never bring myself to vote for a Catholic.
MISS OMWAKE : Don’t ask me why. It’s a feeling I have.
MRS. DALE : I’ll tell you why. I used to be a secretary in Philadelphia. For many years. And week after week we would see in the paper pictures of Denis Cardinal Dougherty. And Cardinal Dougherty was saying, “You can’t go to this movie.” And Cardinal Dougherty was saying, “All public schools are no good.” And Cardinal Dougherty was shouting, “If you do that you’ll be damned.” James, I just got sick to my stomach of hearing Cardinal Dougherty telling me what to do. Your Senator Kennedy may be as fine a man as you say, but he’s a Catholic and he’s got to put up with Cardinal Dougherty the same way I had to.
MISS OMWAKE : I would be afraid to tell you how many people in this town feel the way we do.
MRS. DALE : All the Lutherans. Most of the Baptists. Many of the Presbyterians. They all remember Cardinal Dougherty and his arrogant ways.
ME : Then no matter what I say, no matter what Senator Kennedy says, no matter what proofs he gives you, you still won’t vote for him because he’s a Catholic?
MRS. DALE : That’s right. In this world, if you fear something deeply enough, there’s probably a reason. And I fear the shadow of Cardinal Dougherty over the White House.
ME : But he’s dead.
MRS. DALE : His spirit goes on forever, telling Protestants what they can’t do.
I returned home deeply perturbed, and the more I talked with my neighbors, the more determined they became never to vote for a Catholic. Some were German Lutherans, and their historic animosity toward the Catholic Church was understandable. But many were ordinary Protestants with no special animus toward any other religion, yet the specter of a cardinal dominating White House policy was to them positively terrifying. With many of my neighbors I could not even argue. If I spoke of religion they changed the subject, and as the campaign edged toward the starting gun I began to realize that in my early assumption that only the crackpots on the fringes would be affected by the religious issue, I was wrong. Religion was going to be a major issue. This
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