4--THE PROGRESS
- Friday, Nov. I, 1963
Small But Real Beginnings
ast Friday, after listening to almost
six solid hours of arguments for
and against an Open Housing Ordinance
proposed by the Seattle Human Rights
Commission, the City Council voted 7-2
to wash their hands of the entire issue
and to put the matter to a vote of the
people.
We have no objection to allow-
ing the citizens of Seattle the final
say in this or any other civic legisla-
tion. lVe are a democracy, thank God,
and not a dictatorship. However, there
are times of grave physical and moral
urgency when elected city officials can
and ought to pass emergency legis-
lation which is needed at once for the
good of the body politic. Such laws
are, of course, still subject to judicial
review and through initiative petition
can even be removed from the books
if they prove ineffective or unsatis-
factory.
Last July, Mayor Gordon S. Clinton
with the approval of the City Council
appointed a Human Rights Commission
to study the city's housing problem. This
impartial group of outstanding communi-
ty leaders reported that racial discrimina-
tion as practiced in Seattle constitutes a
grave danger to the common good of this
community and demands immediate cor-
rective legislation. This point was stated
clearly in Section 9 of the Open Housing
Ordinance which was submitted to the
City Council for approval. We quote that
section in full because it was a key point
in Friday's debate.
"Section 9. Findings of Fact and
Emergency Clause:
(1).The population of the City
of Seattle consists of people of every
race, color, religion, ancestry, and na-
tional origin, many of whom are com-
pelled to live in circumscribed and seg-
regated areas, under substandard, un-
healthful, unsafe, unsanitary, and over-
crowded living conditions, because of
discrimination in the sale, lease, rental,
and financing of housing;
"(2) These conditions have caused
increased mortality, disease, crime, vice,
and juvenile delinquency, fires and risk
of fires, intergroup tensions and other
evils, thereby resulting in great injury
to the public safety, public health, and
general welfare of the City of Seattle,
and reducing its productive capacity;
"(3) The harmful effects produced
by discrimination in housing also increase
the cost of government and reduce the
public revenues, thus imposing financial
burdens upon the public for the relief and
amelioration of the conditions so created;
"(4) Discrimination in housing
results in other forms of discrimination
and segregation, including racial segre-
gation in the public schools and other
public facilities, which are prohibited
by the Constitution of the United States
of America, and are against the laws
and policy of the State of Washing-
ton and the City of Seattle;
"(5) Discrimination in housing ad-
versely affects the continued redevelop-
ment, renewal, growth, and progress of
the City of Seattle;
"(6) Recent and current increases
in racial tensions, which are caused in
large part by discrimination in housing,
have interferred and threatened to con-
tinue to interfere with the orderly busi-
ness of the City and its citizens, all of
which require immediate c o r r e c t i v •
measures.
"T H E R E F 0 R E, in accordance
with Article IV, Section 1, of the Char-
ter of the City of Seattle, it is de-
clared that it is necessary for the im-
mediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, that this Or-
dinance shall be effective without de-
lay, and that an emergency exists. This
Ordinance shall therefore, become ef-
]ective immediately upon its adoption
and approval by the Mayor, or pas-
sage over his veto, if any, or when it
rhall become law without his ap-
proval."
It is obvious from the above that
we are not dealing with the passage of
a dog leash law, a new throughway, or
a highrise housing project. The proposed
Open Housing Ordinance deals with
rights and obligations basic to the very
principles and ideals of democracy. This
legislation boils down to a public state-
ment of human dignity and morality. By
passing the proposed open housing law
we simply restate our belief in the funda-
mental Judeo-Christian ethic and Ameri-
can dream that all men deserve the same
break in life regardless of the color of
their skin, the way they worship God
or the nation that gave them birth.
It is likewise clear that the minority
races in this city are growing more con-
cerned with evils and injustices• past and
present. Therefore, we must act now.
But instead of passing the Open
Housing Ordinance with an emergency
clause as recommended in Section 9, a
majority of the Council members voted
to scrap the entire section.
In so doing, these Councilmen re-
fused to take a stand on civil rights oMe
way or the other, even though the Mayor,
the clergy, and the Human Rights Com-
mission which they themselves approved,
recommended that they do so.
Perhaps the Council could not
find it within itself to retain the
emergency clause which would have
put the controversial law into immedi-
ate effect. But as a bare minimum
could they not have at least voted to
attach a strong endorsement to the law
when it goes to the polls? Instead, the
majority ruled to duck out--not to
commit itself on a moral issue.
We do feel, however, that it is only
right to compliment Mayor Clinton and
members of the City Council, Charles
M. Carroll, Wing Luke, and Mrs. Har-
lan Edwards for voting in favor of the
Emergency Clause and thus taking a
definite stand.
As for the other six members of
the Council, we must admit that even
their willingness to recommend the or-
dinance to a vote of the people i s a step
forward. They could have shelved the
whole thing and left us right back where
we started. It is upon these positive ef-
forts that we must build a better city.
For whatever good will that has been
shown we are thankful and sincerely hope
that from these small but real beginnings
a new social conscience will emerge. But
so much for the City Council.
The fact is that the Housing Ordi-
nance minus Section 9 and sporting a few
other modifications will appear on the
March ballot of 1964. It is, therefore, up
to the citizens themselves to take a stand
on Civil Rights.
IVe are convinced that the great-
est problem with the passage of this
Ordinance is a lack of knowledge as
to what the law specifically proposes.
Therefore, The Progress will print the
revised law in its entirety as soon as
it is available. IVe will then invite our
readers to send in questions about the
Ordinance to be answered by members
of the Human Rights Commission.
Citizens--don't be afraid to ask ques-
• tions. Now is the time. And civic
leaders, businessmen, doctors, lawyers
-- don't play coy or illusive. You exert
moral force in this community. The
people look to you for guidance You
have an obligation to declare your-
selves and to help form public opinion
on this basic moral issue.
The proposed Open Housing Or-
dinance which will appear on the March
10 ballot is the beginning of a long educa-
tive process. It is extremely mild in con-
tent and does not pretend to solve all the
problems of racial discrimination.
A majority vote of the City Council
may be able to strike Section 9 from a
piece of paper, but this action does not
strike discrimination from the face of this
City--the evil remains.
With sincerity, courage and God's
grace, we are confident Good will con-
quer and Seattle will be a better place in
which to live.
@
907 Terry Avenue, Seattle 98104 Telephone MAin 2-8880
Second-Class Mail Privileges Authorized at Seattle, Wash:
Published every Friday by the Northwest Progress Co.
President, Most Reverend Thomas A. Connolly, D.D., J.C.D.
REV. JAMES H. GANDRAU--F.Aitor
MARY BRF.AIIAN--Auociat* FAitor
'In the Fruitful Furrows Amid Tears...
Bishops Supplant Curia?
By REV. JOHN B. SHEERIN, C.S.P.
T this time last y e a r
the frequent query
around Rome was: "Who
is Xavier Rynne?"
This year the question is:
"What is collegiality?" It is the
collegiality of bishops that is
being discussed as it was dis-
cussed on the Council floor.
The term refers of course to
the joint responsibility of the
bishops of the world to teach,
rule and sanctify.
St. Peter was appointed the
leader of the
Apostles but it
is also true
that Christ ap-
pointed the
Apostles as a
united group
to evangelize,
to bear wit-
ness, to for-
give sins. As
heirs of the
Apostles, t h e
bishops collec- FR. SHEERIN
tively have authority over the
Church. But no 6ne as yet has
given a definition of this col-
lective power of the bishops
that is adequate and satisfac-
tory to the Council.
Pope Has Primacy
When we speak of the "col-
lege of bishops," we include
the Bishop of Rome in the col-
lege. Any decision by the bish.
ops must be ratified by the
Pope before it can become an
official decision of the Coun-
cil. Even so there are some
conservative theologians who
seem to think that the whole
concept of "the collegiality of
bishops" is an attempt to un-
dermine the power of the
Pope.
Pope Paul himself has no
worries on this score. In his
opening talk at the Council he
said that the discussions on
"collegiality" starts from the
assumption that the Pope has
primacy over the Church.
The Pope expressed the op-
inion that the discussion
would ultimately prove help-
ful to him: "For us person-
ally it will provide doctrinal
and practical standards by
which our apostolic office, en-
dowed though it is by Christ
with the fullness and suffi-
ciency of power, may receive
more help and support in
ways to be determined, from
a more effective and re-
spensible collaboration with
Our beloved and venerable
Brothers in the Episcopate."
How could the Bishops, acting
collectively, give more help
and support to the Pope? A
number of bishops at the Coun-
cil have suggested that the
whole body of bishops should
be permanently represented at
Rome.
On October 1, Archbishop
Hermaniuk of Winnepeg urged
the establishment of an "apos-
tolic college" at Rome. This
would be like a Senate to advise
and collaborate with the Pope
and its members would be
patriarchs, Cardinals at the
head of the dioceses and cer-
tain other Archbishops and
Bishops. Other bishops at the
Council made similar sugges-
tions.
'One World'
The Roman Curia at present
acts as a secretarial body to
help the Pope in the guidance
and government of the
Church but many bishops feel
that it needs an overhauling
and reform. They do not advo-
cate the abolition of the Curia
but they insist that a Senate
of bishops would more effec-
tively serve to minister to the
needs of the universal Church.
There was a time when a
highly centralized administra-
tion was needed at Rome be-
cause of lack of communica-
tions but that day is gone.
More importantly, the Curia
owes its origin to Church law
but the college of bishops was
instituted by divine law. It
was not to the Curia but to
the 12 Apostles that Christ
entrusted His Church. There
is therefore no reason today
why Christ's wishes should
not be given full expression.
In earlier days, political and
geographical boundaries kept
God's World: Need
To Be Color Blind
By REV. LEO J. TRESE
acial prejudice, like any other kind of prejudice,
is an attitude acquired in childhood. In most
instances prejudice is not deliberately taught to a
child. It simply "rubs off" the adults in his little
world and on to the child.
It is evident that if racial
prejudice is to be eliminated,
the task must begin in the
home. Perhaps we adults never
can wholly rid ourselves of our
prejudices; the roots are too
deep. We can try, however, to
make sure that our prejudices
do not show. We can strive to
make certain that we do not
pass our prejudices on to the
next generation.
If we are to avoid the per-
petuation of racial prejudice
we must keep a vigilant watch
over our conversation. Even
parents who pride themselves
on their lack of prejudice can
manifest their bias in many
covert ways. The use of the
derogatory word "nigger," for
example, is itself a prejudice-
promoter. Such phrases as,
"There's a nigger in the wood"
pile," or, "black as a nigcer's
heel," may be used quite in-
nocently. Yet, the words have
a downgrading inference to the
little ears which hear such
phrases.
Overtones Of Preiudice
To young ears, too, such
casual remarks as, "I hear
that a Negro family has moved
in on the next street" (usually
spoken with a note of anxiety)
or, "She's Colored but she's
nice," or, "He's very well-
spoken for a Negro," all have
overtones of prejudice. All in-
fer that there is something es-
sentially inferior about a dark
skin.
By united and determined
effort we adults can do much
towards eliminating ingrain-
ed prejudice from the rising
generation. There still re-
mains, however, another as-
pect of the situation. This is
the fact that the Negro him-
self, in the mass, does pre-
sent a picture of inferiority.
He is poor, he is uneducated,
he is uncultured.
For this reason the Negro
frequently is told, in his drive
for equality, "You must first
educate and elevate yourself
so as to be deserving of re-
cognition." The Negro is re-
minded that other groups have
done so. Many of our im-
migrant groups, for example,
were looked down upon when
they first came to America.
Today their descendants move
in the best social and politi-
cal circles.
This has a reasonable sound
bishops from close contacts
with other bishops and with the until we remember that the
Pope. Today in this "one Irish, Poles, Hungarians and
world" all the bishops and the other immigrant groups did not
have black skins to mark them
permanently as "different." It
was comparatively easy for
white Europeans to escape, in
a generation or two, from
their unfavored status. They
did not have a color barrier
to cross.
It is hypocritical to tell
the Negro that he has only
to better himself in order to
find acceptance. This simply
is not true. There already
are many well-educated and
cultured Negroea w h o still
find themselves the victims
of discrimination.
Moreover, if the Negro is to
better himself, the question
remains: where is he to be-
gin? Because of his poverty
and lack of parental interest,
the Negro child cannot get an
adequate education. Because
of his lack of education he
cannot get a well-paying job,
perhaps not any job. He be-
comes the impoverished parent
of another generation of slum
children who in turn are un-
educated and unemployed-
and the vicious circle goes on
and on. How can the circle
be broken?
No Door Closed
First of all we can make it
a reality for the Negro, as for
everyone else, that America'
is the land of opportunity, with
no door closed to anyone who
has the necessary qualifica-
tions (of which a white skin
will not be one). If a colored
child can see the vision of an
unlimited future (which he now
cannot) he will have more
Pope can form a compact and
very effective unity in teach-
ing and governing the Church.
While the Council Fathers
are actually planning to put
their joint apostolic responsibil-
ity into some concrete form
such as Archbishop Hermani-
uk's "apostolic college," there
is no great needs to worry
about coining a comprehensive
definition of the "collegiality of
bishops."
We can easily define the
power of the Senate of the
United States but in dealing
with the powers and functions
of the Church we have to re-
member that we are not deal-
ing with a political organiza-
tion. We are dealing with a
mystery a n d definitions of
mysteries must always be in-
complete and fragmentary.
The heart of the mystery is
that the true head of the
Church is neither the Pope nor
the bishops but Jesus Christ
who is the invisible but real
Lord of the Church who still
preaches the Gospel of salva-
tion through His Apostles.
FATHER TRESE
motivation for remaining in
school.
Secondly, we can provide
the Negro child with the
same first class educational
fucilities which white chil-
dren enjoy--which only will
be when Negroes and Whites
share the same schools and
the same teachers. Also, be.
cause of his greater pres-
ent need, we can provide
the Negro child with inten-
sive guidance and even with
financial help in order to
keep him in school.
Jobs and education. These
will break the vicious circle.
That is, provided we Whites
can achieve the color-blindness
which should characterize a
Christian.
Terry Searches
For God
erry lives In China-
town tn San Fran-
cisco and is fluent tn
English and Chinese. He
is five years old. One
day his mother was talking
to him about God and she told
him that God had created the
world, that God loved him and
that God was everywhere.
She was quietly congratulat-
ing herself as an efficient
teacher, when Terry said, "Is
God then, in the closet and in
the drawers?" and his mother
said that indeed He is. Terry
replied, "But if there is only
one God, how can He be in
so many places?" His mother
said that is possible because
God is spirit, which subject
she decided would be taken up
at a future time.
Actually T e r r y ' s mother
was only echoing the teach-
ing of St. Paul in his ser-
mon on the unknown God
when he reminded the Athen-
ian.s that God is not far
from any of us, "For in him
we live, and move and have
our being, as indeed some of
your own poets have said."
But Terry has not read the
Greek poets nor any poets for
that matter, and his child's
mind is probably still wrestling
with the problem of the im-
manence of God.
For most people today,
who like to discover God in
the starry heavens, or in
the autumn woods, or on a
gentle sea, the immensity of
God offers no particular pro-
blem. T h e y somehow dis-
cover His presence in the
quiet and beautiful places of
the world, and it comforts
them.
God is everywhere we say
and we are right. This is term-
ed by theologians, God's im-
manence in nature. It is best
described by St. Paul as
nature's immanence in God.
Any way we explain it, it is
a part of the wonder and
mystery of God and both
beautiful a n d comforting. --
Walter J. Sullivan, C.S.P.
Curious Me :lit; Ltion
By REV. G. JOSEPH GUSTAFSON, S.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy, St. Thomas Seminary, Kenmore
AT follows may be a curious
topic for a meditation. But we
ourselves do not yet know what will
follow. We're starting with definite
facts and as yet an indefinite reflection.
First point: It is a fact (when we were sem-
inarians) that at morning and evening prayers
the rector announced special intentions. He fol-
lowed this up with a general intention which
we, at least mentally, said with him "for all our
relatives and friends, benefactors and enemies."
" Second point: It is a fact that for (possibly)
the last 20 years the word "enemies" has been
dropped from this lovely old rubric. It had in-
deed a solid scriptural foundation that one must
love one's enemies and that one must forgive
seventy times seven . . .
But now we're all adrift and on our own. It
seems that no one has enemies anymore. How
nicer All is sweetness and light. We live in Leib-
niz's "best of all possible worlds."
Where does that leave Christ's statement
about "He who is not with Me is against Me"?
Perhaps it is no longer found in the better
readings of ancient manuscripts.
Anyway, Khrushchev loves us. Castro is only
groping his way earnestly to a full understand-
ing. Tito is our current hero. And God bless
Mama and Papa and Mao-tse Tung!
St. Francis de Sales' method of mental
prayer, adapted this way or that, has produced
numerable, if unknown, saintly people in various
walks of life. He also proposed in it a "spiritual
nosegay." Only the expression is quaint, not the
reality.
In all due reverence to the most lovable and
influential Saint of modern spirituality, may we
propose this: "The good Lord deliver us from
our friends, we can take care of our enemies."
Calendar
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3,
TWENTY - SECOND SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST, MASS:
Si iniquitates--If thou shait ob-
serve (Green). Gl., Cr., Pref.
of Trin. Mass for Parish.
M O N D A Y, NOVEMBER 4,
ST. CHARLES, BISHOP, CON-
FESSOR, MASS: Statuit, The
Lord declared (White). GI., 2nd
Pr; (under 1 cencl.) for Holy
Father, 3rd of SS. vitalis and
Agricola.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER S,
FERIAL TUESDAY, MASS as
on Sun. (Green). No. GI., no
Cr., Com. Pref.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7,
FERIAL THURSDAY, MASS
as on Sun. (Green). No GI., no
Cr., Com. Pref.
F R I D A Y, NOVEMBER 8,
COMMEMORATION OF FOUR
HOLY CROWNED MARTYRS,
MASS as on Sun. (Green). No
GI., 2nd Pr. of Holy Martyrs,
no Cr., Com. Pref. Or MASS:
Intret--Let the sighing (Red.).
GI. Abstinence.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9,
DEDICATION OF ARCH-
BASILICA OF OUR SAVIOR,
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, , MASS: Terribilis -- Terrible is
FERIAL WEDNESDAY, MASS this place (White). GI., 2nd Pr.
as on Sun. (Green). No. GI., of St. Theodore. Cr., Com.
no Cr., COm. Pref. PreL "
