Democratic Party Reiterates Pledge to Bar Prejudice in Campaign

Chairman Stephen A. Mitchell of the Democratic National Committee today reaffirmed a pledge made by his predecessor, Frank E. McKinney, that “the Democratic Party will keep religious and racial prejudice out of the 1952 campaign.”

Mr. Mitchell made his reaffirmation in a letter addressed to Sol Fineberg of the American Jewish Committee, who is acting spokesman for six Protestant, Catholic and Jewish leaders who had asked Mr. McKinney early in July for the support of the Democratic Party in preventing the injection of racial or religious bigotry into the 1952 campaign.

“I am glad to have this opportunity to reaffirm the pledge made to you by Frank E. McKinney, my predecessor as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, that the Democratic Party will keep religious and racial prejudice out of the 1952 campaign,” Mr. Mitchell wrote.

“The Democratic Party never has condoned the use of religious or racial prejudice in a political campaign. If any group or any person should attempt to inject religious or racial prejudice into the campaign, I can assure you as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, that the Democratic Party will be the first to condemn vigorously such actions, no matter who the person or group responsible may be.”

The six leaders who wrote Mr. McKinney are: Rabbi Simon G. Kramer of New York City, president of the Synagogue Council of America; the Most Reverend Edwin V. O’Hara of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City, Mo.; Rt. Rev. Henry K. Sherrill of New York, president of the National Council of Churches of Christ in America; Jacob Blaustein of New York, president of the American Jewish Committee; Dr. Arthur S. Fleming of Delaware, Ohio, president of Ohio Wesleyan University and vice-president of the National Council of Churches of Christ in America; and Dr. George N. Shuster of New York, president of Hunter College.