NH needs to stop discriminating against Catholics by passing constitutional amendment for school funding

To The Daily Sun,

Especially at this Christmas season, isn’t it time that New Hampshire ended blatant “legalized” discrimination against Catholics in our state?

After the great Irish potato famine in the mid-1800s, America experienced a large wave of Irish immigrants, many of whom were Catholics. Some politicians wanted to prevent any public support of Catholic institutions and thus attempted, unsuccessfully, to amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit any public money being sent to Catholic institutions, even though they were not specifically named. But everyone knew which religious group was being targeted for discrimination.

Although not all Catholics are Irish, most Irish are Catholics. And I am old enough to remember my father telling me that John Kennedy could never be elected president of the U.S. because he was Catholic. He was also astute enough to opine that Nelson Rockefeller could never achieve higher elective office since he had been divorced. I also remember seeing in antique shops old help wanted signs reading “Help Wanted — No Irish Need Apply” that appeared to be in common use many years ago.

Well, times have certainly changed, or have they?

After the federal effort failed in 1875, many states adopted so-called “Blaine amendments” to accomplish the same insidious purpose, named after the Congressman who had proposed the failed federal constitutional amendment.

Two years later, in 1877, N.H. voters added the following language to Article 83 of Part Second of our state Constitution: “Provided, nevertheless, that no money raised by taxation shall ever be granted or applied for the use of the schools of institutions of any religious sect or denomination.”

This is, unfortunately, New Hampshire’s version of the Blaine amendment, and is used by many, whether or not openly anti-Catholic, to continue the insidious discrimination against Catholics and their institutions, which often do a better job of educating our children in many cases than do our public schools for which the taxpayers pay so much.

I call upon all New Hampshire voters, as well as the New Hampshire chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, to work together to eliminate this ugly blot on our state and many of its citizens by amending our state Constitution to eliminate this discriminatory language at the earliest possible time.

State Rep. Norman Silber

Gilford