Cherington Rebuts Mullins On Anti-Irish Bias Charges

This morning's Boston Herald carries a letter from Charles R. Cherington '37, associate professor of Government, denying charges of anti-Irish bias made against him by Herald columnist W. E. Mullins.

Cherington is an advisor to the Massachusetts Commission on Constitutional Revision. Both he and the director of the Commission, Thomas II. Eliot '28, were further described in the Mullins column as "New Dealers' and members of Americans for Democratic Action.

The Commission is expected to meet soon to decide what action, if any, to take on Mullins' allegations.

Cherington's letter said in part:

"The references made to the Irish immigrants in my speech ... described the acute and unfortunate tensions between the older residents and the immigrants of 80 or 100 years ago. Intolerant people called the immigrants dirty, ignorant and miserable," and the fact that the newcomers were devout Catholics, called 'Papists' by the militant Protestant Yankees, simply fed the fires of racial cleavage.

"W. E. Mullins has done a grave disservice by wrenching two separate sentences from my article, quoting them out of context, and thus creating a wholly false impression. His column served to fan the flames of hatred and distrust. This I deplore, for I am utterly opposed to racial and religious prejudice."

Jay E. Jansen '50, president of the Young Republican Club, issued a statement last night supporting Cherington, who is the group's faculty advisor. Jansen said:

"(Mullins) has not yet learned that there are many thinking liberals who hold Republican views and support Republican Candidates. As is the case with Cherington, there are Republicans who have no objections to belonging to ADA."