J une 7, 1940

p urely Commentary

Are Our Civil Liberties at Stake?

The Commentator's eye caught the following in
the Congressional Record of May 28:

Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Kaplan
The Senate proceeded to consider the bill
(11; R. 6964) for the relief of Mr. and Mrs.
Nathan Kaplan.
Mr. Reynolds: Mr. President, what is the
number of this bill?
The Presiding Officer : House Bill 6964,
Calendar No. 1532.
Mr. King: It is not an immigration bill.
Mr. Reynolds: I do not wish to object to
its consideration.
The bill was ordered to a third reading,
read the third time, and passed.

5

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Only one exception is allowed. If an in-
dustry cannot find enough citizens it can em-
plo y mor e than the normal quota of aliens.
Otherwise, so far as Senator Reynolds and
those who voted with him are concerned, the
alie n can starve, return to Russia or Ger-
many, or go on relief.
Th e neynolds amendment is drawn with a
fine disregard of the Americanism it pre-
tends to defend. It is probably unconstitu-
tional. Even while it was being debated the
Supreme Court was refusing to review a
New York decision nullifying a similar law
affectin g taxi drivers in this State.
But, unconstitutionl or not, the measure
carries in every syllable the mark of bigotry
and injustice. It turns its back on the noblest
aspirations of the greatest Americans from
the time of George Washington down. It
comes as fuel to the flames of irrational
prejudice at the very time when we need
to be calm, to be tolerant and to seek and
hold the friendship of all men everywhere,
on our shores and in foreign lands, who love
liberty, who hate injustice and tyranny, and
wh o believe in progress unde r law.
It will be a black mark on the reputation
of Congress if this provision, or anything
like it, is allowed to become law.

Children of Religious School to Participate
In Shevuos Service at the Shaarey Zedek

In accordance with the annual
custom, students of the Religious
School who are also members of
the Junior Congregation will dis-
cuss the Ten Commandments dur-
ing the Shevuos Services in the
Main Synagogue of the Shaarey
Zedek on June 13. Each student
will analyze and interpret the
Commandment assigned. The fol.
lowing will participate: Marcia
Tobin, Morton Zieve, Morris

This item is more revealing than it appears on
surface. The fact that the slightest suspicion
the
shown in Senate deliberations by Senator Rey-
nolds is at once attributed to his hatred for the
alien is an indication of the extent of the witch
hunt against non-citizens.
The tragedy is that Senator Reynolds is not
alone in his hatred; that he represents a large
faction in Congress which most of the time forms
a majority opinion in its dislike of the alien.
The pity of it is that the fight conducted for
more than two score years against unfair legisla-
On June 3, the New York Times deemed it
tion affecting immigration should have proven
important to follow this matter up with another
futile as a result of an unfortunate world situa- editorial, "The Wrong Method," in which it stated:
ation. With a single stroke of the pen, President
If the La Follette Civil Liberties Bill, as
Roosevelt placed our Immigration Service under
it passed the Senate with Senator Reynolds's
the control of the Department of Justice, thus
amendments tacked to it, becomes law, an
putting aliens under suspicion and subjecting them'
American employer engaged in interstate com-
to registratio... and possibly finger printing. Thus,
merce will find himself with a new penalty
a long fight for the right of newcomers to this
hanging over his head.
country to enjoy elementary privileges of human
Under penalty of five years' imprisonment,
equality has been lost.
$10,000 fine or both, he must not "willfully"
When the Immigration Service was first turned
have on his payroll "any Communist or mem-
over to the Department of Justice, the New York
ber of any Nazi Bund organization."
Times published, on May 25, the following edi-
We need waste no tears on either Commu-
torial under the 'heading "Alien Registration":
nists or Nazis. In so far as they are caught
No alien who accepts the American form
planning or doing u nlawful acts they ought
of government and respects American laws
to be put where they will be harmless. But
has anything 'to fear from the new set-up
if an employer is called to examine his em-
which puts the Immigration Service under
ployes as to their views about politics, he
the Department of Justice, and which will
may with the same warrant and about as
probably provide for the registration of the
much consistency be called, at his peril, to
3,500,000 unnaturalized foreigners in this
certify their stand on all other articles of
country. So much is clear from the announce-
faith.
Let us by all means immobilize the Fifth.
ments made in Washington. Immigration will
Column, but let us not tear uo the Constitu-
not be turned over to the Federal Bureau of
tion, make lying a virtue and force dissenting
Investigation, which might have implied that
groups into outlawry in order to do it.
every alien was a suspected criminal. It will
be an independent unit, directed (tempo-
Here is convincing proof that we are already
rarily at least, and, one hopes, permanently)
suffering from the effect of the world
by Solicitor General Francis Biddle. Of Mr.
crisis, t hat we are being frightened into a state
Biddle it may be said that he is a fine and
of panic, that our legislators are not reasoning
generous liberal, who has never forgotten the
and that under the guise of being on guard
lessons he learned as law clerk for Justice
against the "fifth columns" we may permit the
Holmes. The rights and liberties of the hum-
destroying of sacred rights on this continent.
blest stranger will be sacred to him.
The step taken by the United States Senate in
We have also 'Attorney General Jackson's
approving the Reynolds amendment is a bad one.
repetition of the President's assurance that
Today it is the alien who is deprived of the
the Government will show "proper respect for
•right to work ; tomorrow it may be the average
the civil rights of non-citizens." Furthermore,
American citizen.
Mr. Jackson explicitly warns citizens not to
Our representatives in Congress should he
join organizations — supposedly directed
asked to vote against the Reynolds amendment in
against dangerous aliens—unless they know
S. 1970. It is a vicious proposal and should not
the sourCe of their promotional funds, the
be given the endorsement of a great democracy.
The witch hunts have taken on new appearances
facts about their backers and the use made
of dues and contributions. "Lastly," he urges,
in this country. Some time ago the late Con-
gressman J. Will Taylor of Tennessee deiivemd
"the greatest help to the Government that
an address discussing the alien problem and
citizens can render is to keep cool and not
urging deportation of members of subversive
become frightened."
forces in this country. Last week this speech was
The mechanics of registration remain to be
wor' ed out. We may learn something from
reprinted in t 1 'e Congressional Record at the
request of Congressman Robert F. Rich of Penn-
Great Britain. In that country aliens remain-
sylvania. There is a departure from established
ing longer than three months must register.
tradition in this speech. American law and tradi-
If they change their addresses they must re-
tion recognizes only countries of origin, not racial
port that fact. Registration takes place at
lines. But the late Congressman Taylor listed
the central police stations. It is handled
newcomers to this country according to their
by a specially trained force, many of whose
"racial composition," thus emulating Nazi tactics.
member! speak the requisite foreign lan-
Jews have been, and according to law still are,
guages. The alien may I. Ave to wait his turn,
listed as Germans or Italians or Russians or
but he is treated with uniform courtesy. He
English, recording to tl ? land from which they
gets an identity book, and the facts about
have emigrated, since quotas are allowed not to
him go into a file. If he moves, he again
racial or religious groups but to various countries
visits the police station. If he acts suspi-
throughout the work' But the Taylor speech re-
ciously, breaks a law or otherwise becomes
ferred to the entrance of 43,450 Hebrews, 6,708
a nuisance, the facts are added to his file.
Italians, 5,524 Germans—and so on down the
The Government at All times has track of him.
line. He had foil wed up his set of figures under
By the same token, his card is his protection
the new classification by asking the following
as long as he behaves himself.
questions which indicated at once an attempt to
The local police forces in American com-
prejudice listeners and readers: "Are these figures
munities are not trained for this kind of
self-explanatory? Do they reveal a situation to
function. The Immigration Service does con-
our satisfaction?" Instead of dealing with a prob-
Jain men whose training fits them for this
lem on its merits, an attempt was 1,1ade to inject
work. There is no reason why it cannot be
prejudice, and the poison is spreading.
carried out—kindly, efficiently and firmly.
Therein lies the major danger that comes with
But only a few days thereafter, something
a world calamity which also affects us seriously.
happened in the United States to prove that the
We are moved by fears rather than calm reason-
danger is greater than it appeared on the surface.
ing. We forget civil liberties and emulate the
An amendment tacked on to the LaFollette Civil
Liberties Bill by Senator Reynolds would, if ap- totalitarianism of our enemies. This is something
proved jointly by both Houses of Congress, de- to he concerned with. It is, in a sense, a more
threatening danger than even war itself.
prive many aliens of the right to earn a liveli-
•
hood. Thus, four days later, on May 29, the New
Information for the Dopesters
York Times found it necessary to publish another
The "political &pesters" are wrong again. Our
e ditorial on "Aliens Have Civil Rights," as fol-
Jewish columnists had better get together and
lows:
agree on prognostications relative to successors
The Senate wrote into the La Follette
to the presidency of the Zionist Organization of
Civil Libertie s Bill on Monday, at the instance
America. They are wrong in at least one instance
of Senator Reynolds of North Carolina, a
—in naming Dr. James G. Heller of Cincinnati
provisio n which is a deadly blow at the civil
among the "candidates" at the forthcoming Pitts-
libertie s of several million l a w-abiding resi-
burgh convention.
dents of the United States.
Biron and
Here is some done for Phineas
Th e Reynolds amendment forbids the em- -
Paul
A.
Peters:
Rabbi
Heller
will
NOT
be a can-
aliens
Ployment of more than 10 per cent of
didate for the Z. 0. A. presidency. And we'll let
in an y industry engaged in interstate com-
them in on a secret: Popular James Heller is
merce. The fact that the alien is legally here
slated to be the next president of the Central
will not save him. The fact that he may be
Conference of American Rabbis,—an honor not
a refugee from Russian or German tyranny
to be sneezed at. Our guess is that within a few
w ill not excuse him. The fact that he has
weeks Dr. James G. Heller's name will appear on
applied for his citizenship papers is imma-
the official stationery of the Central Conference
terial. The fact that he fervently accepts the
of American Rabbis as the prexy of the Reform
If
loftiest American traditions, including the
Rabbinate—and the Reform Rabbinate will have
Bill of Rights, will have n othing to do with
good reason to be pleased with this grand choice.
his ease.

Brown, Miriam Levin, Eileen
Abramovitz, Ada Koblin, Sidney
Zilber, Sarah Simons, Fayette
Singer, Joyce Pensler.
Yizkor services will be held
Thursday, June 13, at 10:45 a. m.

Congratulations to director Max
Reinhardt, on the orrival of a
grandson, the child of his son
Wolfgang.

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