Evening star., 1923-02-24
ALIEN BILL PASSES
HOUSE BY 800 TO /
Directs Return of Former
Enemy Property Up to $10,-
600 of Each Estate.
3 AMENDMENTS LOST
Measure Sent to Senate Would Pay
All Income Accruing After
Law Is Effective.
AMENDMENTS LOST

By vote of 900 to Il, the House
last night passed the administration
bill, directing the return of up 10
$4,000 of each estate of former
enemy aliens now held by the alien
property custodian. This measure
now goes to the Senate.
This vote came after rejection of
amendments proposing restoration of
all of the property; return of all OF
the property of Austrian and Hun
garian nationals, and the declaration
of policy by Congress that all Of thu
property would be restored ulti-
mately.
Return OF all Austrian and Hun
garian property, proposed in an
amendment by Representative HaWeS.
democrat, of Missouri. was voted
down, &c to So. Opposing the amend
ment by Representative Hoch. repub
lican. Kansas, which would hay"
written a declaration of policy int
the measure. Representative Fess
Ohio, and Graham, Illinois, repub-
licauS. declared there was no inten
tion to confiscate the property OF for-
mere enemy aliens and that IL was
unnecessary for the United States 70
make any declaration on the subject
"Certifcate" of Policy.
Representative Fess said the Hoch
amendment would mean that the
United States would be giving Ger
tificate" of it's policy. which would DC
unprecedented.
and Garrett, Tennessee, the demo
cratic leader, led the fight for return
at this time of all the property. II
was argued that the passage OF the
bill in the form proposed would Dc
- 1anf
can government had forsaken It's ira
ditions Of international morality and
was prepared to "confiscate" the prop
erty for the payment OF claims OF It's
citizens against Germany. II the Ger
man government failed TO pay them
Renewing before the final vote ms
effort to provide for the restoration
Of all Of the property held by the Gus
todian, Representative Rayourn' oen
ocrat, Texas, moved TO recommit the
bill with instructions to the inter
state commerce committee to add al
amendment that would have that ef-
feet, but his motion was voted down.
1S1 to 124.
Income to BE Paid.
Aside from the return of all trusts
of $4,000 or less and d like amount
of trusts whose value exceeds this
amount, the bill would PROVIDE tha
all income accruing from the various
trusts after the measure became q
fective should be repaid to the origi-
nal owners of the property.
Col. Thomas W. Miller, alien prop
ertv custodian, estimates that this
measure. if enacted into law, would
divorce his once from custody over
approximately SO per cent of the in
dividuals whose property has been
seized. There would be returned, how
ever, only about S45.000,000 out OF
the S347, ,000.O0 estimated value OF
the property held. This total does not
take into account the value of the
German ships seized after America
declaration of war and now held by
the government.
Patents to be returned under the
bill would include only such as were
not in litigation and not held by the
would exclude the thousands of pat
ents sold to the Chemical Foundation
for the recovery of which the gov
ernment has instituted court action.