Evening star., 1938-03-25
PRESIDENT TO GIVE
ALL REFUGEES AID.
Says Offer of U. S. Asylum
Includes the Oppressed
Minorities Anywhere.
b. the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
WARM SPRINGS, Ga, March Is
President Roosevelt said today the
American proposal to give asylum to
political refugees in Germany and
Austria also applied to oppressed
minorites in Russia, Spain and Italy
and any other country abroad.
He added that it was designed to
help all groups seeking to get out
OF troubled lands-Jews, Catholics and
Protestants: that no legislation was
required to accomplish the purpose,
and that it was in line with domestic
policy that goes back to 1889. when
the United States held itself out as
an asylum for political refugees.
The President talked of foreign and
domestic questions to reporters as he
sat in an open car in front of a press
cottage.
Confers With Bullitt.
With him were William C. Bullitt,
American Ambassador to France. and
Basil O'Connor, his former law part
ner. He said he had talked with Mr..
Bullitt about how to rid the Govern
ment's career services of men who
remain in them although incompetent.
The President nodded in agreement
when reporter asked whether the
refugee proposal applied to Italy. Rus
sia and Spain or any other country.
He said similar situation arose
In ls4S when there were uprisings in
ENlrOnc cCoinet
AS to Mr.. Hulls proposal inviting
nine European and all the American
nations to set up committee to study
the present-day problem, he said it
was designed to get private money to
help oppressed peoples move to other
lands.
He said requests for asylum have
come not only from Jews, but from
Protestants and Catholics, and that no
more than the present immigration
laws of the respective assisting coun-
tries allow would be permitted to
enter.
AS for Austrian and German minor
tiles. he said the American law pro-
vides that when two countries merge
their quotas are merged into one. AS
far as America is concerned, this
would permit about $4,000 to come
from the enlarged Germanic nation.
Discusses Domestic Affairs.
On domestic affairs, the President
said the creation of a Federal COM
mittee to study methods of govern
mental financial assistance to business
grew out of complaints following the
little business" conference that bank
credit was unavailable to the small
business men.
He said the report from his special
committee to aid distressed railroads
had not reached him. but that it was
expected soon, and it would be made
public early next week in Washington.
He added he had not received a re-
port as yet on bank holding company
regulation legislation. but was expect
ing report on phoSphates, perhaps
IN time to send message to Congress
on it before leaving Warm Springs.
Asked what he thought of the
Southern reaction to his Gainesville
speech urging higher wages in South
ern industries, the President said the
only Southerner he mad talked to since
arriving was Erwin McDufie, his
Negro valet, and he was for it.
ElabOrates on Personnel Issue,
Celebrating on his talk with Mr..
Bullitt, he said it was difficult to get
rid of the deadwood among govern
mental personnel because, unlike ori-
vste business, the Government could
not hire and fire and that only two
branches, the Army and Navy, were
run on the basis of personnel ef-
fciency.
IN those services, he explained, a
man could not be promoted unless he
was efficient and only a certain num-
ber could go to the TOP. whereas in
other services, the incompetent STAYED
on as well as the Efficient The oues-
ton Of how to weed out the inefficient
was being studied, he said.
He said he had given no thought to
fllling the vacancy on the Tennessee
Valley Authority Board created bv his
removal of Chairman Arthur E. Nor
gan. He said he would be unable tn
accept an invitation to attend the
ground breaking April 2 for the new
Tennessee River Bridge at Sheffield
Ala. Mrs, Roosevelt will ioin the
President here Sunday, flying from
Seattle via Atlanta.
.