Evening star., 1939-04-20

are ardina M
4Mundelein Of NS@S14
Chicago, Canon NM
Anson Phelps
Stokes of The David Lawrence.
Protestant Episcopal Church, Gov.
Lehman of New York, President
Hutchins of the University of Chi
cago, President Ray Lyman Wilbur
OF Leland Stanford University, Her.
bert Hoover, former Gov. Landon,
Frank Knox of Chicago, DR.. Harry
Emerson Fosdick, Mary E. Wooley
land George Rublee, who repre-
sented the United States in the ne
gotiations with Germany recently
with reference to refugees.
The plan is, of course, wholly
humanitarian measure, but it has
stirred up some scattering opposi-
ton on the part of those who feel
that the children, when grown,
would be competitors of American
born children. The legislation is
backed by Senator Wagner of New
York, Democrat, and Representative
Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachu-
sets, Republican, and will be con-
sldered in a non-partisan way.
Not All Reported Jewish.
In Washington, the Pathfinder, a
weekly publication of large circula-
tion throughout the country, which
has been conducting a campaign in
behalf of the bill, says:
According to the best estimates
available, there are about $4,000
German children in distress. Such
authoritative sources as the Amer
jean Friends Service Committee say
that Americas proposed total of
10000 admissions could be chosen
from $4,000 of the $4,000 in distress.
Approximately only half of these
10000 are Jews, the rest being in
Nazi disfavor because they may
have one or more Jewish grandpar-
ents or because their parents are
politically >outlawed. This means
that all faiths are represented and
that all groups in the United States
have reason to take active interest
in the Wagner-Rogers proposal.
} "Of the hundreds of thousands of
Europeans who are refugees or po-
tential refugees, the children arouse
the greatest sympathy. With life
still stretching before them, they find
themselves shorn of opportunity,
shorn of education and in some cases
shorn even of the right to play, the
right to enjoy sun and grass"
The plan provides for Great Brit
ain and the Netherlands and other
countries to admit as many of the
children of refugees as possible and
in the case of the United States ade-
quate guarantees are to be given
that the care and support of the
children will be provided by in
dividual Americans before admission
is granted.
Homes Assured.
Already assurances that homes will
be forthcoming in America in con-
genial surroundings have been given
SO that this part Of the plan is not
in any way difficult. The children
rare to be below the age of IA and,
tragically indeed, it will be necessary
for the children to be separated from
their parents. But the latter are in
most instances Willing-and no chill
dren will come without the parents
conSent-to have the youngsters
taken away from Germany and given
q chance to live in freedom.
What will happen to the parents,
OF course, is a problem that cannot
be determined, but each year for the
next 5 or 10 years, no doubt, some
OF these parents will wait their
chances on the regular quota of
admission, and they will have the
knowledge that their children at
least are growing up in free America
The relatively insignificant total
to be admitted-1O,0OO a year-will
hardly affect the economic status of
the 130, 100000 persons in the United
States and the argument of future
economic competition is not given
much weight by most members Of
Congress.
Germans Helped Build U. S.
- America has received from Ger
many some of the finest types of
citizens. Back in 1848, when Ger
mans fled here to escape political
persecution, there came the fathers
and mothers of some of the best
families In the United States today.
judged from any standpoint of
measurement. Indeed, history shows
that the German population which
emigrated to the United States in
the last 80 years enriched the
American Nation.
Traditionally the United States
has opened its arms to refugees
escaping persecution for political or
religious reasons ever since the days
when the Pilgrim Fathers arrived
from England and the Hugenots
from France to avoid the intoler-
ance Of the Old World. The gesture
of the United States in admitting
10000 children in each of two years
Is small part of the general solu-
ton of the refugee problem which
confronts the world, but it would
be worth doing If only to continue
minterruptedly the tradition of the
Republic to afford political asylum
to those whose lives are threatened