Evening star., 1939-05-14
Farley Opens Drive
To Kill Bills Aimed
Al Aliens in i. ).
Spokesman Of c. !. O.,
Bar and Universities
Back Campaign

Supported by Spokesmen for suck
varied groups as the American Bar
Association, the Congress Of Indus
trial Organizations and university
educators, the National Emergency
Conference to Combat Repressive
Legislation yesterday opened cam
paign here to insure the defeat of
10 bills pending in Congress designed
to curtail the civil rights of aliens in
the United States. Its meeting, at
the Raleigh, ends today.
"The legislation proposed against
aliens threatens the noblest tradi-
ton Of our country, in which all
were once aliens" Vincent Sheean,
the author, declared in message
telegraphed to the conference. IAN
outburst of xenophobia such as
shown by proposed bills in the House
and Senate is one of the most dan
gerous symptoms of the Fascist dis
ease"
America is an idea and American
ism is an ideal, Prof Jesse H. Holmes,
philosopher from Swarthmore (Pa)
College, told the conference in dis
missing the notion that the geo.
graphical limits Of the land should
be freed of foreigners. To point his
contention, he remarked that while
CAP Einstein is an alien and al"
Capone native of the United States,
"Al" Einstein is undoubtedly the bet
ter American"
800 Delegates Attend.
The conference, which has attract
ed 800 delegates representing $50 Or
ganizations in 19 States, heard in
person from DR.. Henry Smith Leiper,
executive director of the Federal
Council of Churches; Edward j.
Shaughnessy, deputy commissioner,
United States immigration and Nat
uralization Service; John Brophy,
executive director, c. l. O.; Judge
Patrick H. O'Brien, Wayne County,
Mich, Probate Court. and the Rev.
Thomas Harris, executive secretary,
American League for Peace and De-
mocracy.
At a luncheon conference at the
Raleigh today at IL 80 pm. Vilhjal-
mur Steffansson, the Danish ex-
plorer, will talk On the program
with him are Msgr. John A. Ryan,
National Catholic Welfare Confer
ence: Senator Murray, Democrat, of
Montana and DR.. Harold c. Urey.
Registration Opposed.
Among the bills which the con-
ference has organized to combat
are measures requiring the regis
tration of aliens, providing for the
deportation of aliens on relief,
granting the right to arrest aliens
without warrant, authorizing the
deportation of aliens attempting to
induce the United States to favor
one or more belligerents in foreign
war except through Legitimate exer-
else of free speech" The list is long
Some other proposed powers over
aliens are:
Arrest without warrant and de-
portation in cases involving aliens
in moral turpitude.
Prohibition of aliens to practice
optometry.
Deportation of aliens considered
"inimical to the public interest"
General future exclusion of all
aliens from the United States and
deportation of all -citizens.
Denial of naturalization to aliens
who believe in any other form of
government than the United States
and who belong to organizations
advocating others forms of gov
ernment.
Incarceration in concentration
camps of alien criminals, anarchists
and similar classes whose native
countries refuse to issue passports
to them.
Brophy Sees Wagner Act Link.
The conference heard from Mr.
Brophy that the pretended con-
Germ about the alien is a "mask"
for anti-labor interests. He said:
This attack on the alien worker
is only part of the general Of
fensive that the reactionary in
terests are carrying against the
entire people of our Nation. 1t is
an important part, and it is linked
with the attack on the Wagner
Act, linked with the attack on the
labor movement and everything
progressive"
Grenville Clark. chairman of the
Bill of Rights Committee of the
American Bar Association, tele-
graphed message to the confer
ence condemning the proposed bills