Evening star., 1940-12-29
Frank Stresses Riuhf
OF Liberals 10 Attack
Aid 10 Dictafors
5. {. c. Choirmon Urges
Law Students Not to
Become Debating Club

Liberals should be free to criti-
cize vigorously those who openly
or indirectly seek to aid dictator
ship" Jerome N. Frank, chairman
of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, declared last night In
a telegram regretting his inability
to address the National Conference
of Law Students at its dinner meet
ing at Howard University.
Mr.. Frank earlier had accepted an
invitation to speak before the gath
ering. His telegram was read by
Benjamin c. O'Sullivan of New
York University Law School, who
presided at last nights meeting.
In his telegram Mr.. Frank de-
clared that the National Confer
enee of Law Students could be a
valuable organization provided it
addresses itself to questions of a
professional nature and does not de-
teriorate into a political debating
club.
Speaker Disagrees.
You should be vigilant to protect
civil liberties, but ! suggest that,
having in mind the urgent needs OF
national defense, you urge that the
privilege of free speech on the part
of all people includes the important
privilege of liberals to criticize Wig
orously those who openly or indi-
rectly seek to aid dictatorship
whether they be Fascists. Nazis or
Communists and their fellow-trav-
elers."
Voicing his respectful dissent to
Mr.. Franks counsel that the confer
ence confne itself to discussion of
purely professional questions, Felix
S. Cohen. assistant solicitor of the
Interior Department, the first speak
er OF the evening, declared that
lawyers have the right and duty
to speak on the social issues that
confront the country today. Legal
problems, he said, could not be sep
arated from social, economic, moral
and other problems.
Thurgood Marshall, general coun-
sci for the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People,
was the second speaker.
Draft Sentences Protested.
Eight divinity students who were
sentenced in New York to serve a
year and a day for refusal to regis
ter for selective service should not
have been punished in this way, but
their written statements of refusal
to register should nave been consid-
cred by the court as registrations,
Prof. Milton r. Konvitz, New York
University Law School. told the Ma
tional Conference OF Law Students
yesterday afternoon.
Dr.. Konvitz was one of four speak
ers to address the conference at a
session on constitutional liberties
and national defense.
The session came after a morning
session at which Lee Pressman,
general counsel for the C. I. O.,
cautioned that legislation proposed
to prevent sabotage of the defense
industrial program failed to pro-
vide adequate provisions to prevent
use of national defense as an excuse
to deprive labor of its rights.
Hershey Answers Questions.
Among speakers scheduled for
yesterday afternoon was Brig. Gen.
Lewis B. Hershey, assistant director
of the Selective Service Commits
sion. Due to the late hour at
which he was called to take the floor,
Gen Hershey devoted himself to
answering questions on selective
service regulations and the race
problem in the armed forces.
Osmond K. Fraenkel, director of
the American Civil Liberties Union,
told the conference that in times
of stress there is usually suppress
sion of civil liberties by majority.
Legislation restricting civil liber-
ties should be made to justify itself
before it is accepted, he said.
Dean William H. HASTE of Howard
University Law School was the first
speaker and outlined the course dis
cussion would take.
About 80 students, from IA law
schools, are attending the confer
ence. Under the Craftsmanship of
James T. Ramey of the Columbia
Law School, today's discussions will
be devoted to The Law Student at
School,"