Evening star., 1942-07-06
C|erics Ask Congress
To Create Postwar
Planning Board
Twelve From D. 6. Amonq
565 Who Sign Appeal
For Commission

An appeal to Congress to create
a commission on postwar recon-
struction was made public today by
565 OF the Nations leading Prot
estant, Catholic and Jewish clergy
men, including II from the Dis
trict.
Their joint statement contended
that when the war ends, wide
spread unemployment must not be
allowed to return to curse our land,
and to disillusion our citizens and
our returning soldiers A test of
democracy is the provision Of en-
ployment for all citizens able to
work.
Even in the present time of pri-
mary preoccupation of the Nation
in military effort, immediate plan
ming for winning the peace is fun
damental necessity to the welfare of
our Nation. to the preservation of
the four freedoms at home, as we'll
as their assurance on worldwide
scale" the statement declared.
Voorhis Proposal Endorsed.
All of the signers gave general
Endorsement to bill introduced by
Representative Voorhis, Democrat,
of California, which would set up
postwar planning commission
made up of representatives of the
Government, employers, labor. farm
groups and others.
Signers from the District were:
The Rev. Thomas I. Conerty, Navy
chaplain; the Rev. John M. Cooper;
Rabbi Morton c. Fierman; Episco-
pal Bishop James E. Freeman;
Rabbi Norman Gerstenfeld: the Rev.
John M. Hayes; the Rev. Lucian L.
Leuerman, director of the National
Catholic School of Social Service;
the Rev. Raymond A. MCGOWAN, as
sistant director, Social Action De-
partment, National Catholic Welfare
Conference; the Rev. Wilfrid Par
sons, S. j., professor Of political sci
snce, Catholic University; Msgr.
John A. Ryan, Social Action Depart
ment, National Catholic Welfare
Conference; the Rev. Edgar
Schneider and DR.. Worth M. Tippy.
Other Signers Listed.
Among the signers from other
cities were Rabbi Ferdinand M.
Isserman, chairman of the Commits
sion on Justice and Peace, Central
Conference of American Rabbis, st.
Louis; the Rev. James Myers, Indus
trial secretary, Federal Council of
Churches of Christ in America, New
York; the Rev. Thomas A. Meehan,
managing editor, the New World,
Chicago: the Rev. Franklyn j. Ken
nedy, managing editor. the Catholic
Herold Citizen, Milwaukee; the Rev.
John P. Boland, chairman, New
York State Labor Relations Board,
New York; DR.. Harry Emerson Fos-
dick, New York; Dr. Edgar De Witt
Jones, Central Woodward Christian
Church, Detroit; Methodist Bishop
G. Bromley Oxman, Boston; the
Right Rev. Henry st. George
Tucker, presiding bishop, Protestant
Episcopal Church; the Rev. Ralph
w. Sockman, New York; the Rev.
Joseph G. Robbins, president, North
ern Baptist Convention, Newton
Center, Mass; Bishop S. L. Greene,
African Methodist Episcopal Church,
New Orleans; Dr. Abba Hitler Silver,
Cleveland; Rabbi Julian Morgan
stern, president, Hebrew Union Col
lege, Cincinnati; Rabbi Leon S.
Lang, president, Rabbinical Assem-
bly, of America, Philadelphia; DR..
William H. Fineshriber, Philadel-
phia; DR.. Louis Binstock, Chicago;
DR.. Israel Goldstein, president, Syn
agogue Council of America, New
York, and Rabbi Isidor B. Hoffman,
Columbia University, New York.