Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-07-28
FAIR
ENOUGH 1
BY Westbrook
Peeler
DREsIDENT RooS EvELT

i recently announced TO Con-
gress as an accomplished fact,
his decision that "approxi-
mately" 1000 continental Euro
pean refugees who have reached
southern Italy, "predominantly"
women and children. would be.
brought here To a vacant army
camp in the East. They would
be returned to their homelands
upon the termination Of the
war.
Any objections will be met in
stantly with a tragic story of
the persecution of innocent chill
dren.
Thus, il would seem as though
only children and their inoffen-
sive and helpless mothers would
be admitted, although Mr..
Roosevelt's qualifying word
predominantly" would leave
room for number OF men, as
well.
IN NOVEMBER. 1912, Mr..
L Roosevelt proposed that our
immigration laws be suspended
entirely for the duration of the
war. This request was denied.
Francis Biddle. the attorney
general, urged the ways and
means committee Of the House
of Representatives 10 agree on
the ground that otherwise we
would have 10 pay ourselves
head tax OF SIS on every prisoner
Of war brought here for de-
tentlOn.
II was even suggested that
military and diplomatic digni-
taries OF our Allies would be
subjected TO unnecessary and
embarrassing form a ! ties in
clearing our immigration sta
tlonS.
II can assure YOU" Mr. Bid
die told the committee, that
the President had no intention
Of exercising the powers 30 as
10 remove immigration barriers
for any purpose not connected
with the war effort.
There is no record Of the ex-
cluslon Of any prisoner OF war
for lack of the Ss head tax and
II that tax rs actually collected,
as seems improbable. II repre-
Sents no more than an entry in
the books, crediting the depart
ment Of justice, which now has
charge Of immigration. with so
many thousand times SIS and
charging II 10 overhead.
Neither has there been any
report Of the detention At Ellis
Island of any accredited agent
OF any OF our Allies arrived 10
discuss lend-lcaSe OF any other
subject.
So Mr. Blddles concern on
these two points seems 10 have
been entirely unnecessary.
4 LTHOUGH he committee
"A did reject the Presidents
proposal his recent announce
ment regarding the 1000 refu-
gees. delivered IN the form Of a
message cited no legal author
Ity for his action.
Instead after long and
sentimental preamble. Mr..
Roosevelt Just SAID that.
Il determined that this gov
eminent should intensity Its ef-
forts 10 combat the Nazi terror"
and that, accordingly I estab-
lished the war refugee board,
composed Of the secretaries Of
state. treasury and war" 10
translate this governments
Humanitarian policy into prompt
action.
Therefore" he continued II
wish In report 10 YOU today a
step which ] have just taken"
And so forth. announcing
the importation OF the 1000
refugees.
There vas no intlmation that
1000 would he all With equal
~eathorlty wherever derived.
Mr. Roosevelt may admit 500
600 who need not be "predomi-
nantly' women and children
and who # 'predomlnantly"
women, might be Communists
or Fascists.
For y seems 10 he forgotten.
although II remains A fact. that
many Of those IN Europe who
later were prosecuted for va
rlouS reasons found Fasclsm
and Hltlerism very agreeable at
the beginning
MusSalini and Hitler were
fine as long As they didn't per-
Secute them. And II should be
remembered that the Commu-
nlStS Of Germany who now are
included among the pltiable VIC
tlmS Of Hltler'S barbarity. had
been fairly barbarous them
selves and so greatly admired
Hitler that all six million of
them. under instructions from
Moscow, voted for Hitler in his
hnal rise 10 power. They put
him over because they believed
IN totalltarian government.
Meanwhile. mainly in the
Ni great exodus immediately
preceding the war. this country
received a large but unknown
nIlmhcr OF rnfnrnnS including