Evening star., 1955-11-21
Senator Case
Calls for JUST
Law on Aliens


Senator Case. Republican Of
New Jersey. called on Congress
today to correct "injustieesg in
the 1852 McCarran-Walter Inn
migration law as a Senate Sub
committee began two days OF
hearings on the subject.
The Case statement followed a
similar plea issued last night by
Senator Kennedy, Democrat Of
Massachusetts. who urged the
subcommittee to bring out a
complete substitute as preferable
to revision or the creation OF a
commission for further study OF
the subject.
Senator Case, however. said 1t
probably would be unwise to
throw out all of the 1852 law,
since 1t was a codification of all
immigration procedures.
I y ISL 3 aassai
Discrimination Charged
/ But where it needs improve
lment it should be rewritten.
said Senator Case, sand it is
good to know that this is now
going to receive attention at
iyour hands"
The Immigration and Natu-
Iralization subcommittee, headed
by Senator Kilgore. Democrat Of
West Virginia. has invited lead
ers Of labor and religious groups
to testify today.
Senators Case and Kennedy
both emphasized the argument
that existing law discriminates
against countries Of southern
land southeastern Europe.
The immigration quotas were
Ian issue in the 1852 elections.
and Senator Case pointed out
that another election year is ap-
preaching and reminded the
subcommittee that immigration
problems give rise to ''infiamma-
tory campaign statements
1921 Formula Assailed
Senator Case said that per
Ihaps it Is too much to urgently
suggest that a wholly non-par-
itisan approach to revising our
basic immigration law is some
thing devoutly to be wished"
The national origins formula,
adopted in 1921 and carried into
the present law. was described
by Senator Kennedy as "the
most blatant piece Of discrimi-
nation in our historyS
He explained that the formula
bases the number who can be
admitted from any country in
a year on the ratio which the
number of immigrants from that
country residing In the United
States In 1920 bear to all resi-
dent immigrants in that year.
Three Others Heard
! Three other advocates of a
more liberal immigration policy
were two labor leaders and q
spokesman for the National
Catholic Welfare Conference.
Victor Reutter, assistant to
/ the President Of the CIO. and
director of the CLOS interna-
tional affairs department,
called the present quota system
f'unworkable. pfpny and morally
unjustifiable today"
The CIO, he said, believes
that the value Of an individual
to bur society depends on shis
individual worth not on his race
or his religion or the colcr OF
his skin"
Mr.. Reuther also advocated
using 1850. rather than 1920
census figures for establishing
the rate Of immigration. This
would result in raising the flg-
lures from the present l54,20o
annual immigrants to about
l25l. 900.
Walter J. Mason of the AFI
also called for a liberalization
tof the laws Ito admit the maxi
mum number OF immigrants who
want to- build "a new life In
America. limited only by eco
noniic requirements of our Ma
ton"
The Rev. William ]. Gibbons,
ISL, speaking on behalf OF the
National Catholic Welfare Con-
ference. indorsed revision oi
lquotas on 1850 population fig-
lures saying that 1t seemed To
him that "the annual volume OF
inmigration could be Increased
significantly without harm"
IDuyid Il Poster Rov