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Quakers Refute Propaganda Against RefugeesAOINCY THAT FED lt;»I.KM AN tlllMIKIN UTIH WORLD WAR « ITI.S FIOI KIS T« SHOW RE-Ft'ORK CAPITAL AND lt;©NMI M-I.K NMDS ADD TO If. R. ESI* PLOYMENT.PHILADELPHIA — Pointing wit that the 1938 net Immigration to the United Mates represent* lew than tour one-hundredth of one pr cent, of our ^wlatlon. the American Friends Service Committee t Quaker. I In a pamphlet. ’ Refugee Fact*’. Issued today declare* that the solution the refugee problem doe. not present difficulties thut cannot be over-a population of 130 • 138 net immigration torepresented lew thanredth of one per cent.ebyIntelligent o*»istano*. coin- _____ a little energy. Ingenuityand good will toward men.The pamphlet iwued by the committee on refugee, of the Amerlenn Friends Service Committee .of which D Robert Yamall Is chairman carries a foreword by Ir Rufus M Jones. chairman of the Friends, and Clarence Ptckrtl. executive secretary.' Refugee Pacts explains the Quaker interest In humanitarian work In behalf of children and recalls that during the four year* following the World War. the Friends, supported by American generosity, fed a maximum of 1300.000 Clerman children a day The pamphlet provide. staUstlral Information to refute sveral popularly held misconceptions about refugees It point* out:■During the six-year period that roughly approximates the years of the Nart regime In Oermany. 4.48, more aliens departed than wife admitted lo the United States.Whereas only 241.963 immigrant, were admitted for lermanent rc.ldcnce during this same slx-ycar iwrlod the quota laws permitted «,total Immigration of 922.644. Thus, only about 26 per cent of the quota allowance actually entered’ Hosed V nonooo. th thl« count foul one-h of our population “It Is necewsry to stress once more a fact which the American public has he. even yet not undcrwtood sufficiently. namely that tlvsc rcT'igecs from Oermany are not all Jews by re llgwin—far from It In 1938 about one-third i3l per cent i of all irfU-gees from Oermany were ChrlMlanIn the years before that the proportion was higher And the proportion of Christian, among thlt;-e *l»o arr still In Oermany. Austria and Cxechcn Slovakia, but would like to leave, is still higher According to the be.I estimates available there are about 400. 000 jrws by religion still In Oermany and about 300.000 non-Aryan Christian*. that Is Christian, with some percentage of Jewish bloodThe Introduction by Dr. Jones and Mr. Pickett point* out that the American Friends Service Committee again responds to the cry of human suffering as it did flowing the .ar Today we listen again to the ai.peal for fellowship, for succor and for a home. The service committee l. not only assisting with relief. rewaary but Is attempting to aid those who must leave Oermany and go out to other parts of the world.It 1* also one of the agencies that offers a service of hospitality’ and placement for some of refugee,who can enter this country under our immigration law. These service, are rendered with the conviction that ir wise and careful placement can tr assured In this country, these immigrant*. unwanted In Oermany. may prove to be a valuable asset to our American life Wc have encountered grave misunderstanding of the problem of the refugee a* It exist* todav“UL^lETo.rwl vear endme June After careful research we are pubfug re immigration, there was net immigration into this country for permanent residence of only 42.68(1 In 1929. there was a net increase for permanent residence of 210.475; In 1924. the net Increase was 630.107. In other words, the net 1938 immigration was only one-fifth that of 1929 and one fifteenth that of 1924.Ilshing these facta with the hope that thrv may contribute to the realisation that the acceptance of refugees present* an opportunity of enriching American life both commercially and culturally.After referring to England’s experience with refugees 11.000 of whom gave employment to 15.000 Briton*.I the Quaker pamphlet similarly point*out that refugee. In this wmtq.do not displace American workers r»oi-mg the general fear on this score, he nnmplilet states that It »s natural that many people who ■rr'inln-fomud should be rasy preylor anyone who wlahM to Increase anu alienism or antl-semltism In our land. Every American u «ow a-«re tl^t there are many such onranlxatlom In our country which are exerting themselves, mostly In turUw increase racial feeling among us The truth and Intelligent newcomer* together will dispel theseThe pamphlet also point* Cdt that every refugee who come* to Amcnra -H a* much a consumer a* anyone eli*. and his want* have to tm supplied bv American businesses and tac-torles in this sense the rcf^ces are actually providing work for American labor.*'Refugee skills. Initiative and capital, the pamphlet continues, have brought new Industrie* to the United State* that give employment to many American.The conclusion reached by the American Friend, Ser\ce Commlt.ce IS that common sense I* the thing most needed in the solution of the refugee problem Our committee. the pamphlet conclude*, “reallros ths* common sense and decency demand that not n single American workman who needs the work and I* satisfactory should low his employment n order that a refugee may have It Although there have been small and imaponslble employers who have^acted otherwise, we find that all of the committee* and large employers facing this problem are clear in their thinking about this situation and realize the dangers of having recourse to anv method of employment for the refugees which would displace American labor Other occupation* where there will be no displacement of present worker, must be found If each American community will contribute lust a little energy. Ingenuity, good will toward men. and helpfulness In the ways which the concerned committee* can explain to them, the solution will not be difficult and our refugee problem will be solved to the benefit of all concerned
Newspaper Details
Somerset Daily American
Somerset, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Jun 14, 1939
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
History M.
OH, USA 02 Jan 2017
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