A manoeuvre of Senator Blease of South Carolina to force a report on his voluntary alien registration bill was nipped in the bud by Senator Copeland of New York yesterday afternoon by securing its recommitment to committee on unanimous consent, after Senator Blease had actually succeeded in having the bill favorably reported to the Senate by securing signatures for the bill from more than the necessary majority of eight of the twelve members of the committee through a poll vote conducted by himself among the committee’s members.
Following the report of the bill, Senator Copeland moved for unanimous consent necessary under parliamentary procedure to recommit the bill, explaining that only four members of the committee, less than a quorum, were present at the meeting where the decision to conduct the poll vote was made, and that he had been absent since he had no prior notice that the bill would come up for consideration.
Senator Blease was present in the Senate chamber, but offered no objection to the Copeland motion, which passed unanimously, evidently realizing that he had been caught in his attempt to get the bill on to the Senate calendar before a hearing or other consideration could be given it.
Following the bill’s recommitment, Senator Copeland said that he would demand full hearings on it before further action is taken on it by the committee. Many telegrams were received by Senator Copeland protesting against the bill and urging him to oppose it. Congressman Dickstein also conferred with both Senator Copeland. and Senator Wagner as soon as he learned of the developments and Senator Copeland’s motion to recommit followed this conference. It is understood that a number of Jewish organizations in New York, informed of the situation, are considering steps to cope with it.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
