Council Against Intolerance Plans Sesquicentennial Celebration of Bill of Rights

Waiving the self-imposed restriction which prevents the President of the United States from accepting honorary chairmanship of any except official organization, President Roosevelt, in a letter to Herbert Bayard Swope, expressed his readiness to act as honorary chairman of the Bill of Rights Sesqui-Centennial celebration which is being arranged by the Council Against Intolerance in America, it was announced today. Mr. Swope is national chairman of the Celebration Committee.

The 150th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights will occur on Dec. 15th. The celebration is to be nation-wide in its observance. The Sesqui-Centennial Committee is composed of representatives of all faiths, drawn from all sections in America, and includes leaders of those national organizations which have charged themselves with the duty of upholding the ideals of tolerance and equality written into the law of the land through the Bill of Rights.

In announcing the celebration, Mr. Swope said: “In these days, when forces within and without our country seek to destroy the ideals of liberty, tolerance and equality, it is imperative that we who believe in them reaffirm our faith and rekindle it in the hearts of the despondent.”

Schools throughout America, fraternal, civic organizations, and churches of every creed will be asked to participate in the celebration. Governors and Mayors of cities throughout the United States will be invited to issue a proclamation in celebration of Bill of Rights Day. Leaders of both major parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed to introduce resolutions in recognition of the day and to arrange for joint or separate commemorative exercises. The Council Against Intolerance, in cooperation with national organizations, will issue a resolution re-affirming the principles embodied in the Bill of Rights which will be sent for adoption to every important organization planning a national or state convention between today and December 15th.

In his letter accepting the honorary chairmanship of the celebration committee, President Roosevelt wrote to Mr. Swope: “Ordinarily, I do not accept honorary posts in connection with observances with which I do not have an official connection. This is because of the great number of invitations which come to me asking support of very meritorious undertakings. Because of the outstanding character of this anniversary I shall be happy to become the Honorary Chairman.”