The International Labor Conference, in plenary session, today adopted a resolution asking the League of Nations to intervene in behalf of the refugees from Germany and, through the International Labor Office, investigate the situation without infringing upon any of the rights of Germany in internal matters. The resolution was carried by the impressive vote of 80 to 2, the Portuguese and Finnish representatives voting against it.
The resolution, formulated earlier by a committee for presentation to the conference, was the subject of a striking discussion today. The Dutch labor delegate, M. Kupers, urging transmission of the resolution to the League, described eloquently the persecution of the Jews in Germany and appealed to the League to intervene before it is too late to protect the oppressed. He indicated the urgent need of coordinating the work of the various committees for the relief of refugees.
Neither Holland nor other countries will take the advice of Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propagandist, and murder the Jews, he declared. Referring to the obligation to act, he stated, “The matter is belond class interests. Social justice and feelings of humanity demand initiative in this matter.”
The discussion occupied attention at both the morning and afternoon sessions. The resolution was supported by Simpson, the Canadian delegate, and by M. Jouhaux, of France, who stressed that adoption of the resolution was a gesture of solidarity with the oppressed. The British delegate, Mr. Leggett, also supported the resolution but said in voting for it, it was not his intention to condemn Germany over internal affairs.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
