Urges Admission of Refugees As New Year’s Gift

That the bill concerning the admittance of refugees holding visas to America should be passed on or before December 20, 1924, as a New Year’s or Christmas gift was urged by Adolph Stern, Grand Master of the Independent Order B’rith Abraham in a petition to President Coolidge and Congress.

“A hearing on the Perlman Resolution has been set for January 6th, 1925, but Congress should act before January 1st and give these refugees a Christmas and New Year’s present,” the petition urges.

“In December, 1921, Secretary of Labor, as a Christmas offering did admit two thousand immigrants who had been ordered deported because the quotas were exhausted. To pass the Refugee Resolution before Christmas would be doing an act similar to the act of the Secretary of Labor in December, 1921.

“Grand Master Adolph Stern respectfully petitions President Coolidge, Secretary of Labor Davis, the Senate and House of Representatives’ Committees on Immigration to recommend the passage of a Refugee Resolution during this week. This resolution, if it is to be a Christmas and New Year’s offering, must be acted upon by Congress on or before December 20th, 1920, because on that day Congress will recess until December 29th.

Congressman Perlman introduced in the House of Representatives a joint resolution authorizing the admission into the United States of all immigrants whose passports were vised before July 1st, 1924. The resolution provides that all such immigrants shall be classed as non-quota immigrants. Aside from the humanitarian act that would be done in admission of these refugees, the honor of the United States is involved because the American Consul, when he vised the immigrant’s passport practically assured that immigrant that he would be admitted into the United States. It is because of the act of the American Consul in visaing the immigrant’s passport that the immigrant sold all his belongings, broke up his home, travelling thousands of miles to a seaport in order to embark for the United States.

Congressman Albert Johnson, chairman of the House Immigration Committee in an interview with a representative of the New York “Jewish Daily Forward” in reply to a question as to his opinion on the Perlman bill concerning the admission of relatives of American citizens stated, “This is a matter which deserves attention. I personally would suggest that relatives of citizens should be admitted. I am definitely opposed to lifting the immigration bars. The more immigrants we admit, the greater trouble we will have. They will demand the admittance of more relatives.” Congressman Johnson doubted, however, that Congress would be able to take up the matter before its recess.