Will to Grant Jewish War Veterans Federal Charter Meets Stiff Opposition in Senate

A bill that would have granted a federal charter to the Jewish War Veterans of America has been sent back to the Judiciary committee by the Senate after several Senators expressed strong opposition to the measure.

Sponsored by Senator Raymond Baldwin, of Connecticut, the bill–on which the Judiciary Committee reported favorably–would have granted the Jewish War Veterans greater recognition by the Veterans Administration and would also have made pubic funds available to it in certain states.

Senators Dennis Chavez of New Mexico and Bourke Hickenlooper of Iowa, who ?ed the opposition to the bill, maintained that passage of the bill would encourage segregation and disunity; that Congress should not grant federal charters to organizations restricting membership on the grounds of race or religion; and that a dangerous precedents” would be set, if the measure were adopted, which would open the way to granting charters to all typos of groups, including a ## Klux Klan veterans’ group.

Senator Baldwin, whose measure urged the incorporation of the Catholic War Veterans as well as the J.W.V., countered with the assertion that the two veterans organizations were performing a valuable service to the country and do not disseminate the views of any particular race of religion. He pointed out that many ?harch groups, with restricted memberships, have been incorporated in the past.