Capital Comment

Washington.

President Roosevelt’s social security program outlined in a message to Congress and referred to in some quarters as “the dawn of a great American plan,” has the support of practically every Jewish member of the House of Representatives.

Of the eleven Jewish members of the House, two are Republicans. The nine Democratic members will support President Roosevelt’s social security program. Whether the program will be supported by the two Republican members is a matter of speculation. Representative Isaac Bacharach of New Jersey is a prominent Republican leader and is known to be strongly partisan in matters of legislation. Mrs. Florence Kahn is a Republican from California and is inclined to be a little more liberal.

The past records of the Democratic members show that from time to time they have worked for various measures designed to further social security. Representative Kopplemann, for instance, while a member of the Connecticut Senate a number of years, fathered that state’s present form of widows’ pensions.

Representative Sirovich maintains that “for the past 100 years every liberal and progressive measure which has emancipated labor has been forced by labor upon capital, and that capital has never voluntarily given of itself.”

However true this statement may be, it is clearly indicative of a definite trend of thought of a majority of the members of Congress who favor the President’s social security program. They realize that in order to get the necessary legislation in shape for a vote, those interested in the movement will have to overcome some very strong and well-organized opposition.

Tony Sender, the young German woman who accomplished the feat of holding a labor seat in the Reichstag until after the last legal election in March, 1933, is in Washington in connection with her lecture tour.

“People here don’t know what it is to live in a country where there is no liberty,” she says in discussing what is happening in Germany. “If you have one opinion that does not agree fully with the dictator your life is in danger.”

A socialist “by conviction,” she fears the spread of dictatorship in other countries unless labor is organized to oppose it. She thinks persecution is directed more toward workers as a class than Jews specifically, though both are economic victims. She believes that many Nazi women are as dissatisfied with the situation as the workers and she admires the courage of those still living in Germany who are carrying on underground anti-Fascist activity.

“They have confiscated my property, they have confiscated my nationality (her citizenship was revoked), and I am more German than Hitler. My people have been Rhinelanders for centuries,” Tony Sender says.

She has the distinction of having been the youngest member ever elected to the Reichstag. At present she is on the editorial staff of the Volksgazet in Antwerp. She was one of the few Germans who protested against invasion of Belgium during the World War.

A diplomatic supper that began with frozen pineapple and ended with sleight-of-hand tricks, made news the other evening. The place was the home of Minister Don Manuel Gonzales-Zeledon of Costa Rica. The hero was Representative Sol Bloom of New York, the man of George Washington fame. The fascinated audience included diplomats, government officials and friends of Don Manuel.

It was all done with Brazilian walnuts. Representative Bloom rolled up his sleeves, took a handful of the walnuts, and told his audience to watch. A few motions with his hands and a few mutterings—it was all over. Representative Bloom opened his hand. The walnuts were gone! Page Sherlock Holmes! Here’s a clew. Five minutes later, off in a corner of the spacious room, Representative Bloom was seen eating Brazilian walnut#.

Jewish members of the House have been assigned important committee posts, according to a partial list of committee appointments approved by the House. Additional committee assignments are being held up because of differences between the Democrats and Republicans.

Representatives Dickstein and Sirovich each hold chairmanships. Representative Dickstein continues to be chairman of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization and in addition holds places on the Claims Committee and on the Committee on Revision of the Laws. Representative Sirovich continues as chairman of the Patents Committee and holds places on the Civil Service Committee and the Committee on Merchant Marine, Radio and Fisheries.

Representative Kopplemann continues as a member of the Banking and Currency Committee. Representative Bacharach continues as a member of the important Ways and Means Committee. Representative Bloom holds his place on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Judiciary Committee includes Representative Celler. Representative Sabath retains membership on the powerful Rules Committee. Representative Ellenbogen is a member of the Census Committee, the Committee on Insular Affairs and the Committee on the District of Columbia. Representative Peyser is a member of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee.