Bergeson urges action on Wylie bill

Advance Holstein, Iowa .31948 Bergeson Urges Action On Wylie Bill Secretary of State Rollo Bergeson, speaking before a Lutheran Brotherhood meeting in Holstein Tuesday evening, called upon those present to write their congressman, and let him know how they felt about the Wylie bill. The Wylie bill, which is up for debate in Congress* right now, proposes to permit the admission of 50,000 European displaced persons per year for two years, outside the regular immigration quotas under the law of 1924. Bergeson, who is a member of the Iowa commission on the displaced persons problem, drew from a wealth of information and firsthand experience to present a picture of the true plight of Europe's displaced persons. He revealed that there were at the end of the war, eleven million persons in this category, persons who had been bombed out of their homes, interned by warring armies, and otherwise displaced through no fault of their own. Of these, ten million have successfully found homes for themselves, and are re-established. But there are still about 850,000 who are bill, if it is passed, would mean that about 1,000 displaced persons would be absorbed in Iowa, or about three families in Ida County. Most of these persons would be sponsored by relatives, who under present immigration laws are helpless to give any assistance. Persons admitted are carefully screened, classified as to race, religion, vocation, and are admitted only under the sponsorship of some person who will make a place for them. They cannot become citizens until after a five-year probationary period. During this five-year period, if they get into any serious trouble or become a charge of the community, they can be deported. Every precaution is taken to screen out any of the them who may be undesirable. Mr. Bergeson spoke quietly, conversationally, without flourish 3r rhetoric. Backed up with a solid foundation of facts, he paint-Bd a very striking picture of the? ^iuman side of this international? in- still in internment ca and problem which we have been inclined to consider too remote to merit our consideration. Bergeson's address was the high ght of a Lutheran Brotherhood program which included mus- charge of the American ical numbers by Holstein high school .students-a trumpet quar- of these about half of them are in the American zone of occupation and a army. Don Vollmar, ., Dale Huenecke Elwayne Maser, and a brass ?X~"L consisting of Don Vollmar Maser, trumpets; There are about 300,000 Poles, 100,000 Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, and the balance are Y Yugoslavians, Czechoslovakians, Ukrainians of German descent. Most of these are fugitives from fritz> French horn, the Soviet-dominated areas. Theyao*Vollmar, trombone. are composed of farmers, laborers *KS Brotherhood doctors, lawyers, teachers, peo-^mbe^s' arid Brotherhood mem- pie from all walks of life.- Mnlnf n™ T*8 frOm Cushi*g, p ------ Moville, Correctionville and oth-. In the matter of religion, onlyer nearby towns were guests 20% are Jewish, 60% Catholic, the local Brotherhood, balance mostly Lutherans. Bergeson charged that it was our Christian duty as individuals who profess to be Christian, and our moral obligation as a nation, to face, this problem, and provide for these displaced persons. Whether we ever voted for Roosevelt or Truman or not, he declared, our nation is committed by several solemn obligations to accept our responsibility to these people, whom we promised would never again be subject to political or physical slavery. The Wylie Bill.