tial to the support of life. It is essential to the experience of liberty, and it is essential to the pursuit of happiness.

I will not read what follows. It is simply supporting testimony to the way the law has worked in New York State. I was one of those who advocated the law. I talked with employers who saw all sorts of trouble. I remember one very specific conversation with an employer who said it was the right thing to do, but "there are so many obstacles in the way"; but he finally decided he would do it. Six months later I saw him and I asked him about the obstacles. He smiled and said they didn't materialize.

Senator ELLENDER. That was before the law was put on the statute books?

Reverend SEARLE. Yes.

Senator ELLENDER. Why not follow that practice?

Reverend SEARLE. Because, of 10 men that were interviewed, he was the only one that had the courage to do the thing I thought was right. Senator ELLENDER. I think that men of your kind could do more good in New York City talking to the employers, as you have done, than trying to ram it down their throats.

Reverend SEARLE. We have had experience with both, Senator Ellender, we have talked to them. I talked with the Metropolitan Life Insurance people, with representatives of the Jewish faith and representatives of the Catholic faith. They admitted to us that it was the right thing to do, but they said they didn't dare do it because of their customers and because of their employees. Now, the law comes along and gives these timid souls something on which to stand. They can then say to their employees, "We are doing it because the law requires it." When they talk to their customers, "We are doing it because the law requires it."

There are a limited number of men that have the courage of their convictions in any group of society. Those men pioneer. The others need help.

Senator DONNELL. Have you anything further, Reverend Searle ? Reverend SEARLE. Just one thing more, if I may.

Senator Ellender raised the question awhile back, at the very beginning of the hearing, about white and colored young people meeting together, leading to marriage. Senator, for 20 years in New York City the Protestant young people of all churches have met regularly in a youth council for the city. There has been no intermarriage, no particular thought of it. It is a matter of individual taste, judgment, and choice, but there have been no repercussions from that at all. That would be unpleasant to either race.

Senator ELLENDER. What is the proportion of white and colored church members in New York?

Reverend SEARLE. On Manhattan Island, I suspect 50 percent of the Protestant church members are Negroes; and in the young peoples' group, it would possibly run 60 white to 40 Negro. And it has been my observation in the last 20 years, the number has increased. Now, they were sending delegates to the World Conference at Oslo, Norway, this summer. One is a Negro and one a white member.

Senator DONNELL. Thank you very much, Reverend Searle. We appreciate your statement.

Our next witness is Mrs. H. Wolfe, of the National Council of Jewish Women. Mrs. Wolfe, will you please state your name and address?

(The Reverend Searle submitted the following brief:)

STATEMENT FILED BY THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION OF THE PROTESTANT COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK ON THE NATIONAL ACT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT

(Presented by the Reverend Robert W. Searle, D. D., secretary, June 13, 1947)

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee on Antidiscrimination Legislation of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare; I speak for the Protestant churches of New York City as the secretary of the Human Relations Commission of the Protestant Council of the City of New York, which is the official agency established by the churches to meet their common responsibilities. May I indicate to you the important character of this commission by mentioning that among its members, a list of whom is filed with the brief, are such responsible citizens as its chairman, the bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of New York, the Right Reverend Charles K. Gilbert; the president emeritus of Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin; a former president of the National Manufacturers' Association, Mr. Howard Coonley; a former Lieutenant Governor of New York State, the Honorable Charles Poletti; the eastern commissioner of the Salvation Army, Ernest I. Pugmire; a former professor of philosophy at Harvard University, Dr. William Ernest Hocking; a former commissioner of welfare of the city of New York, the Honorable Leonard V. Harrison; and the president of Brooklyn College, Dr. Harry D. Gideonse.

Our commission has carefully considered the National Act Against Discrimination in Employment and has unanimously voted its endorsement of this act. The commission supports this act with deep conviction, first, on the grounds of Christian principle.

It is the teaching of Jesus Christ and of the New Testament that "God has made of one blood all men who dwell upon the face of the earth," that to every individual human being there is due the dignity which belongs to him as a child of God, that to every man there must be accorded justice and brotherhood.

The conscience of non-Roman Christendom around the world-of Protestantism and eastern orthodoxy-was clearly expressed by the following declaration unanimously adopted at the most representative ecumenical conference in the history of the church held at Oxford, England, in 1937 (I quote):

"The existence of black races, white races, yellow races, is to be accepted gladly and reverently as full of possibilities under God's purpose for the enrichment of human life. And there is no room for any differentiation between races as to their intrinsic value. All share alike in the concern of God, being created by Him to bring their unique and distinctive contribution to His service in the world.

"The gift can be, and is, abused. The sin of man asserts itself in racial pride, racial hatred and persecution, and in the exploitation of other races. Against this attitude in all its forms, the church is called by God to set its face implacably and to utter its word unequivocally both within and without its own borders."

We believe, therefore, that we have a clear mandate from Christian principle to advocate all measures which seek to accord equal rights and dignity to men. The commission supports this act, in the second place, and again with deep sincerity, on the ground of American principle. We believe that the fundamental premise upon which the whole theory of American political, social, and economic structure rests is contained in the words of the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

We believe, therefore, that we have also a clear mandate from American principle to advocate all measures which seek to accord their equal and unalienable rights to men.

We further believe that present circumstance demands unprecedented effort to vindicate our professed loyalty to the principles of American democracy by realizing these principles in our political, social, and economic life.

Democracy today is challenged on a world scale by a contrary way of life. Hundreds of millions of people in many nations are watching America and passing judgment on it as we live it-not as we profess it. They are judging us by our

actions and our attitudes, not by our words and our documents. Our failures and our violations of professed principle are enlarged and bruited before these observing people as a condemnation, not of our human weakness but of democracy itself. I need not remind you, I am sure, that a majority of those who in these next years will be choosing between democracy and some form of totalitarianism are not members of the white race. We should constantly remind ourselves that it is reported by observers that Russia has made real progress in eliminating racial prejudice in a nation of many races. Whatever the truth of this report, it furnishes a challenge to American democracy.

Gentlemen, it is on specific issues that we prove the reality of our belief in principle and ideals.

As a Christian, I believe that the law of God is absolute-that it is immutable and inexorable and that therefore whenever we violate it, we bring trouble upon ourselves and our children.

The sins of our ancestors who kidnaped men, women, and children and sold them into slavery have already demonstrated that under the law of the universe the sins of the fathers are visited upon their children unto the third and fourth generation and beyond. That process will only stop when justice begins.

As to the specific-who can challenge the statement that the right of a man to seek work for which he is qualified is an unalienable human right which must, where men love justice, be established. It is essential to the support of life. It is essential to the experience of liberty, and it is essential to the pursuit of happiness.

You are, therefore, in this act contemplating the attempt to establish for citizens of the United States what is their unalienable right.

As to its practicality—a few years ago, thanks largely to the efforts of the distinguished junior Senator from New York, in New York State there was established a State commission against discrimination. At the hearings on this measure, hearings at which it was my privilege to testify, we heard many dire predictions about the troubles and difficulties which the proposed law would bring into our social and economic life. That law has been in force for 2 years, and the commission it established has done its job well, relying in the main on persuasion. To the best of my knowledge, and I have tried to observe closely, none of the dire predictions has come true. On the other hand, the law has gone far to help establish a basic justice and an elemental right.

Gentlemen, in behalf of the Protestant churches of New York City, in the name of religious and American principle, for the vindication of democracy, and because of its demonstrated practicality, we appeal to you to make this National Act Against Discrimination in Employment the law of the land.

LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE PROTESTANT COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Mrs. Yorke Allen, secretary, the Protestant Council.

The Reverend Russell Frank Auman, pastor, St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Prof. John C. Bennett, department of Christian ethics, Union Theological Seminary, New York.

The Reverend Henry Sloane Coffin, D. D., president emeritus, Union Theological Seminary.

Mr. Howard Coonley, former president, National Association of Manufacturers, chairman of the board, Walworth Co.

The Reverend Phillips P. Elliott, D. D., minister, First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, N. Y.

The Reverend Harry Emerson Fosdick, D. D., pastor emeritus, the Riverside Church, New York.

Dr. Harry D. Gideonse, president, Brooklyn College.

The Right Reverend Charles K. Gilbert, bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Di0cese of New York.

The Honorable Leonard V. Harrison, former commissioner of welfare, New York City, director, committee on youth and justice, the Community Service Society. Mrs. Elinore M. Herrick, New York Herald Tribune.

Dr. William Ernest Hocking, former head of philosophy department, Harvard University.

The Reverend Leland B. Henry, director of Christian social relations, the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Mrs. Henry A. Ingraham, president, International Council, Young Women's Christian Association.

Prof. F. Ernest Johnson, Teachers College, Columbia University; director, department of research and education, Federal Council of Churches.

Dr. Waldemar Kaempfert, science editor, the New York Times.

Dr. Eduard C. Lindeman, New York School of Social Work.

The Reverend E. J. Mollenauer, pastor, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Honorable Charles Poletti, former Lieutenant Governor, State of New York.
Commissioner Ernest I. Pugmire, commissioner of the eastern area, the Salvation
Army.

Mr. Roy M. D. Richardson, Root, Ballantine, Harlan, Bushby & Palmer.
Mr. Mefford R. Runyon, executive vice president, Columbia Recording Corp.
The Reverend Ralph W. Sockman, D. D., pastor, Christ Church, Methodist.
The Reverend Samuel H. Sweeney, D. D., pastor, St. Mark's Methodist Church.
The Reverend John H. Warnshuis, D. D., pastor, Brighton Heights Reformed
Church, Staten Island.

The Reverend Robert F. Weiskotten, pastor, St. John's Lutheran Church, Queens.
STATEMENT OF MRS. H. WOLFE, RICHMOND, VA., REPRESENTING
THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND SOCIAL ACTION
OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN

Mrs. WOLFE. I am Mrs. H. Wolfe, 118 Central Road, Richmond, Va. Senator ELLENDER. And you are an official in the National Council of Jewish Women.

Mrs. WOLFE. I am a member of the national committee on education and social action.

Senator DONNELL. And that is a committee of the National Council of Jewish Women?

Mrs. WOLFE. Yes.

Senator DONNELL. How large an organization is the National Council of Jewish Women?

Mrs. WOLFE. We have 65,000 members in all, in practically every State in the United States, in 215 communities.

Senator DONNELL. Has that council passed any resolution-taken any formal action with respect to the matter of discrimination in employment?

Mrs. WOLFE. We passed a resolution at our last triennial convention, which was in October 1946, held at Dallas, Tex? If you would like me to read this into the record, I can; or if you prefer to have me read it for the record, I will do so.

Senator DONNELL. How long is it?
Mrs. WOLFE. It is very brief.

Senator DONNELL. Just read it, then.

Mrs. WOLFE. This is a resolution on intergroup relations. The booklet is called Resolutions Adopted or Reaffirmed at the Eighteenth Triennial Convention. [Reading:]

Be it resolved, That

Whereas our democracy is enriched by the contributions of all racial, religious, and cultural groups; and

Whereas discrimination violates the fundamental principles of our Constitution and creates hardship and industrial strife: Therefore be it

Resolved, That the National Council of Jewish Women rededicate itself to the support of interracial and intercultural education programs, community action, and legislative measures designed to oppose discrimination, to improve human relations, and to safeguard the rights and privileges of all people.

Senator DONNELL. That is the latest expression of your organization with respect to matters of discrimination?

Mrs. WOLFE. Yes, sir.

Senator DONNELL. Will you proceed with your testimony?

Mrs. WOLFE. The National Council of Jewish Women, with a membership of 65,000 women in 215 communities throughout the country, urges the passage of the antidiscrimination bill, S. 984, now under consideration by this committee. We believe that so long as any American is kept from making a living because of his race, religion, or national origin, our country cannot be completely free, or its people economically secure.

During the war years, the Fair Employment Practice Committee was established to make certain that a labor force made up of all of the available manpower, regardless of race or creed, would be mobilized to produce the materials of war. The phenomenon of American production during the war was not only indicative of our technical achievement but proved to us and the rest of the world that people of many races, religions, and nationalities could work together toward a common goal.

The need for protection against discrimination in employment is even greater today than it was during the war. Despite the fact that all of us recognize the need for expanded production, there is a noticeable trend toward a contraction of employment. It is a proven fact that in a declining labor market, members of minority groups are the first to be discharged. Unless Government safeguards are established, this trend will not only mean a dislocation of our economy, but will also heighten tensions among the various groups in the community. At a time when democracy is literally on trial throughout the world, the United States must show by example that economic discrimination and racial and religious prejudice have no place in a democratic society.

The United States, as a leader in international affairs, is under scrutiny by the nations of the world. If, in our treatment of our minority groups, we negate the principles of the United Nations Charter by which we are pledged to—

promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinctions to race, sex, language, or religionwe shall lose the respect of freedom-loving people everywhere. We shall sacrifice our moral right to world leadership.

As an organization representative of a so-called minority group, the National Council of Jewish Women naturally has a special interest in any measure that will guarantee equal employment opportunities to all people. We want to protect our children from the employment discrimination which has been the experience of our generation. We do not believe that it is in keeping with the American way of life for any person to be barred from the occupation of his choice because of his color or his religion, or the country from which his parents came. Discrimination of this kind is not only unfair to us and our children, but it is also inimical to the best interests of our Nation, which is being deprived of talents and abilities it cannot afford to lose.

But the National Council of Jewish Women is not concerned with S. 984 simply as a bill to aid minority groups. The educational and legislative program of our organization is directed toward securing