opportunity to testify to the clerk of the general committee and have not received any reply whatsoever up to this time. I am sure that the press of legislative business caused this oversight. I would not have come on from California if I had received a definite, telegram stating that the committee did not wish to hear my remarks. So that it will be clear what my affiliations and connections may be, I am attorney for the Los Angeles Central Labor Council of the American Federation of Labor in that city; a member of the legislative committee of the welfare council of that city which includes all of our community-chest organizations. I do not want to impose on the committee, but while I am on my feet Senator DONNELL. Are you just giving testimony? Your testimony will not be received orally. We have another witness here now. Is there any other affiliation which you wish to submit? Mr. GILBERT. No; I will submit the statement in the capacities already mentioned. I appreciate the Senator's courtesies. Senator DONNELL. We will be happy to have your statement. (Mr. Gilberts' prepared statement appears hereafter in the proceedings of June 20.) STATEMENT OF MRS. THEODORE O. WEDEL, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN SOCIAL RELATIONS, UNITED COUNCIL OF CHURCH WOMEN, WASHINGTON, D. C. Senator DONNELL. Proceed with your statement Mrs. Wedel. Mrs. WEDEL. Mr. Chairman, I wish to speak in favor of S. 984, the National Act Against Discrimination in Employment, on behalf of the United Council of Church Women. Senator DONNELL. What address in Washington? Mrs. WEDEL. 3508 Woodley Road. Senator DONNELL. And what address in New York? Mrs. WEDEL. 156 Fifth Avenue. Senator DONNELL. Will you tell us briefly what that organization is, how large a membership it has, and something of its general principles? Mrs. WEDEL. It is a federation of the women's societies and women's organizations in Protestant churches. It is a relatively new federation; it was formed in about 1941 and there had been various interdenominational organizations of that kind before, all of which came together in this one large group and because it is a federation, we do not have an exact membership but the total membership of the women's organizations which are affiliated with us is considerably over 10,000,000 women in all parts of the country. Senator DONNELL. Is your most recent national assembly the one which was held in Grand Rapids, Mich. in 1946? Mrs. WEDEL. Yes, sir. Senator DONNELL. How large was the attendance there? Mrs. WEDEL. About 4,000 were there. Senator DONNELL. And I observe, if I may anticipate for a moment, the fact that from your written statement here that at that gathering, as well as in one in 1944, your organization has gone on record as favoring legislation designed to prevent discrimination in employ ment. Mrs. WEDEL. Yes, sir. Senator DONNELL. Do you have a copy of the resolutions? Mrs. WEDEL. I am sorry I do not have. Senator DONNELL. Will you furnish a copy of the resolutions of those two meetings? Mrs. WEDEL. I will be glad to.. Senator DONNELL. Will you proceed, Mrs. Wedel. Mrs. WEDEL. I will save time by simply reading this. Senator DONNELL. Very well. Mrs. WEDEL. The United Council of Church Women wishes to go on record as being in favor of S. 984. I will not repeat information about the organization. As churchwomen we are concerned with such legislation for three reasons. First, we are convinced that the United States must demonstrate to the world that our democratic form of government offers to all people the best possible opportunity for a full and satisfying way of life. The eyes of the entire world are upon us, and those who would discredit our political and economic system are quick to seize upon any instance of discrimination as evidence that America and the American way does not provide real freedom of opportunity for all men. We feel that the passage of this act will make it clear to the entire world that we really mean what we have said in our Constitution and in the Charter of the United Nations about human rights and freedom. Secondly, as Christian women we are deeply disturbed by the racial and religious tensions in our country and the flagrant discrimination which we see practiced on all sides. May I insert something there? Mrs. WEDEL. We have felt that our churchwomen are disturbed about it but we were not sure that their concern was always based on facts, so about 2 years ago our organization prepared and sent out to our member groups-that is, local and State councils of churchwomen-a very brief and simple questionnaire on segregation practices in their own communities and just suggested that it would be an interesting educational device. Churchwomen from about 250 communities made this very simple study. It is not scientific. It was just a very simple one, and we discovered then that churchwomen were startled to discover the discrimination which was practiced in such things as employed in their own communities. At our assembly in Grand Rapids the feeling was much stronger for such legislation because they had discovered for themselves in their own communities that discrimination was practiced, and many of them had never been aware of it before, had never thought about it. So we felt our action now is based on real knowledge on the part of the women in their communities. Senator DONNELL. Your organization has branches in southern United States, south of the Mason and Dixon's line? Mrs. WEDEL. Yes, sir; and we have a good many officers and committee members and committee chairmen who come from the South, and we are also an interracial group. We have Negro as well as white women. We hope that the time will come when there will be no racial or religious discrimination in any area of life. But a person's right to a job for which he is qualified is basic, and seems to us a very sound place to start in the effort to abolish discrimination. We know that many people say that you cannot legislate prejudice out of existence. But legislation can remove some of the obvious injustice arising from prejudice. Thirdly, we want the highest possible standard of living for all the people of this country. As long as there are large numbers of disadvantaged people, prevented by discrimination from securing jobs for which they are trained and so prevented from making their maximum contribution to the Nation, the welfare of all the people is hindered. Only as every person is enabled to work to the best of his ability can we reach the maximum of efficiency and production and improve the economic condition of all the people. We feel that this act will further this end. We have studied S. 984 carefully. It seems to us to offer ample protection to all parties, and yet to give enough enforcement powers to the Commission to make the act workable. For the sake of the many religious, racial, and national groups against whom discrimination is practiced in various sections of our country, we urge its passage by this Congress. But we urge it even more strongly because we are convinced that the enactment of such a law will benefit all the people of our Nation and will demonstrate clearly to the world that our much-heralded American principles of liberty and equality really operate for all people. Senator DONNELL. Do you have anything further to submit, Mrs. Wedel. Mrs. WEDEL. No. sir. That concludes my statement. Senator DONNELL. We thank you very much for your presentation. It has been called to my attention that Homer A. Jack is present. Dr. Jack, you ask for 5 minutes. I am not able to grant that time. We have had numerous applications for permission to appear, and it would not be fair to people who have been denied the right to extend that privilege to persons who just drop in upon the committee without having been granted the permission. I do not mean that the committee intends to be arbitrary in the matter, but the number of people who desire to appear could not be accommodated within the period of time that we have in which to hear them. We would be very glad indeed to have any written statement that you desire to submit, and it will be incorporated in the record, and I assume it will be within reasonable bounds of space and it will be incorporated and printed in full in the record of our committee. We thank you very much for your courtesy and for coming. The committee will stand in recess until tomorrow morning at 9:30 o'clock to convene again in this room. (Whereupon, at 1:05 p. m., the committee adjourned, subject to reconvening at 9:30 a. m., June 20, 1947.) ANTIDISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 1947 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, The subcommittee met, pursuant to adjournment, at 9:30 a. m. in the committee room, Capitol Building, Senator Allen J. Ellender presiding. Present: Senators Smith, Donnell, Ives, and Ellender (presiding). Senator ELLENDER. The subcommittee will come to order. We will resume the hearings on S. 984. The first witness this morning will be Mr. William Green, president, American Federation of Labor. You may proceed, Mr. Green. STATEMENT OF WILLIAM GREEN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR Senator DONNELL. Proceed, sir. Mr. GREEN. I am glad to have this opportunity to testify on behalf of the American Federation of Labor in strong support of S. 984, the Ives-Chavez bill to prohibit discrimination in employment because of race, religion, color, national origin, or ancestry. The American Federation of Labor urges prompt consideration and early adoption of this law because it believes that the enactment of the proposed statute into law is essential to make fully effective the principle of equality of opportunity to all, a principle to which this Nation is dedicated. Our support of this legislation is pursuant to the mandate of the sixty-fifth convention of the American Federation of Labor, held in Chicago in October 1946. This action of the convention is not new. The American Federation of Labor was founded on the ideal of affording to men and women, regardless of race, religion, or color, an equal chance to employment at the skills for which they are qualified and to advancement with a fair and equitable compensation for their productive contribution to the community. Through the years of its growth, the American Federation of Labor has encountered many situations in which discrimination and intolerance were deeply imbedded. The source of discrimination cannot always be easily ascertained or readily stamped out, but our record of many decades of direct experience in dealing with this issue has conclusively demonstrated that the most powerful single force behind |