Weslbrook Pegler Says : It Is Up To Us To Say Who May Enter Country NEW YORK, Aug. 3 A point that seldom is mentioned, much less considered seriously, in discus-. sions of American hospitality to refugees is the . fact that they have no right to come here. The American people reserve the right to admit or exclude and to deny asylum to anyone for any reason hy adopting laws to such effect. While it is true that our laws do lay down conditions which the Supreme 'Court has construed as American rights of aliens in foreign lands, the fact remains that Congress may revoke these conditions and even forbid all immigration. Thus, it is a privilege to come to the United States and I point out that our generosity was the greater in admitting 580,000 refugees from Hitler up . to Nov. 26, 1943, when the fact is remembered that during most of these years the national government had been rationing employment among our own people by means of overtime pay schedules. It is true, as Breckenridge Long, our assistant secretary of state, told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in November, 1943, that the President's committee on ' refugees was very partial to authors, painters, orators, statesmen, political leaders , and publishers, who were unlikely to engage in common toil in competition with our natives. , ' ' But we were very well fixed for ihesfiMcafegories at that time and, considering that these preferred types naturally would try to impose thei European ideas on their hosts, the favoritism hardl.vvjndicates . itself. An oppressed carpenter or machinist, or a good, thrifty farmer, coming along at!that time when Paul McNutt told us we were -shott of good workmen, might have been more desirable and helpful to the United States. . J, ' ' Priority Not Justified Anyway, a soap-box exhorter would suffer no more from Hitler's persecution than a plowman no, if the motives here were purely and solely humane, the priority remains to be justified. To be practical, of course, it must be recognized that here we had selection by pull and influence with prominent, conspicuous or notorious individuals escaping while the obscure were left behind. The power of money exerted in the United States by wealthy relatives, or in an American consulate abroad, where the clerks were human and not overpaid, deserves to be considered and may be explored some day. ' At any rate, Mr. Long not merely admitted but declared that "the committee was 'trying to save particular persons who were worthy to be saved in the cause of humanity," but mentioned these classes of worthies. And the committee was strangely silent and slow witted in tha.; absence of any challenge to this brutal distinction. He left an impression that the humble were less "worthy to be saved in the cause of humanity" and a suspicion that some were rescued out & .turn merely because friends here thought they were more precious than others, when they may have been only obstreperous and Important contributors to the distress of all. At a time when the American government and the " very State Department for which Mr. Long spoke, . professed to be diligent in exporting American prin-clples and political Ideals to other lands, they were ' running an Important trade in European, thought ' and political methods which have made an impres-' sion here as effective as our impression on the minds of the Germans and Italians. Refugees In Spain y: Mr, Long said that about 60,000 refugees crossed the Pyrenees from France into Spain. Our government worked to move them along to Africa and elsewhere and relieve the burden on the Franco government, but Mr, Long revealed that Franco had been very helpful. , . i "The idea of getting them out of Spain," he said, "was that Spain is not a rich country. Spain could not afford to keep these people, particularly because o lis difficulty in feeding its own people In time of war and the limitations imposed by the transportation of food supplies. But if you could aid people in gelling into .Spain, Spain would not slop them on her side from coming In. We are ready to take all new refugees who come out of France or other occupied territory. Spain will assist them. Spain did not stop. Right after the German occupation of unoccupied France when so many people started across the border, the Spanish government sent; up its armies and said 'Stop!'" The Americans implored Spain not to stop them, promising that we would try to get them out and Spain withdrew her armies after three days and the exodus resumed. Spain did not join the committee of rescuing nations, but neither did Russia, and though Russia did accommodate many, she was no more merciful In proportion to her means than Spain. Busy as he doubtless is with his duties at the Slate Department, and busy as the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee are with theirs, all of them, being responsible for the maintenance of good relations with friendly countries, should have recalled these facts about Spain when the Communists here, including some refugees and many American relatives of refugees, were carrying on an angry clamor against Franco and demanding1 action by our government which would have scourged the Spanish people again with civil war. Westbrnok Pegler column is featured in The Star five days of the week. ;