New-York tribune., 1882-02-19
THE EW-BAITING.
THE MANSION HOUSE PROTEST AGAINST
RUSSIAN PROSECUTIONS.

| Yesterdays meeting at the Mansion House. con
vened by the Lord Mayor to protest against Russian
persecution Of the Jews was kept fairly well in
| hand Some of The less wise spirits concerned in
calling it wond have gladly turned it into an in-
sirument of their hostility first to the Government
of Russia and secondly to the Government OF Eng
land But The Lord Mayor had too recently burned
his fingers in an Irish fire to be used again as cats
paw for Glad,tCne-haters. What some of the pro-
moters really wanted was to pass resolutions de-
mandlng diplomatic action; with view To embroil
| Ministers with Russia if they accedcd TO that de-
| mand, and with their own cOuntrymen II they re-
fused. But the resolutions actually passed made no
demand upon anybody. The meetlng ccntented IT.
self with expressing its opinion that the outrages
| are an offence to civilization: that the laws of
! Russia relating to Jews tend to degrade and en-
| danger them; and adding hope that-thls is where
| the moderating hand came in" Her Majesty
Government may be able. when opportunity arises
! to exercise n friendly influence with the Russian
| Government in accordance with the spIlt oi the
preceding resolutions; for which purpose copies of
them are to be forwarded by the Lord Mayor to Mt
Gladstone and to Lord Granville There is no great
harm IN that.
Whether there is much good is the more important
question II express a doubt this point 1t is not
that do not svmpathize fully with those ho pub
lcly denounce the Uarbarous crue.ties practSed on
the Jews in Russia. | would go as TAR "a anybody
in declaration OF bOrror at the spirit which ihsl-
gates tOlerates these outrages. Nor do care 10
slit the evidence foI them too closely Ondouotedy
there has been exaggerstiOn. The very striking
letter TO which Tbe LGi'g Aelcs OF yesterday gave
prominence proves that-proyes or dispTovrs much
more indeed. than the reader of the tmld editorial
paragraph about it would imagine But when
every deduction has been made. enough remains to
4 Ill lsAI.t
but all the real and Gccp indignation OF such men a.
Lord Shaitcsbury and Mr.. Bryce. Mr.. Iennyson
and the Duke OF Westminster and the other really
representa- i've men mo were either present or sent
letters. There is no doubt whatever that Russia
stands before the world dsgraced by the savage
violence her people have used upon the Jews, and
disgraced perhaps even more by the Suplneness OF
her rulers in the presence Of mnrderous disorder
and by their whole attitude toward the Hebrew
race in Russia
In the long rum it is probable enough that some
thing will be effected for the Jews and for clvlliza-
ton by declarations of this sort in the press, which
have been frequent and IN such meetings as that ne
the Mansion House 1t Is less probable that the
hand of the Russian prosecutor will lie more lightly
on his Jewish victim Tomorrow, or IN the near
future II is perfectly clear that the first feeling
aroused IN Russia by what has been SAID elsewhere
is one of irritation. Even the mild remembrance OF
an American President with reference to a much
less grave matter was met with an instant rebnf
from the Government OF st. Petersburg The hrst
criticisms OF the English papers evoked an angry
ontburst of resentment from the Russian press.
which again was really the voice of the Govern
ment In a day or two we shalt have another echo
from the banks Of the Neva-auother growl OF the
Russian bear most likely. Perhaps the most signih-
cant of all Indications uf Russian official temper
may be found in the tlat refusal to receive the
memorial of the English Jews IN behalf OF theIr
Russian hretbren-a refusal publicly notified IN the
most couteuptuous way by an order from the Rus
sian Foreign Office or from still higher source.
10 the Russian Ambassador in London. The force
of the influences that dictated that refusal can DE
estimated by considering that it was the RothS-
chlds upon whom the airont was put. and that the
Rothscnllds can if thy choose, close every Bourse
in Turone 70 the next application from needy
Russia for a foreign loan.
There is in a word, only too much evidence that
the Russian Government has made MP ITS mind that
II does not want Jewish subjects, and does not
mean TO have any more ot them than II can help.
II does not solicit their allegiance. hut repeIs H.
They are treated not subjects or citizens. but as
aliens II they are protected, and 50 far as they
are protected il il because no Government dare look
on too long while order Is disturbed and authority
set at naught. Much was made at yesterday
meeting naturally enough. of General lgnaiieus
rescript Cardinal Mannug-of all men IN the
world.based his speech upon it. The spectacle OF
a Cardinal Of the Church OF Rome arguing for tol-
GRAFTON and liberty of belief Is surely an edlfying
one-so edifyng that one may he only too happy to
accent il as an evidence OF rcmorse or the infinitely
more ferocions and long continued cruetles prac-
tised in times past by that very Church Of Rome
rpou the ancestors or knsmen of the ancestors, OF
these very Russian Jews. More edfying and more
graceful and gracious still would have been ~ard!-
nal Manniugs presence aud speech had he but
found words to express the cOntrton he must nave
felt Or are we 10 assume that prIestly hatred has
as much place in this episcopal bosom as brothery
| love- and that grief for Hebrew wrongs was NtIm
Mated little bv the grim hostility OF Roman &C.
! clesiastic to he sway OF the Greek Church
General Ignatirn's rcscT pt deserves much OF the
criticism bestowed on it, though not all OF Cardinal
Nanninrs who treats it as direct and wllful ince-
n.nt to fresh outrages It does not deal with the
whole case-I don't know thaU it undertakes to-
! You ore familiar with the contents. and won go
over them but one inference is to De drawn from IT,
| and from plenty of other sources which has not
been very strongly pressed. lh!s. namely, tnat tue
Russian hatred to the Jews is not as 1t has been 50
often represented religious hatred-n)t purely nor
| mainly religious hatred. ii il primarily social
| economical commercial. The Jew is too clever for
the Slav. says the Slav himself sells him drink
lends him money at extortiouae interest. corrupts
him. robs him. drives him out of business know
not what else. General lgnatiei's rescript Is the
order of Government which is nothing If not
patriotIc and patcrnal, for a general inquiry INTO
| the coalition of the communities where Jews
abound. Undoubtedly one object OF 1t IS to secure
the enforcement OF existing laws which impose
|
! other laws stll more harsh are-in Russian opinion
needed am not concerned to defend for
| monept either this rescrpt or the penal laws of
| IL. hnf fhlf il IS