New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-30

liberation of the question, enacted in 1882 what
are known as the May laws. The main features OF
these are that they restrict once more the Jews to
their former " Pale of Settlement and debar them
from any participation in the ji1ror traffic. The
object of the latter prohibition was to do some
thing toward checking the alarming increase OF
drunkenness, which is the chief curse and bane OF
every Russian Of the lower classes. Moreover the
May laws forbade Jews to either acquire or to hold
land--a measure destined to prevent the entire
holdings of the pcasantry from passing into their
hands by foreclosure of mortgage. Russia is above
everything else an agricultural country. Corn
constitutes it's staple product, and the Government
recognized that it was absolutely necessary to
maintain at all cost the 25,O0O0O0 male peasant
landowners of European Russia in their large and
small holdings, and to prevent them from becom-
ing dcmoralized and discouraged from working by
the feeling that not only all the proceeds OF their
industry, but also ultimately even their ltnd.
would be swept into the voracious nav OF their
Jewish creditors.
Still another feature of these May laws is the
provision that the number Of Jewish pupils and
students in the public high schools and universities
Although at first sight this restriction may
appear harsh and unreasonable, yet the
object in view cannot be regarded as altogether
unreasonable. For il aims at diminishing the
number of young Jewish graduates, whose edu-
catcn is of far too high an order for any station
that they can ever hope to occupy in life, and
who, finding themselves at the close of their
scholastic career without any profession or trade
that is in keeping with their attachments, grow
dissatisfied with their lot and become the most
dangerouS-because the most clever-members Of
the Nihlist movement. The Government hopes
by restricting the access of the Jews l,yhoSe in
nate mental superiority over the ordinary Rus.
sian is thus recognized to the higher grades of
education, to diminish in proportion the number
of unemployed Jewish graduates who are driven
by sheer desperation-nay, almost by starvation
into the revolutionary ranks.
Although enacted in $50 these laws-far more
lenient than those in force till 1865, which Alex
ander III suSpended-were not at once put into
force. The present Emperor had at the time
but recently assembled 70 the throne. and deter
mined to attempt to govern without them, hoping
that tne Jews would be led BY the mere knowledge
Of their enactment to become more circumspect
and discreet in their dealings with his orthodox
subjects. His hopes, however. have not been
realized. On tue contrary, matters have been
going from bad t. worse. Thanks to the growth
of the liquor traffic in the hands Of the Jews,
drunkenness has gone increasing rather than
diminishing, the financial condition of the peasant
has become more critical than ever the number
of unemployed Young Jewish graduates among
the ranks of the Nihllsts shows signs of falling
off, and ant-Jewish riots and disturbances are
OF almost daily occurrence Accordingly, the Gar.
having previously, consulted with an Imperial
Commission specially appointed to report upon the
but not all of the May laws. Inasmuch as the
mode of application of the latter depends on the
subaltrrn officials, it is inevitable that their en-
forcemcnt should in many partake Of an
unnecessarily veyatOus character This is. how
ever. far from being the intention either of the
Emperor or Of his principal advisers and admin
istrntors The sole object of the exceptional
legislation is to afford protection to the mouiik,
in whose interest His Mae not SO very long ago
abolished the onerous and detested podushnava.'
or capitation tax, formerly paid nv all peasants.
Additional testimony as to the truth Of this ali
sence Of any desire the part of the highest
authorities to unnecessarily harass the
Jews is 10 be found in tho fact thot there is no
attempt to obstruct or interfere with TIE Jew
ish forms Of worship or TO prevent the building of
synagoGu"s Far from there being any desire.
IS described in the foreign press to force the
Jews by oppression to abandon their faith and
to join the orthodox Church, every obstacle is
put in the way of proselytism. A Jew who has
embraced the orthodox faith has to UNDERGO a
series of humiliatons which are mostly beyond
the comprehension of Americans. The pope. or
village priest. has a right TO exercise tho most
tvrannica supervision of the moral conduct of .
Jewish convert. HIS control extends to asccr-
tanning that the said convert possesses the
requisite number Of holy hinges Of saints that
Re IectcS TO prescribed nilmba" of prayers. etr.
etc. etc. The extreme poverty. both in goods
temporal and moral, Of the average Russian
popes prompts them to the most abusive exac-
tions. The aforesaid moral supervision of the
converted Jew is also exercised bv the police,
who for their purpose enlist the secret SER
vice of servants and ncighbors. and this arb
trary system has given birth to an extensive
amount of blackmaling