Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-02-19
THE JEWS IN RUSSIA.
Oppression and Heavy Burdens Laid on
Them.
New York Tribune.


ships suffered by the Jews in Russia. The
tered in almost all civilized countries of
the world are unheeded The humble pc
titions of thousands of loyal and indus.
| trious Jews In Russia are also UNDECIDED.
Perhaps, though, UNDECIDED is not the right
| word. Some notice is taken of these things
| by the government. But the only result
! if the reverse of what is prayed for The
| hapless lsraelites are treated all the more
severely, by way of Furnishing them for not
rejoicing under persecution and for having
ss mpathetic friends elsewhere. The venr-
cradle rabbi who declared that this
was the worst persecution since the Baby
lonish captivity was not far wrong Ger
tainly not in all the dark ages, not even in
Spain, were the ''choser people, treated
worse than now. The extra-legal persecu-
tions need not be named. They are really
too horrible, In many cases, to name. 1t
seems to be generally understood that any
crime committed by Christian" against
a Jew will be winked at; and 80 every i'm
aginable outrage and infamy is heared
upon them. But apart from these things,
the legal and officially authorized oppres-
sion is bad enough to make the present
age notable In the history Of persecution.
1t is well, In sober earnest. to review brief
ly the legislation. if arbitrary DEGREES can
can be called legislation, aimed specifically
at tie Jews
To begin with taxes. All Russians are
heavily taxed. But in addition to the
taxation which they share with the rest
of the people, the Jews suffer several
special taxes One of these is the box
tax. which is levied upon every pound of
meat butchered according to Jewish rites,
which means of course, all the meat eaten
by Jews. This increases the cost Of meas
to Jews about Is per cent. above tie cost
of meat to Christians. But this tax goes
further than meat. 1t is levied on the
rents of all buildings owned by Jews. on
the profits of all business conducted by
Jews, upon all property bequeathed by
Jews to their heirs. npon all clothing
worn by the Jews, and On various other
Jewish interests. For example, every
Jew has to pay $3.50 year for the p'ivi.
I ledge of wearing skull cap at familyprayer
according to the universal custom Of his
people. Nor is this The only tax on his
religious rites, for there is another So
called candle tax which is levied 1pon all
candles burned by Jews in religious ohser-
vance. Now it is the custom for every
Jewish housewife to light at least two
candles on every Sabbath and on every
festival day. The aggregate of this cam
die tax is an en- rmous sum. There is al
so printing tax levied on all printing
presses operated by Jews. ranging from
Sl4 to $40, according to the size of the
press.
No Jew may enter the civil service or
practice law or medicine. No Jew may
hold any local or municipal office or lake
part In any election for the same. No
Jew may be member of school board,
or be Il police magistrate, nor be foreman
of jury, nor be master or vice master OF
guild.
If such is the oppression of the Jews in
their public relations, what degree Of lib
erty do they enjoy In their private life?
There the picture is. if possible, more dis
tressing still. With few exceptions
Jews are allowed to reside only in certain
localities. Once settled they are forbidden
to move. No Jew may own land In any
form or for any purpose, nor may he cul-
tivate any land which he may hire. In
deed, he is forbidden to hire agricultural
land at all. He may lend money on land
it he likes, but he cannot foreclose the
mortgage. Nor may he act as manager or
Ou d ldIlu. mus. Willie II cOlu-
planned of the Jews that they monopolize
trade In the towns, the law itself drives
them into the towns and forbids them to
live elsewhere. And then, once herded in
the towns. what arc they to do? They
must stay right there. They carnot even
remove from one town to another. Nay,
Jew is not even permitted to walk mile
outside the town limits unless he first Sc
cures passport, for which. of course, he
must pay round sum. And In the town
he is compelled by law to be member of
some guild or trade association, but the
master and vice master of the guild must
be Christians, and those officers have abso-
lutte authority over the members to fine or
expeI them at WILL The result is that in
all industrial pursuits the Jews suffer
ju-t as odions discrimiD alton as in public
life.
To go further still into private life
of The Jew, it is to be observed that in no
school are there allowed 10 he more than
ten per cent. of Jewish pupils. In many
towns the Jews form fifty per cent OF the
population, and so the majority of their