The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-02-28

Russians have told me that il Is almcst
impossible to catch the Jews for military
service, owing to the facilities they enjoy
Of changing their domicile. The rail-
WAYS have been in Russia the greatest
possible blessing 10 the Jews, in that
they give them the means Of speedily
moving from place TO place, translcting
business ia parts Of the country where
they are forbidden, and disappearing
with their profits to a place Of safety be-
fore the government has become aware
OF what has happened. Forged pass
ports are readily procured, and with
these they move from point TO point,
sleeping on the train and transacting
their business through the day. They
avoid as much as possible spending any
time in town where they might be
called to account by the police. When
the recruiting authorities come 70 hunt
up their Jews for the military service
which all Russians have to render, they
are usually away from home, or have
been enrolled in some other tow1 or viii
lage. II they are finally caught and
brought before the military authorities,
they usually have papers certifying that
they are either too young or too old for
the service; in fact, the military author
titles regard it now as pretty well proved
tsat Of the three million Jews in the Rus
sian Empire, hardly one is Of military
age. In this matter of deceiving the
War Office the Jews are much assisted
by their local Jewish officials, whose du-
ty is to register births and grant certif-
Gates Of this kind but the matter at last
went to such ridiculous lengths that the
Russians have gone 70 the other extreme,
and now attach no importance whatever
to any document which the Jew may
produce, but draw their own conclusions
by looking at MIN, and pronounce him Of
military age or not according 10 his ap-
pearance or their inciinatiOns. IventuT-
Ell to point out to my friend that there
was little inducement for the Jew to en-
ter the army, where be was not apt to be
treated with much consideration, but my
friend replied that the behavior Of the
Jew in regard to his military service Was
analogous to his behavior in regard 10 all
his obligations to the state and every
community except his own.
a do not know how it is with you in
Ameriea," said he, but with US, whenev-
er you see a Jew who is rich, you may be
pretty sure that be has either contracted
to furnish food or clothing for the army.
or else has been several times bankrupt.
You would have great difficulty in dis
covering a rich Jew who has not been
bankrupt at least once"
The German Jew complains that his
eo-religionists are not often st lected for
military commands, and argues that be
is therefore not equal before the law.
The Jew is not often found as an officer
in the German army, simply because the
majority Of German officers do not desire
to serve with him. II the officers Of
Prussian regiment desired Jew to be-
come one Of their number. there is no
law in the country that would stand in
the way; for in this matter Of becom-
ming an officer the jew stands on foot
ing as good as and no better than Chris
tan. Every candidate for epaulets in
the German army submits his name to
the regiment in which he desires to serve
and has 10 be elected into the regiment,
much as though he were applying for
admission into a rowing clGo, or any
other semi social organization.
German politicians who to-day cham
pion the cause Of the Jews tell us that
during the wars Of liberation against
Napoleon I. Eve and half per cent. Of
the Jews who we're Of the military age
entered ths Prussian army as volunteers,
and that one OF the first soldiers 70 earn
the Iron Gross in those wars was 4 Jew.
From that day TO this the Jews in Ger
many have borne a good record in the
ranks Of the army, although few Of them
have become ofiicers-From The Rus
sian and his Jew" by Poultney Bigelow,
in HaTpT's Nqgg-ias for March.