The morning call., 1894-07-09
THE RUSSIAN TREATY.

It seems that the new treaty with Russia
Will probably be abrOgated within twelve
month of its ratification. The treaty pro-
vided for the extradition OF various classes
of criminals. among others nihilsts and
dynaniters. being in line in this respect
with the treaties which have lately been
concluded between the leading European
nations. At the time it was signed it was
predicted that it would give rise to trouble.
as the Russian authorities might not agree
with our courts on the evidence required
to prove that a man was a nihilist or a
dynamiter. But it seems that the compact
is breaking down On wholly different
grounds
A Jewish rabbi. born in Russia but
settled and naturalized in Philadelphia in
this country. devised a scheme which
seemed to him to be calculated to carry
out the policy of Jewish exclusion with
out the present dreadful crueltles attend
ing upon the execution Of that policy. On
exam ming the map he found that the pop
ulation of Russia was very unequally dis
tributed. Thus. while the province of
Moscow, with 1900 square miles, con-
tains 1000, 600 people, and the province of st.
Petersburg. with 10000 square miles. con-
tains over 100000 people, the province of
Archangel contains less than one person
to the square mile. the Taurde with %, 900
square miles, contains less than a million,
Uleaborg, in Finland, with $1,000 square
miles, has only q population Of 200, 600; the
Transcaspian region, which covers 800, 900
square miles, has only 100000; Tobolsk.
with $4,000 square miles, has 1,280,000; !;
1rl- hoo OH in hah tn .
square mile, and Yakutsk one TO every
six square miles. Keff. where a large
Jewish population is concentrated, con-
tains fifteen persons to the square mile.
II occurred to this Jewish rabbi that by
removing the Russian Jews from provinces
where they are numerous to provinces
which are so thlnly populated that settlers
of any creed would be welcome one of the
causes Of the present race prejudice would
be effaced, and pregnant source Of rrita-
ton checked. On application to leading
Hebrew bankers the rabbi found that he
could obtain funds TO defray the cost of
the transportation. He therefore applied
to the Russian Government for permission
to travel through the empire to survey
sites suitable for Jewish occupation and to
negotiate for their purchase. His applica-
ton was refused with deep regret"
The refusal is viewed by many as evil
deuce of q purpose on the part of Russia
to put q one-sded Interpretation on the
treaty. By that instrument the United
States might be asked 10 arrest any Rus
sian subject and to hold him in custody
till Russian spies furnished prima-facie
evidence of his being concerned in plots
IA
ernment reserved to itself the right of ex-
cluding from Russian soil, and possibly
incarcerating, an American citizen whose
purposes were wholly philanthropic. This
strikes many people as an unequal
bargain, and Congressman Straus has in
troduced into the House, and Senator Tur-
pie into the Senate, resolutions providing
rits abrogati0n. The Louisville Courier
Journal takes the extreme ground that in
view of the persecution of Jews in Russia
we should honor ourselves by refusing to
have any sort of international relations
with that empire on the ground that it is
not safe TO risk the whlms OF so absolute
an autocrat
Other objectors take the ground that the
treaty was mistake from the first, and in
rounda bout way hint that it is the out
crop of bargain by which the Standard
Oil Company secured protection against
competition by the Russian oil wells in
exchange for surrender of Russian sus-
poets by the United States. However this
may be, there is room for argument against
reciprocal extradition treaty between
countries whose criminal codes differ so
widely as our code and the Russian.