The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1894-06-07
A CRUEL ADVANTAGE.

why the Russian Peasants Hate Their
Jewish NeiRhbors.
"Why do you hate the Jew9" one
day asked my Russian friend.
"Because," said he, 1.-The jew brings
nothing into the country, he takes all
he can out Of IL, and while he Is here he
makes the peas, Mt his slave, and lives
only for the sale of squeezing money
out of everything"
This was a strong statement, bur he
went on TO amplify it by a variety OF
illustrations.
After the Polish insurrection Of 1858,
the Russian government set to work
energetically to Russifv that country,
and particularly Lithuania- The prin-
cipal means they employed, aside from
actively prosecuting the heterodox In
religion and politics, was to colonize
large numbers of peasants from the
interior of Russia upon farms which
had been confiscated. Agricultural
implements were furnished to these
peasants, and everything was done to
start them well, so as to form
nucleus OF Russian life In the midst Of
the disloyal provinces. Twenty year
have passed since this great Russifying
measure was put into force, and what
is the result?
If, as traveller, you come into
Russian village, IL is dirtier, IL posi-
BILE. than those of the neighboring
Lithuanians and Poles You ask for
horses to continue your journey, and
are quickly supplied by these Rus
slams; the price is fixed, and you are
about to pay IL to the Russian who
brings your carriage TO the door. He,
however, refuses to take IL, and begs
that you will pay the money not to
him, but to the proprietor of the tav-
ern. You ask why. He answers that
he is not allowed TO take any
money, that the horses he
has brought belong to the Jew.
You begin TO inquire, and you
tavern, but trades in all the articles
which the peasants have to buy. You
learn also that the jew Is creditor to
nearly every peasant for miles around,
and has a lien upon everything which
that peasant may grow upon his land.
You find that the peasant cultivates
his land not for himself, but for the
Jew. and that all his reward is the
privilege of bare existence.
There are many patriotic and hui
name Russians who have given it to me
as their deliberate opinion that the
Russian peasant would he better off to.
day had he never been emnncipatcd.
lie is dreamy, good-naturcd, unpracti'
cal and very ignorant When he is
easy for him to accept the loan which
the accommodating tavern-kecper
offers him, particularly if he has
one or two glasses Of vodka inside OF
him Like child, he thinks little Of
the ultimate consequences and much
of the present enjoyment. lie signs
the paper which is placed before him,
and believes, of course, that he will
easily pay off his debt with the next
harvest, particularly as the jew prom
ises TO be most accommodating, and
not press for money payment. He
sends, of course, the produce of his
farm to the jew, who acts as broker
for him, and reserves his commission,
and what he is pleased to consider the
interest on his money; and by some
mysterious method of calculation the
peasant is always the debtor, and the
Jew always happy TO accommodate
him still further on the same terms.
Poultney Bigelow, in Harper's Maya.
zine.