The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-20
ROUMANIA TERRORIzED
AWFUL CONDITION OF JEWS
TOLD BY AN ENGLISH RABBI


AWFUL CONDITION OF JEWS
TOLD BY AN ENGLISH RABBI
Rulers Declared Not to Blame-king'
and Queen PowerIess to Help Suffer-
ines Brought About by Politicians
Slight Improvement of Affairs Fol-
lowed by a Situation Worse Than
Ever.
LONDON. Oct. 19.-Just at the time
European diplomats are disturbing
themselves over the American note to
the powers concerning the Roumanian
Jews. distinguished scholar returns to
London from Bucharest. whittier he
went to have heart-to- heart talk with
the king on this very subject, and to
see with his own eyes what might be
the present condition of these Jews on
whom Secretary Hay has focused the
worlds attention.
l have just had long talk with this
investigator, and find that, if anything,
the American note underestimate the
shocking condition to which the cor
rupt little Roumanian government has
reduced these subjects.
My informant is the Rev. DR.. Caster,
chief rabbi Of what are known as the
Sephardi communities in England. oc-
casional lecturer at Oxford on Slavonic
and Byzantine literature, author of
history of Roumanian literature, and
many other learned works. He is a ma
tive of Roumania and was lecturer
in the Bucharest university, but was
expelled from the country for his work
in behalf Of the Jews, who were having
a hard life of it in Roumania even as
far back as 1885. His standing is indi-
Gated by the fact that on his return to
his native land a few months ago he
was invited to lunch with the king and
queen Carmen SYLVIA and to lay be-
fore them any suggestions he could Of
fer for the solution of the problem,
which at present looks as If it meant
either ruin to Roumania, or else ruin to
the Jews Thereon both.
Moved the King.
Dr. Caster is chary Of giving any
results of his long private talk with
with the king for an hour and a half
except to say that his suggestions
received most careful consideration
and that there was some hope that
the country could be awakened to the
frightful hardships it was imposing
on it's Hebrew inhabitants, even before
the United States interviewed.
But, on the other hand, the learned
doctor has no language strong enough
tn q
ment over which the king as consti-
tutional monarch has little power, OF
to paint the miseries Of the Jews who
remain in this unhappy kingdom.
1.-The total number of the people for
whom America has taken this kindly
STEP" said DR.. Caster, "is now only
10000. OF these there are not now
more than 500 whose total wealth is
$500, although many were compare
lively rich a few years ago. estimate
that the average earnings per family
are 81 a week, owing to the laws which
have cut the Jews off from one en-
ployment after another, until the keep
ing of shops in the towns under all
sorts of monstrous restrictions is about
all that is left to them. Many OF them
are starving in the streets already, and,
at this rate, their sufferings soon will
be beyond description.
Thousands Have Already Left.
81 estimate that there are about U.s.
900 Jews who have left Roumania In
the last five years, all of them edu-
Gated workmen of a high class. There
are not more than $4,000 more that can
leave, the rest being too young and
too old, or having ties that would
rnake it impossible for them to leave
The Joke of 1t all is that the Rou-
manian government actually doesn't
want the Jews to leave, for they are
the only economic factor in the coun-
try. They supply the middle class,
without which a nation cannot exist.
There are no native bourgeoise in
Roumar1ia-only the feudal class, most
of whom are foreigners, or the de-
scendants of foreigners, and, on the
other hand. the peasants, who are the
real Roumanians, but none of whom
have direct vote. Out of a total pop
uiation Of 100000, practically 100000
are disfranchs ed. Furthermore, the
actual political power rests in the
hands of some $4,000 voters. The help
less peasants. who have suffered al
most equally with the Jews from the
greed of this ruling class, have always
been on friendly terms with the Jews
and would like to see them stay in
Roumania.
mot only have the Jews been driven
out of one occupation after another,
hut they have also been the victims Of
pei sonal violence. They are beaten on
the slightest provocation, and every
row and then are mobbed by rioters
paid by politicians.
IT can see no future either for Rou-
mania or for the Jews who stay there.
The latter will have to emigrate or
starve, but there need be no alarm in
the United States about an influx of
pauper labor. Even If they all went to
the United States-all Of the $4,000 who
can get away. l mean-they would be
only a drop in the ocean Of annual i'm
migration to that country. Many of
them. however, would go to Canada,
tells me that the Roumanian Jews are
among the most desirable Of the peo-
pie who enter the country.
Temporary Improvement.
s'Roumania was frightened when so
many Jews emigrated the year before
last, and under the government of M.
Carp did little something to anchor
ate their condition. Then Sturdza be-
came premier and made the conditions
for the Jews worse than ever. He Is
the descendant of a foreign family, but
he has made 1t his policy to hate every
thing foreign. including In that cate
CORY Jews whose ancestors were liv-
Ing in Roumania generations before
the Sturdza family immigrated from
Greece"
The laws against the Jews which
have been piled one on top Of the other
in Rouma11ia are nothing short of
amazing. They began by making all
Jews aliens. Later the police were