Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-09-22
WOULD PROTECT
BALKAN JEWS
SECRETARY HAY APPEALS TO
EUROPEAN POWERS.
BASED ON BERLIN TREATY
Paper a Protest Against immigration
of Prosecuted Roumanian Jews
Into U. S.-Foreign Powers En-
Joined to Warn Government of
Roumania-Result of Petitions.

Washington, Sept 18.-With the
doule purpose of protecting the long
suffering Jews of the Balkan states
and averting the peril of immigration
into the United States of horde or
paupers, Secretary Hay has adopted
the unusual course of appealing to the
powers of Europe to force one of their
children to observe the obligations of
humanity in the case of the jews.
The appeal takes the form of state
paper which has been dispatched in
identical form to every am
bassador and Minister of the united
States residing in countries of
Europe which were parties to the
famous treaty at Berlin in 1878.
Great Britain, France Germany,
Russia, Italy, Austria and Turkey.
This treaty marked the termination
Of the Turko-Russian war and the ere
alton by direct act of the powers OF
the independent Balkan states. Be
cause the powers are thus responsible
for the existence of Roumania, the
culprit in this case, the secretary of
in hope they will bring this government
to a sense of it's duties toward civil
cation at large as we'll as to cause it
to ameliorate the frightful condition
Of the Roumanian Jews In a meas
ure this action by the department of
state may be traced to numerous pc
titions from the Jewish societies and
humanitarians generally, as we'll as
to the warnings Of publicists respect
ing the growing dangers of the immi-
grafton of degenerates.
The secretary's note considers in
Roumania, reciting the facts that the
governments course is such that
these people can neither earn living
nor acquire an education and that
their condition morally under such
circumstances makes admission to the
! United States Objectionable.
Secretary Hay cites an article of the
treaty of Berlin prescribing that "in
ROumania the difference of religious
creeds and confessions shall not be al
legged against any person as ground
for exclusion or incapacity in matters
relating to the enjoy ment of civil and
political rights, admission to public
emplOymentS, functions and honOrs,
or exercise of various professions and
industries in any locality whatsoever"
and STIMULATING freedom in the eXer-
else of all forms of worship to Rou-
manian dependencies and foreigners
alike, as well as guaranteeing that all
foreigners in Roumania shall be treat
j ed without distinction of creed on a
footing of perfect equality.
The secretary says in conclusion
Whether consciously and of purpose
or not, these helpless people burdened
and spurned by their native land are
forced by the sovereign power of Rou-
mania upon the charity of the United
States. This government cannot be a
tacit party to such international
wrong. 1t is constrained to protest
against the treatment to which Jews
from Roumania are subjected, not
alone because it has unimpeachable
ground to demonstrate against the re-
sultant injury to itself, but in the
name OF humanity. The United States
! may not authoritatively appeal to the
stipulations of the treaty of Berlin. to
which it was not and cannot become
signatory, but it does earnestly ap-
peal to the principles consigned there
in because they are principles of inter
national law and eternal justice, ad-
vocating the broad federation which
that solemn compact enjoins and
standing ready to lend it's moral sup
port to the fulfllment thereof by it's
CO signatories, for the act of Rou-
mania itself has effectively joined the
United States to them as an interest