The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-02-28
THE JEWS OF RUSSIA.

Some Concessions Made to Them Gorky's Good Word.
 Owing to what is supposed to be a relaxation of government stringency with the people, Jews have been al- lowed to acquire, in strictly limited quantities. landed estate all over Rus sia, A Jewish newspaper has been sanctioned. A few decisions of the high CT courts, defining the rights to Jewish widows to reside in the places where their husband were resident, and other similar matters, are all taken by the extreme patriot to indicate a change of the government point of view to- wards the Jew, and indignation is free ly expressed at the Imminent peril" as the "Novoe Vremya" calls it, the peril being that the Jews will overrun the country, and by their superior in- dustry and astuteness gradually get a great deal of power into their own hands. It is pointed out that the Jews were enormously interested in the liquor traffic in Russia, and that the in- troduction of the government monopoly has released vast amount of Jewish capital which it's owners are seeking to put into land.
 The recently concluded conscription drafts have again shown somewhat strongly two disquieting features. First, the large number of young men rejected physical defects and the in- creasing tendency to escape, by every means possible, the burden of military service. The former defect is attribut- ed, to a large extent, to the frequent famines and the consequent ill-develop- ed frames of the rising generation. As to the latter case it has generally been stated only of the Jews, until investi- gations drew forth the fact that larger drafts were made on the Jews than their number warranted. and the exemptions, equally out of proportion, were not always unconnected with bribery in various forms. . . These annual stories of the efforts made by considerable masses of the population to evade the military service and an unpleasant comment upon the system which, in Russian eyes, contrast so favorable with the hired fighters of England.
 An interview with Mexican Gorky, the Russian writer, has been published, in which he made the following state ment: ''The Jews are generally known to me, for having simple laborer, I worked on daily hire with Jewish colo nists in the Kherson and Ekaterfno- slay governments. I very often was made use of by them as their 'Shabbos Goy-i. e., I put out their lamps on Friday night, carried their parcels on Saturday, etc. And truth to tell, I shall never forget that beautiful and natural sanctity inherent in that nation, the sight of which enjoyed, and espec- ially their bright family and domestic life. I still remember how my spirits rose when they rewarded me with a morsel of white ebraed-'Chala'-or some cake for my service on the Sabbath.
 But now it seems to me that the Jews have given up that simplicity, and one cannot find among them any longer that poetry of life which I used so to admire. What pity that this original ity of the Jewish race is generally dis appearing in our civilized world!" MT. Gorky was invited to visit the Pale of Jewish settlement, to which he replied: q have already decided to do so, be- cause wish to express my affection to the Jewish nation, not however, as a man who pities and sympathizes with the sufferings of persecuted nation, but as one grateful for all that good which the Jewish nation has done to the civilized world when that civilized world inflicted that nation with heavy torture and persecution. And my strongest wish is to see the Jews as remnant of ancient times, and to con- vince myself that fate has preserved them as the exponent of the greatness of the race in the ancient world" Passing to Zionism, MT. Gorky said: T have my personal views on Zionism, but I am afraid to utter them publicly. I own that hitherto I formed no correct idea on Judaism apart from the data which obtained from the newspapers"
 The Novosti, which has always proved remarkably accurate in it's fore casts of administrative proposals, reaf- firms the statement it recently made in regard to pending legislation for the settlement of the eternal Jewish ques- tion in Russia. It asserts that the min ister of the interior has under conside- ration a scheme for the gradual revi- sion of the whole of the exceptional laws to which the Jews are subject throughout the CZar's dominions. As g. commencement, the draft of measure has been prepared for submission to the council of state, in accordance with which members of the Hebrew commit nifty will be allowed to acquire land and settle in any part of the empire with out restrictions as to locality.-Ameri- can Hebrew.