New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-17
THE PALE"
What 1t Means IN Modern Russia.


Davitt Zinc. PIP. xiv. 300. A. s Barnes & Co.
| a federal law-writes Michael Davitt in his
| intense examination of the Russian Jew
| probem-which should require every European
| born artisan and laborer in this country to 1--we
| within the State of Pennsylvania, and FORBID
them to seek employment outside its cities ana
| towns. would be just parallel to the RUSSIAN
| system of combining the Jews within the pale.
| This district, which embraces fifteen provinces
-Kovno. Vitebsk, wilma, Mohilev, Mlnsk'
| Grodno Volhynia Chernigov. Plotava, klev'
| Podolia Bessarabia. Cherson. EkaterlnoslaV
and Taurida-is further narrowed for the Jews
| by law which forbids them to live within
| thirty-three miles of the frontier. The total
! area of the pale is about equal TO tflat Oh
| France. The population foots up to some 20
| 100000 of which 100000 are Jews. AS, now
| ever with the exception Of 1.OO0OOO in Poland
| they are compelled to live within the towns
and cities. of which the population is not more
| than 100000. the proportion of Jews in the
| urban population is about three in every five.
| This urban population averages ODD for every
| thousand OF the rural residents. In other
| parts of Russia. where Jews are not allowed
the average ratio of town to rural inhabitants
| is fifty-nine to thousand.
| These facts and figures show how impossible it
| is under present economic conditions lot any
| healthy or hopeful prospect of industrial NE 10
1
| and traders, and as these out of all proper
| ton to the producers and consumers OF an agrl-
| cultural country they necessarily become more
| destitute and wretched as their numbers IN
| crease. They too poor to emigrate They
| are prohibited from migrating. Ihey cannot
seek work land They are not permitted 10
| engage in several occupations. Municipal and
| government posts practically closed 10 then
| They have to compete with Russian workers for
| such means of existence s can be found and in
the face of these facts they are reproached Tor
their poverty and made subject to special taxa
ton.
The main inspiration Of the sangunary perse-
cution Of the Jews by the Russian people. which
breaks out from time to time as in 1891, when
the special permits TO various classes of Jews TO
live without the pale were revoked, and again at
Kishineff this year. the author holds to be the
legend of the annual killing of Christian chill
dren by Jews a part of the blood atonement
in Hebrew Paschal rites. This supposed prac-
tice has been seriously assumed true in books by
learned men and Russian and Austrian news
paper reports of late Against it were directed
Papal bulls far back as the Middle Ages IL
IS suggested by the author that Pope Plus. the
Gar ann the Emperor of Austria could undo the
efficacy of this superstition by official pronounce
| uent To the Russian official the Jewish popu-
lation is a serious puzzle. constant irritation
because of racial and religious antthesis, and a
menace because of intellectual alertness. So the
|
zenship and disallowed all its privileges. Added
to the popular dislike he otherwise incurs. the
| necessity of working at anything for the
| wages of bare subsistence brings down upon
| him the contempt of the laboring men,
| The prejudice deepens as the scale is assembled
| The higher branches Of the public service look
| upon the Jew as a possible rival of great force
| If given equal advantages. The Jew also has
| been identified with socialistic propaganda, and
| through the Russian Government, perhaps more
than any other, is frankly experimenting with
and tentatively adopting social reforms in its
| administration, always Of course in paternal-
! istic control vet the leaven of unrest for which
| the>Jew in great part stands calls for his ex-
| pulsion The author can see no hope Tor the
solution of the problem, satisfactory to Jews
! or Russians in Russia. and holds that no coun-
| try can be expected to relieve the empire by
| receiving this undesirable class of immigrants,
until at least their debased characteristics be
| remedied by freer exercise of national Oppor-
tunity. Zionism, he holds, is the one possible
remedy, and is imperative. The proposition
| rnooted at the late Zionist convention at Basic,
| for the founding of a Jewish empire in parcel
Of land in Africa to be acquired from Great
| Britain instead Of in Palestine, was too recent
| for mention in this book.
The state of public opinion in Kishineff which
| made the late outbreak there possible was
| largely the result of a violently anti Semitic
| newspaper the "Bessarabetz." y few weeks
before the riots a boy murdered and
| young girl committed suicide; and, though
| proof OF the true origin OF these deaths was
| fully made at once, they were seized upon with
| complete effect by the "Bessarabetz' to infame
| popular Iassion to the point of violence. The
story of the riots is told by reproducing the
| letters the author wrote TO the newspaper for
| which he acted as correspondent when gather
| ing the information presented in his book. The
| letters of n. De Plehve to Mr.. Arnold White,
published in THE London Times repro
| duced TO show the official explanation, as gath
| cred through the reports of subordinates in
volved The author then digests the results of
his own inquiry. He found evidence that the
| rising was carefully prepared and not spon-
| famous; that the mobs were led by students
| and seninarists and composed principally of
| Moldavians, not Russians; that they were made
| possible by a superstitious public opinion mis-
| led by anti-Semitic organ with which the
| local authorities apparently in sympathy,
| and that these authorities were inactive. though
| they might have controlled the disorder. There
| was no evidence of disregard of excuses higher
| up than the dismissed governor, nor any of
| conrlicity with plot. The better class of Rus
! SLAMS however were found to blame the Jews
| for their supposed commercial oppression. The
| author himself did not discover any consider
| able ill feeling among the peasants attributable
| to this cause. The clergy and local ecclesiastlc
! authorities maintained a surprising attitude OF
| Indifference. and the people of Kishneff gen
orally seemed callous to the gravity of the
atrocities and in ignorance of the widespread
| hol.ar and indignation abroad.
Tho text of a petition addressed by the Jews
| Of kie5f-5eT q notice al