Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-16

ton with which the American people heard
of the dreadful outrages upon the Jews III
Kishineff. l have never In my experience
in this country known of a more immaculate
or a deeper expression of sympathy for the
victims and of horror over the appalling
calamity that has occurred. 1t Is natural
that while the whole civilized world shoulu
express such a feeling, 1t should yet be
most intense and most widespread IN the
United States; for of all the great powers
think 1 may say that the United States Is
that country IN which from the beginning
of its national career most has oeen done
in the way of acknowledging the debt due
to the Jewish race and of endeavoring to do
justice to those American citizens who are
of Jewish ancestry and faith. One or the
most touching poems of our own great poet,
Longfellow, is that on the Jewish cemetery
in Newport, and any one who goes through
any of the old cemeteries of the cities
which preserve the records of colonial times
will see the name of many an American OF
Jewish race who in war or in peace did his
full share in the founding of this nation
From that day to this, from the day when
the Jews of Charleston, of Philadelphia. or
New York, supported the patriot cause,
and helped In every way, not only by money,
but by arms, Washington and his col
leagues, who were founding this republic
from that day to the present we have had
no struggle, military civil, in which
there have not been citizens OF Jewish faith
who played an eminent part for the honor
and the credit of the nation
II remember once General Howard men
tioning to me the fact that two of his bri-
gade commanders upon whom he had
placed special reliance were Jews. Among
the meetings of the Grand Army which 1
have attended one stands out with peculiar
vividnesS-a meeting held under the aus
pieces of the men Of the Grand Army Of
Jewish creed in the temple in 44th street,
Temple Emanuel, to welcome the returned
veterans of the Spanish-American war OF
Jewish faith.
Personal Experiences.
when in Santiago. when 1 was myself In
the army, one of the best colonies among
the regular regiments who did so well on
that day, and who fought beside me, was a
Jew. One of the commanders of the ships
which in the blockade of the Cuban coast
did so we'll was Jew. In my own regi-
ment promoted five men from the ranks
for valor and good conduct in battle. 1t
happened by pure accident, for 1 knew
nothing of the faith of any one of them.
that these included two Protestants, two
Catholics and one Jew; and while that was
a pure accident, 1t was not without its value
as an illustration of the ethnic and re-
ligious makeup of our nation and of the
fact that If man is a good American that
is all we ask without thinking OF his creed
or his birthplace. In the same way when l
was police commissioner in New York
had experience after experience of the ex-
cellent work done-an excellent work need
q
what I might call the Maccabee type-in
the police department under me by police
officers of Jewish extraction Let me give
you one little Incident with a direct bearing
upon this question of persecution for race
or religious reasons. You may possibly
CALI am sure certain of my New York
friends will recall-that during the time I
was police commissioner a man came from
Abroad am sorry to say, a clergyman
to start an antiJewish agitation in New
York, and announced his intention of hold
ing meetings to assail the Jews The matter
was brought to my attention. OF course, 1
had no power to prevent those meetings.
After a good deal of thought I detailed
Jewish sergeant and forty Jew policemen
to protect the agitator while he held his
meetings; so he made his speeches denounc-
ing the Jews protected exclusively by Jews,
which 1 always thought was probably the
very most effective answer that could pos
sibly be made to him. and probably the best
object lesson we could give of the spirit in
which we Americans manage such matters.
Now let me give you another little ex-
ample dealing with a Russian Jew. ex-
perience that had while handling the po-
lice department, and that could have &C.
CURED, I think, nowhere else than in the
United States. There was certain man /
appointed under the following conditions:
was attracted to him by being told, on a
visit to the Bowery branch of the Young
Mems Christian Association that they had
young fellow there, a Jew, who had per
formed feat of great note in saving peo-
thought he was just the type for a police
man. l had him called up. and told him to
ia Ike the examination and see If he could
get through He did, and he passed. He has
not only been an excellent policeman, but
he at once. out of his salary, proceeded 70
educate his younger brothers and sisters.
and he got either two or three of his old
kinsfolk over from Russia through the
money he had saved. and provided homes
for them.
Personal Interest and Sympathy
Il have given you examples of men who
have served under me in my administration
of the police department in New York and
in my regiment. In addition thereto some
of my nearest social friends, some of those
with whom I have been closest in political
life have been men of Jewish faith and ex-
traction. Therefore inevitably l have felt
a degree of personal sympathy and per-
sonal horror over this dreadful tragedy as
great as can exist In the minds of any of
you gentlemen yourselves. Exactly as l
should claim the same sympathy from any
one of you for any tragedy happening to
any Christian people, so l should hold my
self unworthy of my present position If
failed to feel just as deep sympathy and
lust as deep sorrow and just as deep horror
over an outrage like this done to the Jewish
people in any part of the earth. / am con-
fident that much good has already been
done by the manifestations throughout this
soever of horror and sympathy over what
has occurred. 1t is gratifying to know,
what we would, of course, assume, that the
government of Russia shows the feelings
of horror and indignation with which the
American people look upon the outrageS at
kishinev, and is moving vigorously not only
to prevent their continuance, but TO punish
the perpetrators. That government takes
the same view of those outrages that our
own government takes of the riots and
lynchings which sometimes in our
country, but do not characterize either our
government or our people.
Il have been visited by the Russian am
bassador on his own initiative and in addi-
ton to what has been said to Secretary Hay
the Russian ambassador has notified me
personally without any inquiry upon nv
part that the governor of Kishiney has
been removed; that between 800 and 400 of
the participants in the outrages have been
arrested; and he voluntarily stated that
those men would be punished to the utmost
that the law would permit
Will Consider the Suggestions.
II will consider most carefully the sug-
gestions that you have submitted to me,
and whether the now existing conditions
are such that any further official expression
would be of advantage to the unfortunate
survivors with whom we symDathize 40