The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-28
Former President OeROuRceS
Massacre Of The Jews
We CAN'T Be TOO HARSH
He is Heartily In Favor of Notifying
the Government In Unmistakable
Terms of the Feeling Exist
Ing Against the Outrage.

New York, May 27.-Grover Cleveland
tonight addressed large audience in
Carnegie hall on the situation Of Jews
in Bessarabia since the massacre of Kishi-
neff. Mr.. Cleveland said;
'I have only word to say; but l wish
to be counted among those who are in
hearty sympathy with the purpose of this
meeting. This demonstration furnishes
cheering and re-assuring evidence that
our American sympathy for the op-
pressed and abused wherever they may
be, our American love of humanity and
our attachment to justice and right, are
still active and unimpaired. There is an
other American trait inwoven, warp and
woof of our national character, which is
here exhibited iE most gratifying fresh
ness and strength. Our people when their
sympathies are touched, when their hui
name instincts are challenged, and when
their hatred of oppression is aroused, are
not afraid to speak; and in such cir
cumstances 1t Is not their habit to
smother or cautiously soften their
words
Humane Sentiment Shocked.
EVERY American humane sentiment has
been shocked by late attack on the
Jews in Russia an attack murderous,
atrocious and in every way revolving. As
members of thesfamily of mankind and as
citizens of a free nation, we are here to
give voice to the feeling that should stir
every true man and every American
worthy of the name. There Is something
intensely horrible In the wholesale murder
of unoffending defenseless men, women
and children, who have been tactly IL
not expressly, assured or sarety und@
the protection of a professedly civilized
government Such things give rise to
distressing fear that even the enlighten-
ment of the twentieth century has neither
DESTROYED nor subdued the barbarity of
human nature, nor wholly redeemed the
civilized world from mans inhumanity
to man.
1--WE, and all our countrymen, protest
in the strongest language at our com
mand and with the moral force which our
American citizenship gives us. against
these murders and outrages; and we in
sist that swift and condign punishment
ought to be visited upon their barbarous
perpetrators. Nor is this all. We will, In
a fashion quite American and with OPEN
handedness, always displayed when hui
man distress appeals to us. assist the
families made homeless and robbed OF
support by murder and those who. wound
ed and terrorized and In hunger and
want, have been driven from their homes.
Cannot &C Too Far.
Il know how easily our indignation
prompts us to the use of strong language
and | know how naturally we are tempt
ed to indulge in overdrawn statements
and extravagant demands on such occa-
sions as this, and | am sure that in our
characterization of the crimes we here
contemplate and In expressing our de-
testation of the criminals, we cannot go
too far. / desire to avoid sounding dis
cordant note; but yet / cannot refrain
from the suggestion that the moral effect
of our protest and the usefulness of this
demonstration will not be lessened If we
require lndubitable proof before we ac-
cuse the government of Russia with guilty
completely in the crimes committed with
In her borders and 1t seems to me we
may well consider the proper relationship
by nations before we demand more pro-
found interference on the part of our
own government | do not say that the
Russian government may not, by sins
of omission or commission. be justly de-
serving of our condemnation; but we
should not be swift to assume this when
we remember that we ourselves nave
found 1t impossible to prevent mob vio-
lence and murderous assaults In Wyom-
ing and on Italians In Louisiana.
Wants to Inform Government.
"I am distinctly and unequivocally In
favor of informing our government In un-
mistakable terms of our indignant and
deep condemnation of the late outrages
ON the Jews in Russia; but | hope that
in obedience to the -netates of American
custom anu moderation, which are never
long obscured, we may be even now Just
and fair. and that we will be content TO
forego perplexing and extreme demands
on our government for violent action.
Our public servants should hear us speak;
hut we certainly ought TO be justified in
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