New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-21
STATUS OF JEWS IN RUSSIA.

Hideous as is the crime of Kishinef, 1t cails
for no Mysteries and no indiscriminate ravlngs
against Russia, any more than for attempts 10
Justify race hatreds and their tragic outcome.
The simple facts are what the world wants.
and then impartial justice There mas peeh
some frenzied raving against all hussla' AoAi
the Emperor down. There nave also oeeh az
tempts To palliate the Bessarabian infamles anu
to make It appear that the Jews nave suHeFeo
not because of government DISCRIMINATORY
against them, but because OF their own pau
qualities. We have been told In oenaiI OF lhe
Russian Government that II gives the same pro
lection to Jews that 1t does to Russlans' thal
under Nicholas ii strove to establish the Jews
IN agriculture: that the Jews reluse TO oe Aail"-
ers. but insist upon being money lenders and
grogshop keepers; that they thus corrupt anu
ruin the Russian peasants, and that consequent
IL the latter now and then rise against them
The facts however seem to be somewhat diff
fersnt from these statements. The Jews were
admitted into Russia by Peter the Great two
centuries ago. Elizabeth expelled them In 1915
hut Cstharine II reaGmitted them, and Alex
ander | gave them full liberty In trade ana
industry. These latter privileges were Wltn-
drawn by Nicholas l, who excluded them from
the greater part Of the empire ana crowded.
them into few provinces. In annex1nS folhhu
Russia ACQUIRED large Jewish population mul-
titr1des of Jews having in the fourteenth cen
turv focked into Poland TO find asylum from
German persecution; and many more were an
nexed TO Bessarabia. So 1t comes about tnat
Russia has a larger Jewish population than any
other country in the world 1t is also uue tnaI
tho lows are treated with more harshness by
the Russian Government than by any other.
The "pale" within which Jews are permitted
West
Russia. excepting the Don Cossacks' country,
mart Of Little Russia and the one Baltic prov
ince Of CourIand From all the rest OF the en-
MIRO they are excluded by law. save that few
wealthy and influential Jews are tolerated there
contrary to the law, and that under q decree
of Alexander II, three Jews are permitted 10
live in each town where there is railway sta
ton But it must not be supposed that IN me
sixteen provinces within the pale the jews nave
ANYTHING like equal rights with Russians. III
Courland Jewish residents are confined TO de-
scendants of families settled there before $50.
In the provinces of West South and Little Rus
STA Jews are compelled to live within the towns
and are strictly forbidden to purchase, rent OF
occupy any agricultural land. They are prac-
ticallv excluded from the service OF the state
and from the learned professions. and are not
permitted to take part IN communal ana hlu-
nicipal elections.
So instead Of their refusing to be farmers the
Jews are in fact not permitted to engage lh
that occupation. They are crowded into the
towns and cities Of a part Of the empire and
are allowed to pursue only certain limited
class of calliAgs. The law compels them 10
do the very Things for which they are now con-
denned, the very things which, according 10
Russian apologists, cause the peasants to rise
against them If the Jews are an obJecuonaDie
element of the population 1t is the RUSSIAN GOV
eminent itself that has made them so Py IT'S
repressive and unjustly discriminating pohGy
toward them They are what 1t has made
+be,, tn blame them for it is as unreasonable
and uufust as the conduct Of the Kishinef mob
was wicked and barbarcus