Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-28
MISUNDERSTANDING
Mr.. Cleveland So Terms
Kishine8 Horror.
GREAT MASS MEETING
PROOF NEEDED BEFORE RUSSIA Is
BLAMED, HE SAYS.
Former President Adds Caution
Against Undue Haste in Fix
ing Responsibility.


Former President Grover Cleveland was
the principal speaker at great mass
meeting held in Carnegie Hall. New York.
last night, to denounce the killing of Jews
at Kishineff. Mr.. Cleveland was accorded
an ovation. His speech was as follows:
Il have only a word to say. but wish
to be counted among those who are In
hearty sympathy with the purposes of this
meeting. The influences which have called
us together tonight grew out of our recog-
milton of the promptings of Christian civil
ization, and our dutiful devotion to the
best and deepest of our national character
istics. This demonstration furnishes cheer
ing and reassuring evidence that our
American sympathy for the oppressed and
abused wherever they may be, our Ameri-
can love of humanity, and our attachment
to justice and right, are still active and UNI
impaired.
Ready to Denounce Tyranny.
There is another American trait in
woven with the warp and wool of our ma
tional character, which is here exhibited
in most gratifying freshness and strength
Our people, when their sympathies are
touched when their humane instincts are
challenged and when their hatred of OPP
preston is aroused are not afraid to speak,
and In such circumstances 1t is not their
habit to smother or cautiously soften their
words.
Every humane American sentiment has
been shocked by late attack on the Jews
in Russia-an attack murderous, atroclous
and in every way revolving. AS members
of the family of mankind and as citizens
Of a free nation ives 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, de-
fenseless men, women and children, VINO
have been tacitly, if not expressly, assured
OF safety under the protection of profess
edly civilized government. Such things give
rise to a distressing fear that even the en-
lightenment of the twentieth century has
neither destroyed nor subdued the barbarity
of human nature nor wholly redeemed the
civilized world from man s inhumanity to
man. - l,i
Will Insist on Punishment.
I'VE, and all our countrymen, protest in
the strongest language. at our command
and with all the moral force which our
American citizenship gives us, against,
these murders and outrages; and we insist
that swift and condign punishment ought
to be visited upon their barbarouS perpe-
traitors. Nor is this, all We will, in
fashion quite American, land with open
handedness always displayed when human
distress appeals to, US, assist the families
made headless and robbed of support by
murder, and those who,i wounded and ter
rorized, and in hunger and want, have been
driven from their homes, ~
IL know how easily our Indignation
prompts us to the use of strong language,
and l know how naturally we are tempted
to indulge in overdRawna statements and
extraVagant demands on such an occasion
as this, but l am that in our charac-
terization of the crimes we here contem-
plate and in expressing our detestation of
the criminals we cannot go too far.
II desire to avoid sounding a discordant
note, but yet l cannot refrain from the
suggestion that the moral effect Of our pro-
test and the usefulness of this demonstra-
ton will not be lessened IL we require in
dubitable proof before we accuse the gov
eminent of Russia with guilty completely
in the crimes committed within her borders
and 1t seems to me we may we'll consider
the proper relationship between nations be-
fore we unreasonably demand too pro-
nounced interference the part of our
own government.
Should Proceed Warily.
II do not say that the Russian govern
ment may not, by sins of omission or COM
mission, be Justly deserving Of our con-
demnation, but we should not be swift to
assume this when we remember that we
ourselves have found 1t impossible to pre-
vent mob violence and murderOus assaults
upon the Chinese in Wyoming and Ital-
lanS In New orleans.
II am distinctly and unequivocally in
favor Of informing our government in I'M
mistakable terms of our indignant and deep
condemnatio ton of the late outrages upon the
Jews in Russia but hope that in obedi-
ence to the dictates of American conserv-
atism and moderation, which we never long
obscure; we may be even now just and fair,
and that we will be content to forego per-
picking and extreme demands upon our
government for violent action.
"Our public servants should hear us
speak; but we certainly ought to be justi
fed in trusting the care of our national
honor and duty in the premises, and the
enforcement of the humane instincts of our
people, so far as this may be within gov
ernmental action to those charged with the
responsibility of managing our public af-
fairs.
I'm the meantime, let the people of the
United States, gathered together in such
assemblages as this, in every part of the
land, fearIessly speak to the civilized
mountaineering against every pretense of
civilization that permits medieval per-
secutfon against every bigoted creed
that forbids religious liberation and free
dom of conscience, against all false en-
liphtenment that excuses hatred and cru
elty toward any race of men. and against
all spurious forms of government protec-
ton that withhold from any human being
the right to live in safety and toll in
peace.
Dr. r. s. Macarthur and others spoke.
Letters were read from Carl Schurz, Sen
ator PIatt, John F. Dillon, DR.. Lyman Abb
bolt and others.