Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-06-12
DR.. ADLER ON CASSIhl
Noted Jew Answers the Am
bassador's Statements.
RUssIA's POLICY OF SUPPRESSION.
Jews Are Prevented. He Says, From
Living In Agricultural Communi-
ties, Then Blamed For Not Being
Farmers-Restrictio That Are
Placed Upon Them.


Placed Upon Them.
DIR. Cyrus Adler of the Smithsonian |
secretary Of the Interna-
tional Jewish association and editor of
the Jewish Year Book, in the course of
ton the other day on the mas
sacre OF Jews in Russia, reviewed the
statements of Count Cassini, the Rus
sian ambassador, in recent Interview
given out by him, which DR.. Adler
treated as an authoritative utterance,
says a Washington special dispatch TO
the New York Times. Quoting the dec
laration of the ambassador that the
unfriendly attitude toward the Jews is
due to the fact that they will not work
in the field or engage in agriculture"
DR.. Adler said:
"In 1890 there were more tLan 1OO,-
900 Jews in Russia engaged in agricul-
ture, the larger portion of them being
in southern Russia. 1t is true that the
tendency toward agriculture on the
part of the Jews in Russia has been ar
rested, but this has not been since 1891,
when the May laws of 1852 put stop
to the migration OF the Jewish inhabit-
ants of towns into the villages. 1t Is
not generous for country TO prevent
Jews from living in an agricultural
community and then blame them for
not being farmers.
Count Cassini next charges the Jews
in Russia with being bankers and mon
ey brokers and taking advantage of
the Russian peasants in this way. He
will probably not be inclined to assert
that any really large percentage of the
more than 100000 Jews in Russia are
bankers and brokers. Moreover, the i'll
feeling which he describes as existing
between them and the peasants does
not apply to this particular incident at
issue. Kishineff is town of about
10000 inhabitants, so that the ques-
ton of the fury of the villagers would
hardly come into the discussion.
"Since the ambassador makes great
point of the unwillingness of the Jews
to engage in agricultural pursuits, and
since he proclaims the failure of the
| agricultural colonies, lit might be in
| teresting for him TO Know that in 1889
there were 27S Jewish agricultural
colonies in Russia, I'm which were en-
ployed 1928 people.
THE ambassador states that the
Jewish genius is appreciated in Rus
sia and the Jewish artist honored. The
May laws, to which reference has been
made, restricts the number of Jewish
students at the universities and gym
nasiums, carrying these restrictions
even to private technical schools estab-
lished by the Jews themselves. Jews
were forbidden to be army doctors, the
college for veterinary surgeons was
closed to them, they were prevented
from acting as engineers, excluded
from the civil service and only allowed
to become members of the legal pro-
fession upon special permit from the
minister of justice.
"One Of the reasons mentioned by
the ambassador for the hostility on
the part of the Russians is the un-
willingness of the Jews to assimilate.
One single incident indicating where
the fault lies may be mentioned. The
last figures available to me for the
recruits in the Russian army are those
for 1896, which show that during that
year 1881 were drafted in the Rus,
sian army, yet none of them upon any
account Is allowed to become a com
missioned officer The Russian Jew
has, however, the privilege of being
killed In defense of his country. 1t is
thus shown from a hasty examination
Of the interview of the ambassador
that he has in no case given an ac
curate statement of the causes produc
ing the riot at Kishineff under discus
sion, and one is led to the painful con
clusion that he either Is unacquainte(
with affairs in his own country or tina
he willfully intended to mislead th'
American people.
1T might not be without interest TO
the public to know how the particula
massacre was brought about A few
! days before the Passover a Russial
disappeared in Dubossari. The rumo
| spread that he had been killed by tn
} Jews for ritual purposes. His bod
was examined and the conclusion
reached that hts death could not hav
been encompassed for the purpose o
: securing his blood. Notwithstanding
, a Russian paper published at Kishinef
called the Bessarabyet2, published II
: flammatory articles against the jews
and especially one just before the Rus
| sian Easter Sunday, and it was upo
this day, and largely after leaving tn
church, that the Russians began TO a
3 tack the Jews. There seems, therefore
: to be much closer connection betwee
! religious hatred and those riots tina
: between them and the economic cause
which the ambassador threw out.
: "It may not be amiss in this conne'
r tion TO say, what is no doubt fresh
e the minds of many American citizen
s that no foreign Jew may enter I'll
Russian empire for purposes of trav'
without subjecting himself to eXtrao
dinary restrictions, nor without agre
J.. ing to leave the country within de-
mite period. Such a restriction wou
G even apply to a member of congress
Y of the British parliament or OF II
r Italian cabinet, if Jew. Somethir
r other than economic reasons ent
}. here"