The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-16
SOME ACTION IS DESIRED
The Secretary of State Ex-
 plains the Situation.
Says That We Are Not Justified in Assuming That Char Has Not Taken Steps to Punish
 the Guilty.

Washington, June M-Through their representative association, B'nai Birth, the Jews of America today laid the pro- test against the Kishinef massacre be- fore President Roosevelt and Secretary Hay. By appointment at 1o:So this morn ing the Executive Council of the Asso- citation called at the State Department. They were Leo N. Levy. President of New York; Jacob Furt. vios-Prest6ent and Treasurer. of Cleveland: Solomon sulzberger. Honorary Secretary. New York; Joseph D. Cooms. willresbarre. Pa.; Adolph Moses. Chicago. and Simon Wolf of Washington.
 Secretary Hay received the council and spent three-auarters of an hour listening upon them. Then the Secretary escorted his callers to the White House, where they were received by President Roosevelt and again set out their vAws and Iis~ tened to what he had to say in reply. The interviews with both the President and Secretary Hay were extremely sat- isfactory to the council, although 1t soon became apparent that positive action could not immediately be had upon the betterment of the conditions of Jews in Russia.
 Statement of Conference.
 Tonight a statement was given out at the White House concerning the confer ence. The statement consisted of a mem orandum submitted by the B'nai Birth on the massacre in April, a tentative draft of petition to the Czar which it was desired this Government should of fcially or semi-officialiy assist in deliv- ering to the Czar and procuring a reply thereto, and copies of the replies of Sec- retary Hay and President RoosevcA to his callers.
 The memorandum says the facts con- cerning the Kishineff massacre as ofi- cially reported by the Russian Goverr msnt, have appalled, and mortified not only the Jews in Russia and elsewhere. but the whole American people who want something done and whose hostility t9. Russia, if nothing is Hone, will become intensified and fixed. The Jews, 1t says, likewise, are fearful of the future. IL is recognized that the situation plainly is different from that in Roumania inso- much as in Russia the Jews are fleeing from mobs operating in contravention of Russian law, while in Roumania 1t is the laws that make 1t unable, for them to live there. Denunciation of the Jews by Russiad diplomatists. 1t says, cannot pIa- cate the public as a half million Russian Jews have come here during the past twenty-three years and have shown they are thrifty, energetic, intelligent and ann bilious and daily are growing more in- finential and popular. They are constant propagandists against Russia and the memorandum says the result is to under mine the traditional amity between Rus sia and the United States.
 It is declared to be desirable to end thia State thinQu without n( 1swzas~- matic etiquette or embarrassment to our Government and one or both of the sub joined methods therefor were submitted for consideration:
 Petition to the Czar.
 "A. petition to the Czar to which the B'Nai B'Rith will get the signatures of the leading men in the various statas Our Government to assist unofficialiy or seml-officially in securing the delivery of this petition to the Czar and in procur- ing favorable reply thereto, either by a direct communication or some other form of public expression. The manner in which the Government can render such assistance is not suggested for obvious reasons, but the Governments interests in the plans should be made known
 'B. Using the Kishineff and other re. cent incidents of more or less similar nature as grounds, an official invitation by the United tates addressed to all the COHIGIenCA. to consider prosecutions and oppressions growing out of racial and religious preju- dices and hatred. and to protect civiliza- ton and international concord from the evil effects of such prosecutions and op- pressions."
 In reply to MT. Levy. who submitted the memorandum. Secretary Hay said:
 No person of ordinary humanity can have heard without deep emotion the story of the cruel outrages inflicted upon the Jews of Kishinef. These lamentable events have caused the profoundest im- pression throughout the world. but most especially in this country where there are so many of your co-religfonists who form such a desirable element of our popula- tion in industry. thrift. public spirit and commercial morality. Nobody can ever make the Americans think III of the Jews as class or as a race-we know them too well.
 None Has Interfered.
 You will have observed that no civ- illzed government in the world has yet taken official action-this consideration alone would bid us to proceed with care. The Emperor of Russia Is entitled to our respect, not merely as the ruler of a great and friendly nation. but as man whose personal character is even more elevated than his exalted station. We should not be justified in assuming that this enlightened sovereign. who has given so many proofs of his devotion to peace and religious tolerance. has not done and is not doing all that lies in his power to put a stop to these atrocities, to punish the guilty. whether they belong to the ig- norant populace. or to high ofiicial circles and to prevent the recurrence of the out rages which have so shocked humanity. In fact, all we know of the state of things in Russia tends to justify the hope that even out of the present terrible situation some good results may come"
 The call on the President at the White 7 House followed and there Presldent