The sun., 1903-02-13
TURKEY PERSECUTES NO JEWS,
SAYS OSCAR 8. STRAUS-SPEAKS A
GOOD WORD FOR THE SULTAN.
Ills Hold on the Balkans 80 slight He's
Only Nominally Responsibie for OUT
RACES There-Enf orcement OF inc
Sunday Law Praised - Impartial


Only Nominally Responsibie for OUT
RACES Tnere-Enforcement OF the
Sunday Law Praised - Impartial.
The American Jewish Historical Society
held it's eleventh annual meeting In Car
negie Hall yesterday, remaining In session
pract cally all day and disposing OF busi-
ness that might well have kept the members
| together for half week. President Cyrus
Adler touched in his annual address on
| the bad effect OF such haste, and 1t u hkey
| that the time Of the annual meeting wiz Do
| changed TO the summer season TO give the
soc iety a chance to remain IN session ior
several days.
Another interesting feature OF the presi-
| dents address was the announcement
that Miss Henrietta Szolds. indexor OF
| GRATIS famous "Fistory of the Jews,
is to make complete index to theten first
volumes of the society's annual publica-
! ton. each of which is full Of valuable in
formal ion about the history and conditions
of he jews on this continent.
The reading of a paper on The Rela
| tions Of the United States to the Jews OF
Roumania" by DR.. David Blaustein caused
Oscar \. Straus. cx-Minister to Turkey.
to take exception to the authors assertion
| that Secretary Hays note on behalf OF
| the Roumanian Jews had had forerunner
| in a note Oh the same subject sent to the
United States Minister at Vienna In the
summer Of 1900
Il am certain" said Mr.. Straus. that
no American Minister in Austria would
undertake to give Instructions to the Rou-
manian Government There may have
httf r. M
sufficient importance TO place 1t on level
| with Secretary Hays famous note.
a comparison,on the other hand. may
be found in the action of this 0overnme
during the Greek revolution. when il inter-
yened on pur,,y sentimental grounds Oh
behalf OF the Greeks. who suffered under
Turkish msrule. lhe principle which ln-
spirited the Hay note vas also tnuncintcd
by President Grant and Secretary FISH
ia 1870, wnen the Jews were being per-
scout ed in the same region as nows and by
President Harrison In the course OF the
Jewish prosecutions in Russia. The action
bv President Harrison was based on the
ground tn al a nation with which the nileG
States are In friendly relations II 6 iilty
of an nnfriendly act when its iil-trea .hent
of some Of its nhabitant, drives the later
to these shores, .
-Ithink the credit for the Hay note should
he equally divided between President
Roosevelt. who inspired II, and his great
Secretary of State. by whose mastery
diplomacy il was framed.
As To -he responsibility for the suffer-
ings Of b Jews in MISUNDERSTANDING.
med avail and amounting TO tortre-l
want to say this, and say i emphaticaliy:
cTurkey is not responsible for the per,ae-
cutie On the contrary, Turkey and
the Turkish Government are opposed TO all
kinds Of persecution.
-The fact that Turkey holds tu,erain
rights over all the Balkan provinces has
made il necessary TO hold the Sultan nomi-
nally responsible. But his hold on those
provinces is SO vague that he should be
entirely acquitted from all sue b respon-
sibility.-
Albert VI. Friedenberg Of this city tried
while discussing THE Jews and the Aineri-
can Sunday Laws, TO show by illustrations
the attitude of the courts toward Sunday
law enforcement. He believed that the
United States, with it's Anglo-Saxon ira
dtions, would always retain the Sunday
laws for religious. economic and possibly
philosophical reasons. he said. Yet most
Of the States treated the Jews fairly ex-
Pennsylvania and New England have
had occasion al periods Of strict enforce
ment.- Mr. Friedenbers said. 'and these
have generally resulted In compelling all
DAYS Of the week. Here in New York there
is no hindrance for the orthodox Jew to
use the sunday for work. Only. II he wants
to be exempt from the Sunday laws, he
must work sub rosd, so 20 speak, taking
care not to disturb or offend his Christian
neghbors.
And I must say that the Jews have
often themselves to blame when the Sum-
day laws are more rigidly enforced. am
| now remembering q case OF sunday law
violation out in Nebraska in which the
| defendant claimed exemption on the ground
that he was jew The Judge decided that
| his plea would have been valid had it not
| been proved by witnesses that he kept his
store open on Saturdays as we'll as on
Sundays,
I think that the Sunday laws are admin
| istered toward the Jews with absolute
| impartiality Cases may occur when the
valid plea Of Jew on the ground Of Seventh
| Dav observance IL not entertained. but
such cases may almost always be traced
10 the principle that the individual at times
has to suffer for the welfare Of the whole
| community.
| Utner notaple speakers and the
| papers they read were Leon Hummer on
The Jews Of New England prior to 1900
'he Rev. George A. Kohut on Jewish
here,ics in Manila in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries q. Herbert Cone
Of Albany on New Matter Relating TO
Mordecai NJ, Noah" Max J. Kohler on
Chapters in the History Of the Jews in
| SOutn America anu wv VcS' iHuitr,
Joseph Lebowich Of Cambridge on THE
Jews in Massachusetts prior to is4O;" Miss
| Elvira ~ Sol is. Note on Isaac Gomez
and Lewis Mores Gomez J. d. Eisenstein
on The Development Of Casuistic Liter
at,re in America" and Joseph Jacobs on
-The Jewish Population of the City Of
New York. 1903"
Al Of the former officers were r; eected
except DR.. Mendes Cohen Of Baltimore,
who had refused TO serve on account Of
pressing private business. The officers
are: President. Dr. Cyrus Adler Librarian
Of the Smithsonian Institute: vice-presi-
dent, ex-Attorney General Simon W. Rosen-
dale, Prof J Fl Hollander Of Johns Hop
kins University. the Rev. DR.. B. Felsen'hal
and Prof. Charles Gross: recording secre-
| tary, DR.. Herbert Friedenwald correspond
ing secretary, Max j Kohler: treasurer.
Prof Richard j. II. Gottheil members Of
the Executive Council Oscar s. Straus.
| tex officio), Mayer Sulzbprger, Prof Morris
Jastrow, Jr.., N. Taylor Phillips. Simon
Wolf, John Samuel. the Rev DR.. David
| philusop the Rev Henry Cohen Prof