Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-06-17

DR.. Cyrus Adler Of the Smithsonian
institution, secretary OF the Internar
tional Jewish association and editor
OF the Jewish Year Book, In the course
OF conversation the other day on the
massacre of Jews in Russia, reviewed
the statements Of Count Cassini, the
Russian ambassador, In a recent inter
View given out by him, which DR..
Adler treated as an authoritative ut
terance, says q Washington special
dispatch to the New York Times.
Quoting the declaration Of the ambas-
sador 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:
sIn 1890 there Q ore than l00,-
900 Jews In Russia engaged in agri-
culture the larger portion Of them be-
ing in southern Russia. 1t is true that
the tendency toward agriculture on
the part OF the Jews In Russia has
been arrested, but this has not been
since 1891, when the May laws Of 1882
put a stop to the migration OF the
Jewish inhabitants OF towns into the
villages. 1t is not generous for q
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 money brokers and taking advan-
tage OF the Russian peasants In this
way. He will probably not be inclined
70 assert that any really large per-
ccntage Of the more than 5000, 900
Jews In Russia are bankers and Bro
kers. Moreover, the III feeling which
he describes as existing between them
and the peasants does not apply to
this particular incident at issue. kish
ineff Is a town Of about 1900 innab-
itants, so that the question of the
fury Of the villagers would hardly
come into the discussion.
"Sincc the ambassador makes d
great point OF the u~nwillingness of the
Jews to engage In agricultural pur-
suits, and since he proclaims the fail
IRE of the agricultural colonies, II
might be interesting for him TO know
that in 1883 there were 27S Jewish
agricultural colonies In Russia, In
which were employed 63,223 people.
THE ambassador states that the
Jewish genius Is appreciated in Rus
sia ana the Jewish artist honored. The
May laws, to which reference has
been made, restricts the number OF
Jewish students at the universities
and gymnasiums, carrying these re.
strictions even to private technical
schools established by the Jews them
selves. Jews were forbidden to be
army doctors, the college for veterin-
airy surgeons was closed to them, they
were prevented from acting as engi.
neers. excluded from the civil service
and only allowed to become members
of the legal profession upon a special
permit from the minister OF justice.
zone Of the reasons mentioned by
The ambassador for the hostility On
ihe part OF the Russians is the unwiil'
ingncss OF the Jews TO assimilatc,
One single incident indicating where
the fault lies may be mentioned. The
last figures available 10 me for the
recruits in the Russian army are those
for 1896. which show thar during that
year 1881 were drafted IN the Rus
sian army; set none Of them upon anA
account is allowed 10 become q com
missioncd officer. Tho RUSSIAN jey
has. however, the privilege Of belnl
killed III defense uf his country
Is thus shown from a hasty cxamina
tion Of the interview Of the ambassa
dor that be has IN 10 case given Al
accurate statement Of the causes prc
ducIng the riot al kiahincn under al.
cussion, and n Is led 60 the paihfr
conclusion that he either IL unat
uuainted with affairs Ia his own couI
try or that he willfully intended {
mislead the American people,
at might not be without interes
for the public to know how the pa
ticular massacre was brought abou