The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-23
DEFENDS RUSSIA
Ambassador Mcc ormick Die
cusses the Kishinef Outrage.

ambassador McC0TI1lck O1S-
cusses the Kishinef Outrage.
THE GOVERNMENT not TO BLAME.
vur Minister tn the Cars Court De-
clares 1t Had No Completely In the
Massacre At All-says Condition OF
Than Now.
Zone thing Is certain = the Russian
government, the national government.
l mean, certainly had no completely in
the affair at all. That the authorities
at st. Petersburg had any previous
knowledge of the matter is preposter.
GUS. The whole affair occurred just as
lynchings and other outbreaks occur in
the United States-too quickly for the
authorities to take any steps to prevent
them"
So declares Robert s. Mccormick.
United States ambassador to RUSSIA.
who recently arrived from Europe to
attend his sons wedding, in e~xplainin.
the massacre Of the Jews in KishineH
to a reporter of the New York. Amer.
lean.
In discussing the murder Of the Jews
the ambassador said:
According to the official proclama-
ton the affair was started by boys.
whose quarrel later involved adults
and started the m%assacres. 1t may not
be known in the United States that un
der the Russian laws every official q
the peace in Kishineff is personally Il,
BILE for all losses occasioned by T."
riots which he failed to prevent. ava:
every person. Jew or Christian. WI
suffered the loss of any property -
Kishinef can recover the Dull valre
from these otIicials.
province has been deposed would seem
to indicate that d, authorities of that
district were at lault in not quelling
the riots earlier. 1t is certainly an in
dication that the imperial government
intends to investigate the whole affair
and that investigation undoubtedly
Will fix the responsibility and I believe
will show that the Russian government
is blameless in the matter.
Gas a matter Of fact, the condition Of
the Jews in Russia IL rapidly being
ameliorated. thanks to the efforts OF
the car. who is q kind hearted, up
right ruler and who believes in reli-
gious freedom and hates war and in
ternal dissensions. The condition of
the Jews in Russia was never better
than 1t is today.
with regard to the mass meetings
that ! am told are being held in the
United States on the Kishineff affair,
the situation is similar to that a few
years ago when a number of Austrian
citizens We're killed in the Pennsylva-
MIA mining region. Mass meetings to
express the indignation of the people
were held all over Austria, and their
resolutions of indignation were sent to
this country, but there was no official
action taken and the matter ended in
talk.
"That is the way the indignation
meetings about this Kishineff affair
will end--in talk. They will accom-.
plish nothing.
"There has not been and there will
not be any official communications on
the subject between the United States
and Russia.
II have not sent nor have l been
asked for any official report on the
situation. I have made an unofficial
statement, which l believe was cabled
over here. That is all l have done and
all l am likely to be called upon to do.
The situation does not come within the
scope of international diplomacy in the
slightest degree.
"It is ITO surprise to me that indig-
nation meetings have been held here.
for the American public is inclined to
be impulsive and the Jews are some
what prejudiced against Russia. In
that country the people take things
more calmly. and even the Jews of st.
Petersburg are not so stirred up over
the K%isliinetf affair as the American
people to be. 1t is because of
this calmness that reforms come more
slowly in Russia than they do with us.
but they do come. and the honesty and
sincerity of the cars government can
be relied upon"
Mr.. Mccormick laughed heartily
when questioned about the report that
he had devised a new and gorgeous
ambassadorial uniform, which he wore
on state occasions in st. Petersburg.
Il guess some enterprising CORE
spondent got hold of a description Of
one of my wife's dresses" he said. II
ear v there just what l would
wear in this country at similar func-
tons-a plain evening suit and nothing
to distinguish me from a waiter but d
bit Of gold braid. which is absolutely