The Jewish outlook., 1905-07-28
FOREIGN
Russia.

AS a protest against the action Of the
government in disfranchising them, the Jews
at LOdZ held a great demonstration to the
number of two thousand, and they marched
through the streets with flag at their head.
They were charged by body of cavalry,
who opened fire on them with rifles and re-
vOlvers.
A report has just been published by the
Council of Ministers on the Jewish Ques-
ton. The report states that the council
has had before it an historical account or
legislation affecting the Jews, from which
it would appear that the government, in it's
attitude to the Jewish question, had adopted
no hard and fast principle and followed it
to its logical conclusion. and therefore the
character of the internal policy in regard
to the Jews could not be clearly formu-
ated. From the time of the Empress kath-
crime H.. down to the present epoch, there
had been considerable vacllatOn in the at
titude of the Legislature towards the Jews,
privileges alternating with restrictive meas
ures In spite of the mass of materials on
the Jewish question, its copious discussion
in the press and the frequent commissions
and conferences which had considered it, it
had not yet been defnitively thrashed out,
and still awaited solution. The special cir
cumstances attaching to the Jewish question
gave it, in the view of the council, an eXcep-
tiOnal character which distinctly separated
it from all other questions of political i'm
pOrtance. 1t was considerably complicated
by social conditions which rendered it alb
normal and introduced a certain amount OF
passion into it's consideration. If the ques-
tion were viewed solely from the political
standpoint it undoubted that in a state
which comprised citizens of different nation
alties no vital restriction of personal rights
ought to be admitted: from this standpoint.
therefore, the right solution of the Jewish
question would be to place the Jews in
position of equality with the rest of the pop
uatiOn. But if the social side of the queS-
ton were taken into consideration doubts
arose as to the feasibility of this solution.
1t could hardly be positively asserted that
such measure did not harm the interests
of those sections of the population whose
economic life the government had sought TO
protect by placing restrictions on the Jews.
1t might be taken for granted that to place
the Jews in a position of equality with the
rest of the population would arouse dissat-
sfactiOn among the latter 1t was also
doubtful whether in present conditions, the
Jews were capable of emerging from the eX-
clusiveness with which they were usually
reprOached, and which, according to very
widespread opinion, united them in an $50
lated and gregarous mass which appeared
as state within a state. A definite decision
on these points was absolutely necessary in
order firmly to establish the principles of
future Jewish internal policy with which the
legislation in regard to the Jews could be
brought into harmony. The government
could only be sure of the possibility of sat
iSfactOrily solving the Jewish question when
it ;scertained the views of the Russian pop
ulace and established its decisions on the
basis of public opinion. This way of deal
ing with the existing situation would have
the important consequence OF enabling the
government to avoid the criticisms of either
the Jews or the rest of the population. The
council therefore suggested that the Tsar
should make the following reference to