The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1905-12-01

their descendants, have, under the
kindly influence of toleration and
equality, co-operated in nation building
with those of different religious faiths,
whose ancestors or they themselves
had also sought amid hard and inhos.
pitable surroundings, freedom to wor.
ship God. Jewish patriotism which
had been for centuries submerged and
smothered in homeless wanderinga
and nationless existence, in the more
cheerful light and warmth of safe
abiding place, sprung up and flourish.
ed. 1t has been said: If you perse-
cute you make slaves; only by declar.
ing equal rights for all, will you make
good citizens The rule that equality
in right is essential to good citizen
ship has never been better supported
than by the result of according equal
rights to the Jews who found a home
on the soil of the United States.
"I do not overlook the fact that the
full enjoyment by the Jews of relig-
ious and Industrial freedom was not
without restraint or limitation at the
time of their first arrival. Nor am
in the least inclined to claim that Jew
ish characteristics or the Jewish
religion are, or ever have been, abso-
lutely preventative of bad men and
bad citizens. 1t cannot be denied, how
ever, that with even the limited equal
ity of rights at first accorded to the
Jews by the American colonies, their
loyalty and effective patriotism when
needed were not wanting.
"We have today only to look about
us to discover that in every phase of
present American enterprise and effort
the Jews of the United States, with un-
restricted liberation and equality, are
making their impress more and more
deep and permanent upon our citizen
ship. They accumulate wealth with
out exhibiting or encouraging harmful
extravaganza and business reckless
ness. They especially care for their
poor, but,they do it sensibly and in a
way that avoids pauper making. On
every side are seen monuments of
their charitable work and evidences of
their determination ito furnish their
children and youth equipment for use
fulness and self-support. 1t is not
among them that dangerous discomfort
and violent demonstrations against
peace and order are Matched and fos-
tered. There may be something OF
separateness In their social life among
us. but this should be naturally
pected among those who are not alto
gether free from the disposition born
of persecution and the loss of nation
ality to seek in common devotion to
their peculiar religious creed the
strongest bond Of their social fellow
ships. And yet, with it all. they are
by no means laggard in the civic duty
and the work in behalf of the general
welfare Of the state, which are the
badges of good citizenship.
ut is time for the unreserved &C.
knowledgementt that the liberation and
equal opportunity accorded to the Jews
of the United States have been abun.
dantly repaid to us. And in maling
up the accounts, let us not omit to
put to their credit the occasion pre-
sented to us through our concession to
them Of federation and equality of
strengthening by wholesome exercise
the spirit of broad minded Justice and
consl 1eration, which, as long as we are
true to ourselves, we must infieXibly
pronounce as the distinguishing and
saving trait of our nationality.
No Place For Prejudice.
Il know tnat human prejudice es-
pecial:y that growing out of race or
religions cruelty inveterate and
lasting. But wherever in the world
prejudice against the Jews still exists,
there can be no place for it among the
people of the United States, unless
they are needless of good faith, recre-
ant to the underlying principles of
their free government and insensible
to every pledge involved in our boasted
equality or citizenship.
Roger Williams, the pioneer of
religious liberty in America, expressed
the fear, long before the United States
became nation, that England and the
other nations had score to pay to the
Jews, and he added these words: I
desire not the liberty to myself which
I would not freely and impartially
weigh out to all the consciences of
the world beside Our nation will
have no score to pay to the Jews. AS
a people we shall never suffer the
humiliation of appealing to them for