The Irish standard., 1905-11-18
AN UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE.

The world is again horror stricken
at the outrages that are being commit
ted in Russia against an unoffending
and helpless people. The Jews have
suffered greatly through all ages. Race
hatred has served to make them the
object of untold prosecutions. The
outrages thatare now being commit
ted against them in Russia are crimes
against humanity. Civilized people are
appalled, at the latest outbreaks. 1t
is astounding that the twentieth cent
ury has been called upon to witness
in the territory of so-called civilized
nation the unspeakable horrors of the
slaughter of thousands from no other
motive except that of blind race hatred.
Nations of Europe have heretofore
taken a hand in preventing crimes
against Christians on the part of the
that civilized people all over the world
should see to it that their governments
Interested themselves in putting a stop
to such savagery as Is now running in
certain parts of the Russian Empire.
Difference in race, religion and in hab-
its seem to have deprived these un-
fortunate people of the sympathy which
otherwise would have been theirs on
many occasions. 1t is shame that
riy oh
NIT such treatment to a people whose
| only crime is that they are law abiding
and self-sustaining in every country
| in which they live. They have been
| denied the civil rights that are ex-
| tended to other people of the Russian
! Empire; they have been excluded from
it's universities; they have been OPP
pressed with special taxes and subject
ed to social ostracism. With all these
disadvantages they have more than held
their own with the more favored
classes. The fact that they have sue
ceeded where the Russian peasantry
has failed has embittered the latter to
such an extent that he is ready to MUIR
der the Jew whenever the occasion
offers.
| Recently the whole world was thrilled
with the announcement that the Car
had given Il constitution to his peo-
pie. Every lover of freedom and JUS
tice was elated. Those who believe
in the rights of men looked forward
to the day when the Russian peasant
would be free man. Another story,
it was thought had been added to lnu-
man liberty and vision of new Rus
sia arose before the world. Scarcely
had the feelings of joy over the glad
tidings subsidized before another report
came from the realm Of the Car which
brought with it lamentation and an
guish. Tales of cruelties against the
Jews of Russia We're told which scarce
~ could have been believed had not
events in the past justified their pos
sibility.
The cause of the persecution of the
Jews in Russia is two-fold. In the
first place these massacres car be
traced to the influence of the govern
ment. 1t is pretty we'll established
that the secret police of the Russian gov
eminent have been active stirring ur
the masses of the Russian people to the
belief that the Jews and not the arts
tocracy of Russia are responsible fol
the poverty of the Russian populace
The Jew has been pictured to the ig-
norant Russian peasant as a money
grabber, whose methods are responsible
for the high rates Of interest which i.
exacted. The Russian secret police II
times of trouble for the Russian gov.
eminent have lost no opportunity tt
draw the attention of the people ava,
from the government and to some 9th.
err object of hatred. The natural anti.
Semitic feeling has served the purpose
most effectively. A second cause is
also directly traceable to the govern.
ment. The Jews have not been treat.
cd as other people. They have beer
robbed of all the elementary rights OF
humanity. They have been denied the
right to live wherever the government
chose to exclude them from. They
/, have been denied the right to owr
property, they have been treated as