Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-16
Pretext for Massacre.

NSi vi hei HuSDdil0 anu SDI.
Pretext for Massacre.
IAN American would naturally suppose
that there must have been some cause for
this; that the victims must have beer guilty
of some dreadful crime for enlightened peo-
pie cannot conceive how It is possible that
such atrocities could be committed unless
there had been sufficient cause. Americans
can not conceive how 1t is possible for
human beings to revel in such cruelties for
the sake of cruelty itself and for the pleas
ure of enjoying the fortunes of the wretch
ed victims. But there was no cause Mr..
Einstein a harmless, inoffensive man.
who never engaged In any plots or revolt
tionary movements. He made humble lv-
ing and supported himself and family by
teaching. but he was a Jew, and that was
sufficient.
that a Jew had thrown bomb into re-
ligiOus procession. No one of any intell-
gence ever believed word of this story.
The massacre. as has since been shown.
was deliberately arranged by the local po-
lice authorities. encouraged by the bureau
cracy of St Petersburg The Jews In Rus
STA are only too glad TO be let alone and
above all things they avoid any cause of
offense which would incite the Christian
population against them. The story of
throwing the bomb is of piece with the
old stories OF Jews slaughtering Christian
infants and mingling their blood with their
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. WHICH were liNGulSU anu
propagated by Jew baiters and which were
once actually believed by the peasantry.
THE moving cause which induces the
government to plan and execute the massa-
ere of the Jews is not far to seek-it is an
open secret. These massacres are intended
to create a diversion, to turn public atten-
ton from the misrule of autocracy and TO
direct the universal feeling of unrest
against the Jews, and thus relieve the bu-
reaucracy. If the people could be made to
believe-as II is intended to make them be-
lieve-that the Jews are the fruitful source
of all their woes, then the destruction of
the Jews, and not the overthrow of the
government. would, be the great end to
be accomplished.
Unresisting Victims
1T is important 10 bear In mind in this
connection that the present persecution of
the Jews in Russia is not the result OF
popular feeling against them or of religious
fanaticism as 1t was In the middle ages,
when men actually and honestly believed
that to maltreat or kill jew was doing
Gods service. These massacres are not
genuine outbreaks of popular fury and in
dignation Is the case when there Is a
lynching in the United States. Very far
from II. The onsets are all carefully plan
ned beforehand by government officials,
who act under the supreme authority of
the car himself and are assured OF his
support and protection. The miscreants
who are hired TO do this bloody work are
known as the Black Hundred" though
there are a great number of them employed
In different parts of Russia.
When a massacre of Jews has been de-
termned upon at any particular place
members of the Black Hundred are rushed
there from other localities In force Their
first move is TO excite the ignorant by some
such story the bomb throwing and to
appeal TO the vicious by the promise of
plumber. These methods combined usually
succeed; the Black Hundred men lead the
mob and the work begins
"A very natural question is: Why did the
Jews tamely submit TO be slaughtered as
they were as Bialystok. when out of pop
ulation of 10000 In that city there are g.
o0o Jews and but 5000 Christians, and only
a small fraction of the latter participated
in the riot? The answer Is that 1t is O
crime for a Jew TO be found In the posses
sion OF arms; " he Is. he is haied to prison
as a revolutionst and Is sure to be adj
judged guilty. The Jews did defend them
selves as best hey could, but wherever de-
were rushed IN to suppress a riot by the
Jews and killed men. women and chill
dren without mercy. Such are some OF
the disabilities under which the Jews labor
In Russia: in a word, they have no protec-
| ton under the law.
Government Responsibility.
Were 1t not for the fact that IL has
been abundantly proven, II would be hard
| to believe that the Russian government Is
| the instgator of these crimes. but so 1t Is
without possibility of doubt. The Gear can
not intervene in every case to express his
will, and the bureaucracy iuterprets hts will
/ as best suits Its interests and passions
Owing to this fact the officials are absolute
and the property the liberty and the lives
! OF the people are at their mercy.