The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-02
S0I OIFRG IN FEAR
Of THE POGROM

WARSAW Nov. I3.-Less than
year ago fears OF Jewish pogrom
caused the peace-loving inhabitants Of
Warsaw 10 Use every means in their
power TO calm the spirits OF the masses,
incensed at some excuses OF Jewish
'.h'oolig ans." for they knew that the
Russian authorities would be glad TO
see the disgreceful scenes Of ODESSA
and Kien repeated in the Polish CAPT.
tai The danger passed over. but re-
cent events in Sieldce have renewed the
possibilities Of a pogrom in Warsaw.
Here. as in other Polish towns. the
Jew has 10 reckon with two forces
the Polish masses and the Russian aU-
thorities The first may be altogether
ignored except when encouraged by
the second in moments OF intense ma
tonal excitement. for though the Pole
does not love the Jew. he is content to
live and let live. But the danger Of
the second is twofold, consisting Of
the organized hostility Of the authori-
ties and the personal hatred Of the in
dfvidual soldier-an element whose i'm
portance has not been sufficiently con-
si6ered out OF Russia when judging
the Jewish massacres-
The military forces in Poland are
made up OF men drawn from diverse
districts. such as the steppes Of Little
Russia the Caucasus and the remote
governments beyond the Urals. These
men have little in common with each
other and nothing with the civil popu-
iation they serve among. This has
always been so; but now they consider
that they have special grievances
against the Jewish and Polish ele-
rnents
TROUBLE OF SENTRIES
For nearly two years they have been
soing hard sentry duty. They have
frozen in the streets by night and
scorched in the sun by day. They have
carried their rifles. fingers on trigger
n their right hands. and kept their
reins IN their left. till their bones have
sched with the strain They have stood
at their posts week in. week out. for
twelve hours at q stretch, without
respite, on Sundays. holidays, gala
days. They have patrolled the streets
u warsaw and the larger towns in all
weathers. under all conditions OF dan
ger been jeered at spat upon. shot at,
bombed" at, killed and wounded from
housetops and balconies for doing
duty they detest and for reasons which
they cannot understand. They have
been called upon 70 protect the police
mzn and share his duties. standing in
the streets as so many marks for the
bombs and revolvers OF the terror
lists" They have experienced the most
thought that they viii be struck at
from behind by an unknown hand or
attacked from a passing tram cab or
carriage for the means Of the anarchist
are fnnunaerable. And all this without
the excitement OF regular warfare
without a word Of praise, a copeck of
extra pay. without a day in camp and
often-when the field kitchen forgets
70 leave their soup-without food. In
the depth OF winter, when men need
warm food 70 keep the blood circuIat-
ing IN their veins. the sentries have
dropped from sheer exhaustion, while
their comrades have gone TO the near
est bakers and vainly begged a piece
Of bread TO stay the pangs Of hunger
Yet they are not the products of crowd
cd cities. but strong we'll built giants
who can 1--we upon daily fare of hot
so.rr and black bread. Many of them
have seen their comrades shot IN the
streets or rnutilated beyond recognition
-r, bombs. not during a brawI or big
disturbance. but on what the Poles
call normal DAYS when men, going
about their business. hear with indif-
terence that another bomb has been
thrown" or another sentry killed
SOLDIERS FEAR ATTACK
Rightly or wrongly. these soldiers
Hrr7 that their assailants are nearly
always young Jews II they dislike
doing sentry work in the Polish quar-
fers Of the towns. they hate II s-jil
more in the Ghettos Indeed. there are
streets IN the Jewish part Of Warsaw