Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-24

Special Correspondence Of The Star from the Jewish
Press Bureau. New OK
IThe following extracts are taken from
'.confdential' document which was pre-
pared by the former governor OF Wilma
Paleno and submitted to Won Plehve. The
document contains much valuable material
for the study of the Russian Jewish ques-
zion, and the fact that the former governor
of wilma. voic!ng the opinion of many OF
the highest government officials, was COM
PEELED to admit the abnormality of the con-
dition of the Jews in Russia, is regarded as
particularly Significant
Under the heading, "A Historical Review
of the Economic Condition of the Jews in
Russia and Poland" the governor says:
I'm old Poland the Jews occupied the po-
sition of not only separate religious, ra-
cial group, but also of distinct economic
class-a commercial and industrial class.
The Jews constituted an exclusive group,
hedged off from the rest of the population,
by natural causes, such as religious and ma
ional customs and peculiarlties as well as
by artificial causes, such as their exclusive
legal position and special privileges. so
long as the Jews had no competitors as
pioneers of commercial and industrial ac-
tivity. the government valued and protected
them in every way. But with the growth
of the Christian element in the Polish cities
during the sixteenth century (hrSt came
the Germans, then the Polish mechanics
and tradesmcn). the attitude of the govern
ment toward the Jews was changed. The
Christian merchants and mechanics tried
their utmost to restrict the activity of their
competitors, the Jews. The Catholic clergy,
hostile to the Jews. We're instrumental in
turning the economic rivalry into an oml-
nous form of religious hatred. The blend
ing of these motives frequently led to I'M
fortunate conflicts and general attacks upon
the Jews.
Since then the economic decline of the
Jews in Poland has been rapid The Jewish
masses, huddled together in certain linz
tied territory. grew ever poorer and poorer
The economic condition of the Jews was
not improved by their becoming Russian
subjects, for they remained in the same
narrow pale of settlement with no exit to
the internal provinces or Russia Ihougn
urged on and encouraged by the govern
ment since the reign of Alexander l, the
Jews were not very SUCCESSFUL as agrl-
cultural people. because of the extreme diff
ficulty of Transforming immemorial town
jewellers into tillers of the soil. And yet
the Jews were gradually attracted toward
agriculture and would have proved sue
cessful to a certain extent even today If not
for the insurmountable obstacles in the
form of the temporary laws of 1882, pro-
hibiting the settlement of Jews in villages
even if they wanted to till the soil.
-
"The impoverishment of the Jewish
masses became particularly noticeable since
the Introduction of the wine monopoly in
the provinces of the pale of Jewish set
Element 1880. Tens of thousands of fam
lilies. thus deprived of their means of sub
sistence turned to the large cities of the
pale Odessa KiShineff, Yekaterinoslav,
Wilma Warsaw Homel and others) and
there they formed formidable proletariat
whose woeful condition has frequently been
described in official reports.
According to the figures given by the gov
ernor the number of well-to-do Jews con-
stitutes per cent of the entire Jewish
population of wilma. There are 13 bankers,
2 AGA manufacturers and owners of print
ing plants. 20 lumber merchants 30 contrac-
tors, 100 professional people and about 200
OF the storekeepers-in all, 2,SSI people.
Figuring that the average family consists
of five souls, 1t would thus represent IA, 40
souls, or per cent of the Jewish popula-
ton.
'Of all the occupations of the Jews that
OF the petty shopkeeper holds first place.
Such Stores writes the governor of
wilma ARE opened mostly by the poorer
Jews with a capital of from loo to l,uO
rubes. Under these circumstances COM
petition is most intense, and notwithstand-
ing the out-of-town element that makes its
purchases in the city, there are not enough
buyers to maintain such vast number OF
storekeepers.
s.Resides. the Jewish stores are closed
both on Saturdays and on Sundays, on
Christian holidays as well as on Jewish
holidays-which means that the Jewish
business year, as compared with the buSi-
ness year of the Christians, is shorter by
about 100 days During the past few years
there has arisen an unprecedented compe-
tition between the representatives of Vari-
Gus large Christian corporations and the
Jews in almost all lines of business and
industry. In order TO hold out in the des-
per4te struggle the Jewish stOrekeepers are
forced to lower their prices and 10 satisfy
themselves with a profit of per cent. and
sometimes TO retain their customers they
even sell their goods below cost price. which
leads TO frequent bankruptcies, and thus all
Yertt.4r i4l HFrTt -TyTiS - N = tod
"Three-eighths OF the entire Jewish popu-
lation live by physical labor. The earnings
of the Jewish artisan and the laborer are
extremely meager. a factory hand
makes from co 10 300 rubIes a year. And
the wages of the women ana girls who
work in the factories are still smaller.
Thus for instance, during my visits a
stocking factory where women were en-
ployed. | learned that the average pay did
not exceed ! ruble ~ kopeks COR 30 cents)
per week. while the lowest pay was 20
kopeks cor - centsD per week
with such SINAI! earnings which can
hardly cover the most economical house
keepers budget. there can be no question.
The slightest change. such sickness, old
sation of work In the factory. or some
trouble that may befall the employer.
throws the family into a state of poverty
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