Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-12
RUSSIAN PASSPORT QUESTION
II Is Now Up for Very Serious Con-
sideration In This Country.

sideration In This Country.
No disputes regarding its meaning
or it's enforcement occurred for forty
two years, says the New York Com
mercial, but in the fifteen years be-
tween 1865 and 1880 some complaints
of discrimination against Jews were
made which accompanied oppression Of
the Hebrew population in some Rus
sian cities Matters continued to go
from bad to worse until on July 20,
1881, James G. Blaine, then secretary
i! of state, transmitted to st. Petersburg
and also handed to the Russian min
lister at Washington, his strongly word
ed protest which forms an important
chapter in the history Of the case.
Subsequently the system Of holding
an inquisition into the religious beliefs
of American citizens with United
States passports which they sought to
have vised by representatives Of the
Russian government on American soil
became a burning question. The idea
of Russian official trying man for
MS religious Deiiel ii6hI III thS Si'y VI
New York, and refusing him some
thing he was entitled to receive as a
matter of right as a penalty for nom
communion with the Greek church.
aroused the indignation Of the author
tiles at Washington during the Cleve-
land administration. Secretaries Bay
ard and Olney and Clifton r. Brecken-
ridge, our minister at st. Petersburg,
notified the Russian government that
such infringements Of the rights of
American citizens would not be tole-
rated and might lead to the abrogation
of the treaty. This policy Of protest
was fairly effective and appears to
have been adhered to firmly by our
state department until 1905.
Then, for some reason that has new
er been explained, our state depart
ment ceased to fight the battles Of cit
izens of the Jewish race and faith who
wished to travel in Russia, and at the
same time the conduct of Russian con-
sular and diplomatic officials In this
country became ten times more arbi-
trary than before. At last on May %,
1907, the department of state issued a
circular to applicants for passports
warning them that former subjects of
Russia must get the consent OF the
Russian government before such a
citizen of the United States would be
granted passport to visit Russia by
oh 1a ho1 OIL
legiance. Nor did it stop there. Any
one of Russian birth, not having such
permission to visit Russia, would be
refused a passport of any kind unless
he pledged himself not to set foot on
Russian soil.
Two features of the case add to the
humiliation of the people and govern
ment of this land. 1t appears that the
passports of Jewish citizens of the
German empire are freely vised, and
that Jewish agents or statesmen rep
resenting Jewish merchants in Ger
many have free access to all parts OF
Russia.
It also appears that right here In the
city of New York the Russian consul
will wise the passport Of a Russian
Jew, a citizen Of this country, provided
he buys a ticket for passage on boat
of the Russian American line, a part
Of the Russian volunteer fleet, and
travels in that way to Russian port.
This steamship line issued circular
to that effect dated March 16, 1911, and
Russian shipping and Russia's war
navy are receiving the benefit of the
dollars Of her undesired citizens. It
should be said in fairness to President
Taft that he has pledged himself une-
quivocally to do what he can to rem
edy this Injustice and to assert the dig
nifty of this nation.