The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-05
rHE pAssPoR1 QUESTION.

many speeches have been made, many
Diplomatic communications have pass
ed between the government of the
United States and the government of
Russia, about the Passport Question
And yet most Americans do not seem
\ to know exactly what the Passport
Question is. how important it Is, hok
! 1t affects the honor Of American citi-
zenship.
| The Passport Question is neither a
Jewish nor Russian problem-it is
distinctly an American problem.
In 1882 the government of the Unit
/ ed States made a treaty with Russia.
/ In clear, unmistakable terms, which
/ could not be misconstrued, the very
first article of the treaty was to guar
antee reciprocal liberty of com
merce and navigation between the ter
ritories of the contracting powers and
| the citizens of the two countries We're
/ to have the liberty of entering the
territories of each country and of So
journing and residing in all parts of
such territories for the purpose of at
/ tending to their affairs.
| When one wishes to travel abroad,
| it is customary to apply to the gov
eminent for passport. The passport
| is evidence that the person bearing it,
is citizen of the United States and is
entitled to all the rights and privi-
leges of citizenship.
! II an American citizen desires to
| visit Russia he not only has to have
passport, but he has also to have It
viseed in advance by Russian consul
Fin the United States. The visa is
equivalent to a certificate from the
Russian representative in this coun-
| try that in his opinion the bearer is
/ a fit person to enter Russia. Before
the Russian consul will wise a pass
port, however, the applicant has to fill
out a form, in which he is obliged to
state his religion. 1t is because of
| this religious inquisition that all the
difficulty has arisen; since, if man
states that he is Jew, or If it ap-
pears that the applicant is Roman
| Catholic priest or Protestant mis-
sionary, the visa of the passport Is
forthwiths refused.
It is well known that the United
States sosefnment makes no disrinc-
tion between American citizens on
account Of their religion. 1t cannot do
] SO because it Is against the constitu-
ton All American citizens, ire
lspective of their religion, are equal
before the law. The United States
therefore, could not make treaty
which would discriminate against
American citizens on religious
grounds without violating the consti
1 tuition.
For nearly fifty years, the Russian
government observed the treaty OF
] 1882 with the United States, with the
same good faith that the United States
has always fulfilled its obligations
But beginning in 1881 Russia inaugur
ated its prosecutions and massacres
of it's Jews and at the same time, be
gan discriminating against any Jews
of the United States who desider to
visit Russia. 1t mattered not If the
forefathers of an American Jew had
fought in the Revolutionary war, mol
how distinguished his services may
have been to his country, the visa O.
his passport was refused solely on &C
. count of his religion so that Russia
introduced a form of religious inauisi
American citizen who desires to 90 t.
Russia. This condition continues to
day.
This discrimination by Russia ha
been practised for more than gener
! alton in spite of protests on the par
, of every secretary of state who ha
held office during that period Secre
8 taries Of State Evarts, Blaine, Ores
ham, Olney, and Hay have all made II
REPUTABLE arguments to the Russian
government, but they have been an
8 swered only by subterfuge, by begin,
: the question. and by repeated procras
n tination. Presidents and secretarie
s OF state and American ambassadors t
= Russia have been shamelessly deceiy
= ed, but the most solemn protests hav
> not been taken seriously, until II ha
! become clear to every American tina
) Russia Is not now nor has she been i
l. the past acting in good faith.
5. There is but one way left for TIL
a United States to assert it's dignit
i and honor, and that is to terminal
;. this treaty. All treaties contai
q clauses that enable the government
e, making them to terminate them o
e. notice. The treaty of 1882 with Rul
d STA provides for its termination upo
V one years notice. This may be don
= by a resolution of congress directin
~ the President to give such notice an
- it has been customary to give motto
In this manner throughout our histor.
o. AS the treaty with Russia has bee
a violated by Russia in spite of our PR
s. tests, it no longer COMFORTS with til
q Importance of the United States as
v great power to retain such a treat
y in force. A resolution terminatin
q the treaty has already been introdu
Al ed in congress and 1t will be taken u
at the present session, course that
!, bpipo adyncated bv prr,pnipapt ,an,l