The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-11-24
PASSPORT PACT
CALLED INSULT
BY JUDGE MACK
Jurist Arraigns Russia for
Discrimination.
DNULLIFY TREATY

Russia'S abrogation of her passport
treaty and her discrimination against
Jewish citizens of this country was
called an insult to our government by
Judge Julian W. Mack, of the Com
merce Court, in his address before the
Mems Temple Club at the Eighth Street
Temple last night
| INTERPRETATIONS VARYING.
The varying interpretations of the
treaty by Russia and the United States, by
which the empire is enabled to commit
acts that are unconstitutional heres
makes IT necessary for this nation to
nullify the agreement, Judge Mack de-
clared. He asserted that this could not
be construed as an unfriendly act. The
| treaty provides that either nation can
break it by giving one years notice. he
said.
The meeting was opened by Rabbi
Abram Simon, who presided and intro
duced Judge Mack. After declaring that
| immigration and the passport treaty
this nation, Judge Mack began his ar
raignment Of the former.
Russia keeps her people in a certain
| pale of settlement said he. therefore
she will admit or not admit American
citizens of Jewish faith as she pleases,
and at present she does not propose to
admit them. James C. Blaine pointed
out at the time that the treaty meant
nothing of the kind. He pointed out that
nc such treaty would have been entered
into by this country; such a treaty would
be unconstitutional
Treaty Contrary to Law.
ever enter into such a treaty. Such
treaty would be contrary to the funda
mental principles Of our government. De-
cause under our law all citizens stand
alike. There can be no discrimination
on religious, race, or color lines. Russia
extended her discrimination to Catholic
priests and to Protestant missionaries be-
cause she feared their influence on her
own people.
The insult TO America is not in refus
ing to recognize the American passport
at its face value, bnt instituting an in
quiry into the religious opinions-an in
! quiry which this country could not puT-
sue in dealing with American citizens.
/ 1T should not be a matter for the
Jews alone. 1t IS an insult to our gov
/ eminent"
Calls Situation Serious.
THE serious part is whether our gov
eminent is going to permit discrimi-
nation among its own citizens to the det-
riment OF one class OF those citizens, a
distinction based only on the religious be-
lief of those citizens.
1T is proposed that after thirty years
OF attempted diplomatic solution of
the problem, we try another method.
According to the treaty, either side can
end it by giving a years notice. OF
course. America can say: You have
broken the treaty by refusing our pass
port, and now We declare the treaty at
. an end without notice"
"We' don't ask for that. That would
he an unfriendly act. Wo do ask that,
by the terms of the treaty, We give
notice not that Russia has broken the
treaty, but that Russia says that the
treaty means one thing and we say IT
means another.
Unless the present administration sue
ceeds, as the former administrations
have failed, in inducing Russia to admit
that ours is the correct Interpretation of
the treaty, nothing remains for us to do
but to see to 1t that the treaty be de-
Clared at an end. in accordance with the
express terms of the treaty, at the end
of a year"