The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-17
INJUSTICE TO
RUSSIAN jews
Representatives Call on President
Taft and Urge Him to Abrosste
the Treaty With
Russia.
CANNOT BE DONE
Other Means to be Tried to Put a
Stop to the Conditions Which
Exist In That
Country.

WASHINGTON, Feb. l7.-An i'm
portant conference was held at the
white house when representatives of
Jewish organizations discussed with
the president the advisability of abro-
eating the treaty of commerce amity
entered into with Russia in 1882.
Adolf kraus, president of the indie
pendent Order of mai Birth, and
Judge Philip Stein and Jacob Furth of
the advisory committee of that order,
j. Walter Freiberg, president; Bern
hard Bettman, honorary president,
and Simon Wolf, chairman of the
committee of civil rights of the Union
of American Jewish Congregations,
and Jacob Schiff and Louis Marshal,
representative of the American Jewish
committee, forming the delegation
upon invitation OF the President,
luncheoned at the White House. The
conference which followed the lunch
con was also participated in by Sec.
rotary of Commerce and Labor Nagel
and Huntington Wilson, assistant
oCSiOlols VI otdlS.
In urging tie abrogation of the
treaty members of the delegation EN-.
phasized the unjust treatment to
which Jews who have returned TO
Russia have been subjected. Not
only does Russia refuse to recognize
the passports issued to former Rus
sian Jews who have become American
citizens. but that nation has refused
to receive and courteously treat native
American Jews, who, as travellers,
have attempted to visit that country.
Under the treaty OF 1892 American
Jews, both native-born and adopted
citizens, claim that their safety and
comfort should be assured and that
they should be granted full protec.
ton. The refusal of Russia to COM
ply with treaty stipulations, by Civ
ing certain clauses construction an
tagonistic to their real meaning, is
put forward as sufficient grounds for
this country to end the treaty.
1t is not the object of the Jewish
organizations, such as the Union of
American jewish Congregations. which
| three weeks ago adopted resolutions
Recommending that the treaty be
abrogated, to terminate friendly re.
lations between the two countries,
but they are striving to force nego-
tiation of new treaty OF commerce.
and entity. under which the rights
of the Jews can be fully insured
While no authorized statement of
! the conference was issued, it can be
stated that the President cannot see
his way clear at this time to termi.
While it may be true that Russia
wrongly Classics the Jews as a race
the officials here cannot attempt to
criticise the police and other regu
| lations of Russia. In fact, 1t is sug
gested that in our own statistics. es
pecially in official reports of immi
grafton at Ellis Island, Jews are
classed by themselves, and with the
United States open to criticism or
this point it does not occupy a posi-
ton which enables our government
to go very far with Russia.
The peculiar position occupied by
the car as head of the Greek church
renders the solution of the problem
more difficult, because the persecu
ton, it is asserted, is largely ons
along religious lines, and the czal
has not sufficient power to be indie