Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-07
Says State Department Can
not Transmit Document to
Car in Murder Case.
PETITION THEN PRESENTED
TO RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR
Prominent Christian Clergymen
Take Steps to Halt Trial of Beiliss
at Kief. Russia.

IiOJESlS from Americans against TIE
prosecution of the ritual murder case
now on trial at Kief Russia. will not be
forwarded by the State Department.
prominent Christian clergymen, who
called on Secretary Bryan yesterday aft
ernoon with a petition addressed to the
Car of Russia. urging that the charge
against the Jew. Beiliss. be withdrawn,
were told that the department could not
transmit the document. because ii was
understood that the Russian govern
inent did not desire to receive such COM
muuca lions.
The petition was then sent to the Rus
sian ambassador. II appealed to the
car to stop the trial of Beiliss, because
of the untold evils to the cause of hui
manity which may follow from its fur
Their prosecution" Reciting the history
of ritual murder charges, the petition
said: We are convinced that the blood
accusation against the Jews, which has
been made sporadicaIly is as unfounded
as was the same accuSat ton which, as
history shows. was frequently directed
against the early Christians.
Text of the Petition.
The petition to the car says:
ITO his imperial majesty Nicholas Ill.
the Car OF all the Russias.
Sire: AS the representatives of va
rious Christian denominations of the
United States of America, irrespective of
creed, we unite, in the name of our sacred
faith. in an appeal 10 you that the charge
of ritual murder against the Jew. Men
del Beiliss, now trial at kieH, be
withdrawn. because of the untold evils
TO the cause of humanity which may fol-
low from its further prosecution.
I'VE are convinced that the blood ac
eusation against the Jews, which has
been made sporadically, is as unfounded
as was the same accusation which, as
history shows, was frequently directed
against the early Christians. 1t has been
subjected to the most careful investiga-
ton for centuries, and no evidence war
rantlng the slightest credence has ever
been discovered, and il has been rejected
as unworthy of serious consideration both
by church and by state. Bulls were is
sued by four Popes-lnnocent ~, Paul
III, Gregory y and Clement XIV-which
formally declared this superstition to be
a baSeless and wicked invention. The
genuineness of these announcements has
been recently officially certified by Carr
dnal Merry del Val. the secretary of the
holy see.
Many sovereisns have in the past for
hidden the attribution of religious sig
nificance to such accusations. among
them the German emperors. Frederic ii
Q236) Rudolph of Hapsburg u275>. Fred
erick III t14IO), and Charles V uJI); the
Bohemian king, Ottoca~ III 125G: the
Polish kings. Boleslaw $3.50. Casimir
III u33D. Casimir " u153p, and Stephen
Bathori djI6l.
Prosecution Stopped by Alexander.
Emperor Alexander I of Russia is
sued ukase March Is, 1917, by which
nc prohibited the prosecution of so-called
ritual murder cases. for the proclaimed
purpose of ending the superstition that
the Jews employed Christian blood for
ritual purposes This ukasc was con-
firmed by Emperor Nicholas j January
L.. 1888
Prince Obolensky. the former head of
the holy synod of the Russian empire
has recently declared: ION the strength
OF all historical and literary materials
concerning ritual murders / cay say that
this accusation against the Jews is just
as i'll founded as We: C the accusations of
the same nature directed against the
Christians long ago. You must remember
that the use of blood is contrary to all
the teachings of the Jewish religion.
For centuries numerous authoritative
theological. scientific and historical
writer's, who have carefully studied the
subject. have united III reaching the
same conclusion.
Fear Acts of Violence.
believing that the continuance of the
pending prosecution may give rise to acts
OF violence, as a result OF the passions
aroused by fanaticism and religious
hatred stimulated thereby-conseauen
which would be deplorable from the
standpoint of true religion, of humanity