The Washington herald., 1914-06-07
RUSSIAN SCORES
ANTI,JEW Lines
Banker Declares They Spell
Commercial Ruin for En-
tire Nation.
ATTACK ON ALL CLASSES
M. Rabouchinsky Deplores Conditions
Which He Claims New Regulations
Will Impose on Business.
ATTACK on ALL CLASSES

Special Cable TO The Washington Herald.
st. Petersburg, June 6.-Discussing the
burning question OF the present unsettled
state of affairs in the Duma and the
| general unrest in the world of industry,
| NJ. Rabouchinsky, one of st. Peters
| burg's greatest bankers, today told The
| Washington Herald correspondent his
| views concerning the new measures
| adopted against the Jews by the gov-
| ernment.
| NJ. Rabouchinsky's views are well known
| here. as he expressed them in no meas
ured terms at the recent sitting of the
Industrial and Commercial Congress con-
| vened against the policy of the govern
ment. He said:
Apart from its influence on the Jew
| ish question in general. in my opinion.
! the measures the government ia trying
to force through are fatal to the inter-
ests Of the whole country. 1t is an at
tack upon the liberty OF every citizen,
no matter what his religious professions
may be.
Under the new regulations business
men will be forced to come to St Peters
burg to settle their affairs. however
slight. and will be obliged to bow down
before the reigning powers, like a saw
age kneels to his bows.
Two IrreconciIabIe Facts.
Moscow. which has hitherto prided
itself on its independence. will vigor-
ously protest against such a condition of
affairs. We now find ourselves faced by
two irreconcilable facts.
"On the one hand, foreign capital is
indispensable to the industrial develop
ment of Russia: on the other. it will
be practically impossible to obtain that
capital under the new regime, yet We
cannot do without it.
Thus, we shall be in an impasse
which spells commercial ruin for Rus
sia and will throw the country back
into state OF semi-barbarism and stop
its development to the benefit of its
keenest competitors. on whom she will
soon have to depend for the very nee
essaries of life.
The question We ask ourselves is: Does
the government really understand the
wants of the country? We feel that the
country's rulers should abandon a posi-
ton which is bringing ridicule upon Rus
sia in the eyes of the whole world.
The position of our industry is anom-
alous as ii is: this, too. in a century
when every common sense government
is pushing forward the commercial de-
velopment OF its country. while ours is
hampering it at every step and seems
to derive a grim sort of satisfaction in
doing So
Arouses Whole Country.
NJ. Rabouchnsky added that he and
the rest of the leading business men of
Russia did not believe for a moment
that the ministers would have pushed
the law to extremes. They could only
have been inspired by the worst enemies
of Russia. Until the present law is an
nulled they feel ii their duty to oppose
it with all the force at their disposi-
ton. and this could only be done by
the ousting of the present leaders from
office. in view OF the storm of indigna-
tion their conduct is arousing through
out the country i
Asked as to the prospects of a COM
mercial treaty with the United States
NJ. Rabouchinsky laughed bitterly. :.
How can We talk of such a treaty
while the present state of affairs lasts?"
he queried mournfully. Such a treaty
We in Russia regard as a necessity. We
desire also to see a renewal Of the treaty
with Germany, but commercial treaties
in order to have effect. must be drawn
up by men in the confidence of the
public. and this we cannot claim at the
present.
so you see 1t would be idle to talk
of a commercial treaty with the United
States as yet, as neither NJ. Bark, the
finance minister. nor others have the
authority to bring It through"