East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-09-25
BY WIN. WRIT MILLS.


The semi-official German an
nouneement that the German govern
ment Is going to make the question Of
the oppressed Jews in eastern Eu-
rope one of the principal points To-
be dealt with at the coming peace
conference. created a stir among the
million and quarter Jews living in
New York; s5 per cent OF New York
Jews are Of Russian origin and they
are all interested in the fate of their
oppressed brethren in the land OF the
car. The German announcement
came at time when the state de-
partment through Its consular repre-
sentatives in Russia made inquiries
about the position OF the Jews in tho
war zone.
The American Jews look to the
United States government as the pow
er that will raise the Jewish question
when peace Is to be negotiated While
still waiting for help from the Am
erlcaA government, they are delight
ed to see another great power taking
up the cause OF their oppressed breth-
rem, As a matter OF fact, the United
States and Germany are today both
equally interested in the solving OF
the eastern European question
To the United States the solving OF
the eastern European question means
a simplfcation OF the complicated
immigration problem. There can be
N al ha
eastern European question not be
solved after the war is over. hun
dreds OF thousands OF these unfortu-
nate human beings will reach the
shores OF this country. What such
a tremendous immigration means
economically. socially and politically
to the American people as well as the
American Jews. is easily understood.
Because the United States have 10
deal with the immigration problem,
the American Jews earnestly hope
that the Washington administration
will take up the cause of the eastern
European Jewry at the right moment.
Poland and Western Russia, pene-
trated first into the Jewish settle
ment known as the pale of settle
ment in Russia, and met a people
that speaks Yiddish, a German dia-
lect originating from the medieval
German, a language which can be un-
derstood by every German-speaking
man or woman.
The New York Evening Post"
pointed out lately that the American
people would not regret a transfer
OF Russian territory to the Teutons,
because the territory that probably
win be annexed, is inhabited not by
Russians, but by Jews and Poles who
are badly treated by the Russians and
persecuted by the Russian bureau
cracy. The Russians have not shown
any ability in handling the problem
of foreign nationalities and therefore
resorted to brutal oppression. What
ever Germany may make OF this ter
ritory, there would be no more pog-
oms, no more exceptional laws, no
more yellow tickets and corrupt Of
flclaldom because all these things
are against Prussian bureaucracy and
against Prussian law The Germans
will have to create normal conditions
in the conquered provinces and the
inhabitants OF these provinces will
profit by II immensely
Germany is greatly interested In
paclfying the conquered provinces
because should the economic and po-
lltical war, waged by the Poles
against the Jews continue. in the long
run the Polish Jews will either have
to leave the country or they will have
to be Polonlzed But the Jews in
Poland as German-speaking people
are of enormous value to the German
conqueror as a mediator between the
Germmans and the slavs Besides. It
cannot be in the interest Of Germany
that Poland should become a purely