New Britain herald., 1916-07-21
DEPORTATION ACT
 BUSES ENGLAND
Country Is Still an Asylum for
 Political Refugees

Correspondence of the Asso. Press)
 London, July 12.-Wide difference of opinion has arisen and the ground prepared for a controversy among the political leaders by the govern- ments decision that the subjects of it's Allies in the war residing in Eng land shall either enlist in the British Army or be deported.
 Particular objection to the decision has been engendered is so far as it may affect Russian subjects who may be political refugees, a large element of the more liberal thinkers in puo- lie life birding themselves in the tra- ditional asylum offered by England in this respect. Herbert Samuel, sec retary of the home office, stated in the house of commons that the plan to deport those failing to enlist would not be enforced in the case Of Rus- sian subjects, if Q tribunal decided that they are political refugees.
 The suggestion has been made that instead of sending back to their own country Russian Jews who have lett Russia for reasons known to every body. though they are not exactly po- litical refugees, they should be sent to America or dcported to some other neutral country of their choice
 The desire to avoid offending Rus sian susceptibilities on the subject Is general. for which reason the question is regarded as one of unusual deli- cacy. One group holds that the 7end- ing back of Russian Jews to their own country would gratify no import ant Russian sentiment, and might e1- feet the reverse result. The true in wardness of the situation, according to the London correspondent or the Manchester Guardian, is that English men taken into the army under con- scription resent the immunity or Rus- sian Jews and regard them as Jop stealers'.
 The correspondent gives the fol- lowing letter on the subject recelVeo by him from a Russian correspond ent:
 "This step will have most un- fortunate effect upon Russian oplnloh' which is the chief support in Russia of Anglo-Russian friendship, ana which builds all it's hopes for Rus- sia's future upon the prOpagatlon ol the British spirit of freedom and 1n- dividua1 Ebertv. Russian liberals will regard the deportation threat with particular dismay, as being ar unexpected and staggering conclusloN to the long-cherished but always h1th- erto bafflod desire of the Russian pu- reaucracy to secure the extrad1tlon o1 Russian political refugees.
 England is the great country ot Europe that has always h1'her'o pro- tected political refugees, ana as such it has quite a unique standlng III the eves of Russian reformers of all shades It would be quite impossi- hle for an Englishman to realize the feeling of veneration with when fnG- land is regarded because of this right of asylum. It was here in London that Alexander Herzen. father Of Rus sian Liberalism, was a refugee, and issued his paper 'KolokoT ('The Bello' that eventually brought about the emancipation of the serfs. Here Tn fer times have found refuge Tcha1- kovsky, Prince Kuropatkin, and so many others of our great reform CTS.
 Living in London at this moment are refugee members of the Hrs1 Duma. and quite a host of revolution aries who escaped after 1905. Rus sia does not want the men as sol diers If they were sent back to Rus sia most of them would be put into the armv-manv of them would have to face the worst penalty. BuI the principal evil would be that the Rus sian ideaIization of this country would ba shattered, and such disillusion- noent of Britain's chief political friends in Russia might well prove dis. strous to the closer cooperation of tho two countries in the future.
 "It Is unpalatable but 1t is true that .,oone the conservatives and reaction arv clements in Russia, who alone would be gratified by this new Brit ,sh departure, there Is frankly anti British section, and their spokesmen in the Duma and elsewhere have not hesitated to declare that Russia's fu- t11re after the war lies not with Great Britain but with Germany. One cu- riOus fact Russian may be permit ted to point out. As far as is kroWn Germany has not yet repatriated to Austria a single Czech agitator who took refuge in Germany