The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-01
CATHOLIC BODY
SUPPORTS aim
OF The Zionist
Entente Powers Want Pal-
estine the Homeland of
the Jewish Race

the jewish Race
Great Britain. France. Italy and the
Catholic church are in full sympathy
with the Zionist plan for the estaio-
nshment in Palestine of a publicly
recognized, legally assured homeland
for the Jewish people, and are pre-
pared to give this project their sup
port and cooperation.
The Provisional Executive Commit
tee for Central Zionist Affairs issued
this announcement today, upon enc
authority of DIR. Chain WeItzman'
President OF the English Zionist Fed
Grafton, and MIR. Nahum Sokolow, a
member of the Zionist Actions Com
mittee, which Is in charge OF the dlp-
lomatic negotiations of the zionist
Organization with the Political POW
ers.
The basis OF this announcement Is
the report made by DIR. Weitzman at
the last conference in London of the
executive committee of the English
Zionist Federation, during the course
of which, he made the following cate
gorical statement:
ST am entitled to state in this as
sernbly that Mis- Majesty's Govern
ment is ready to support our plans
would further like to add that the
support of the British government
when given, will be in conjunction
and agreement with the Allied pow
ers. Our leader, Mr.. Nahum Soholow.
has been both in France and in Italy.
and from both these governments he
has received assurances of full sym
pathy and full support. We have as
surances from the highest Catholic
circles that they will view with IA
vor the establishment of a Jewish ma
tional home in Palestine; and from
their religious point of view, they see
no objection to it and no reason why
we should not be good neighbors, and
good neighbors I hops we shall he.
''One of the important problems to
be considered in conjunction with the
future settlement of Palestine is the
delicate Question of the holy places.
we will he meticulously and scrupu-
1ously careful to respect the senti
ments of any religious group or sect
in Palestine. It is not for us to dis
tcuss how this complicated question,
which forms an important point in in
ternational relations, is going to be
settled. We trust to the fairness and
Justice Of the nations hich are going
to build up a better world after this
catastrophe, that they will see to 1t
that the arrangements made are fair
and satisfactory to everyone
At the Same time that he made the
foregoing exposition of the diplomatic
situation relating to the Zionist move
ment, President Weitzman sounded a
solemn warming to the assimilation
ifst'' Jews. both in America and Eur
ope, the small minority OF rich and
influential men who deny that the
Jews are a nation, and who, because
OF their opposition to the nationalist
basis of Zionism, are creating OBJ
stacles to the realization OF the plan
to- establish a legally secured hone-
land for &he Jewish people in Pales-
tine. he opponents of Zionism have
adopted the subtle policy of favorins
al center in Palestine which shall
prove a reservoir of spirituality fol
the Jews Of the world
They are swiIling also to ai6
in Jewish colonization in Pal
estine, but oppose recognizing these
settlements as possessing a national
character In a political sense Presi-
dent WeftZman threatens to organize
a plebiscite of the entire world Jewry
In order to demonstrate that the aver
WIDENING majority endorses the Zion
list program
These are President weitzman's
words OF warming:
TT Is unfortunate that there still
exists q small minority which disputes
the very existence of the Jews as g
nation. But there need be no mis-.
gfvings ON that account, for have nc
hesitation in saying, that If 1t comes
TO a. plebiscite test there can be nc
doubt on which side the majority o
the Jews VIII be found, and 4 war;
you that this test is bound to come
and come sooner perhaps than VIZ
think. We VIII have to show, and il
this solemn hour I call upon you t.
prepare for it, that with all YOU
heart and mild you stand united be
hind those leaders whom you hav,
chosen to carry out, at this critfca
moment of the worlds history. thi,
work We do not want to give tn,
world the spectacle of a war OF broth
ers- We are surrounded by too man,
enemies to allow ourselves this lux
ury- But we warn those who viii
force an open breach that they viii
lind us prepared to stand 1p s1nitet1 i,
the defense of the cause which 1
sacred to us. We shall not allow any
body to interfere with the hard worl
which we are doing, and we say t.
taH our opponents, ''Hands off tn,
Zionist movement"
The preliminary work for such
fpleofscite in the United States has al
ready been done by the Provisdona
Zionist Committee, in the campaig
that 1t has been waging tlrougho1
the United States to enroll the, Jew
as shekel-payers.'' The .tsheJceI,. /
the Zionist party tax and is paid onl
p. those who fully endorse the Zion
ist platform. This tax has alread,
Deem paid by $4,000 Jews of votfn,
age, and 1t is expected that the nun
Der on shel1el payers will reach 100
900 in the next fortnight.
TEMPERANCE LECTURER
TO BE HEARD AT FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN CHURC