The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-14
THE JEWS IN FINLAND.
Tho Germanised white Guard Spells
Oppression for Thorn.

/
Government OF Finland has ordered al
Jews expelled from Finland by Septem-
Der 80 and instructed communities to
deny food to Jews after that date Is an
interesting chapter in the acute anti
Semitism Of the Finnish junkers and re-
actionist groups that compose the White
Guard faction. Up till the Russian rev.
olution there was-not a country in the
world. not excluding Russia and Ru-
mania, where Jews were treated worse
than in Finland under tire feudal con-
| troll Of the Junkers.
Tho fundamental laws Of Finland,
based on ancient constitutional proyi-
s'ons. denied all the Jews any right of
| existence In the country. A provision
In the Swedish Constitution. dating ffom
the eighteenth century and kept on tho
statutes of Finland until 1907, expressly
denied TO any Jew the right to live in
the country. When Finland was annexed
to Russia, and the Russian army. which
included many Jews had to be sta
toned In Finland. those provisions were
amended by ukase Of tho Csar, where
by the soldiers OF Jewish extraction
were permitted under stringent restric-
lions TO remain in Finland after they
had served their term In the army. They
! could. however, live in three cities only.
Viborg, Hel>ingfors and Abo.
They did not. have the right to enGage
in any other occupations except as the
law literally provided. In selling dis
carded clothes. tobacco. matches. fruit
and sweets" Their children were de-
MED the right OF education in the Fin
nish schools Trey could not study in
the University of Finland. They could
not travel in the country except be-
tween tho aforementioned three cities
They had no right to marry Jews living,
outside of Finland. II they did. they
could not bring their mates to Finland.
They were, OF course, denied all politi-
cal rights and they had to report at
regular intervals in order to provo that
they had not broken any Of these regu-
lations.
The Finnish bourgeoisie try to jus
tify this horrible treatment OF the race
which has so much contributed to the
civilization Of the world by telling tho
world that 1t was the Russian Gar who
prevented the Firms from lettering the
conditions OF the Jews in Finland. Yet
the fact remains that during the entire
history Of the Finnish four chamber
Diet not a single attempt was made on
the part of the Diet TO better these con-
ditions. Bills introduced by some indi-
viduals In the various houses, and very.
very moderate bills at that, which IL
enacted into law would have granted the
Finnish Jews only such rights" as Rus
sia has already granted them. were reg
ularly defeated.
An Interesting episode happened in
1907, when the celebrated philosopher
and writer Georg Brandes came to lee
ture In Finland. His visit was in the
period when, after tho comparative lib
eral regime Of 1906, during which sew
eral Jews Illegally came to Finland.
persecution began again and hundreds
Of Jewish families under tragic clrcum-
stances were exiled from Finland against
tho vehement protests OF the labor or
CARNATIONS. The undersigned conducted
a meeting OF protest against these evic-
tons and was fined for acting as chair
man Of the meeting. The foreign MIN
lister OF the new exiled Workers Gov
eminent. YrJo Sirola, who acted as Soc
Tetary OF the meeting. was also fined.
Georg Brandes's lecture In Eelsingfors
was also against the Finnish law. which
would have allowed him. If he first
to sell discarded clothes on tho steps
Iii
stances to lecture within the walls OF
the Finnish alma mater. went to see
GeorS Brandes, and called his atten-
ton to the scandalous treatment OF the
Jews. A deputation Of Jews Of Hell
s!nsfors also came to see him, and inn
plored him to do something about the
situation. Brandes got very much ex-
cited about the situation and he first
refused to I'LL his lecture date. After
many entreaties OF the Finnish "intelii-
gercs" he consented to speak, but in
stead of the promised lecture he .deliv-
cred a scathlng rebuke to the Finnish
bourgeoisie for their hypocrisy In the
Jewish question. On a subsequent visit
to Finland and Russia Brandes accord
ingly was barred from tho platform.
As soon as the Socialist party entered
the parliamentary life Of Finland in
1907 one of the first things it did was
TO introduce bill proposing equal rights
for the Jews. The bill was introduced
by me, and was violently opposed by
elements in all the bourgeois parties,
and was defeated because Of the I'M
timely dissolution OF the session In
the second Diet the bill was introduced
and once more defeated for the same
rea son. In the third session OF the Diet
I again introduced the bill. and together
with my comrades in the Socialist party
proceeded to fight for its passage. and
accomplished its passage with the help
of few scattered votes from other par
tics, the bulk OF the bourgeolsie still op-
posing Il. The antl-Semitic reactionists
got the Car TO defeat the bill. Only In
1917. when the workers were in control
OF the Diet. bill giving unrestricted
equal rights to all Jews was finally
passed, and. having proclaimed the indie
pendence OF Finland, the Government OF
the Workers enforced it, granting the
Jews rights on the same basis as other
citizens.
With the help of German invasion
the reactionists are once more In con-
troll of Finland. and while they are de-
stroying all tire hard won democracy
there, 1t Is logical for them incidentally
70 revive their medieval oppression of
the Jewish race.
SANTERr NUoRrEvA,
In the United States Of