The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-11-07
AUTHORITIES FAIL TO INTER.
FERE WITH MAssAcRgs.
PROSECUTIONS CONTINUE
Although Central Powers Insist They
Have "Hish Moral Ideals" Their
Deeds Speak Louder Than
Words. ,f....,


lcia have been visited by a succession
OF prosecutions, in which Jewish lives
and Jewish property have been sacri
feed in the most wanton manner In
fact, the treatment to which the Jews
of Poland, Lithuania and Galicia have
been Systematically subjected of late
forms singular commentary on the
claim of the Central Powers that they
are fighting war of self-defense
German and Austria Hungary have
made repeated protestations of the
high moral ideals by which they are
guided lin their conduct of the war
But If these protestations are examined
in the light of the prosecutions to
which the Jews of eastern Europe
have been exposed they appear rather
inane.F, ...
Not only have the Central Powers
entirely neglected the interests of
the Jews in the occupied territories of
Poland and Lithuania, but they have
actually encouraged there policy OF
political and economic oppression,
deliberately ignoring every claim of
the Jews. And they have not merely
denied their rights; they have over.
whelmed them with wrongs.
Faith in Central Powers Destroyed.
For some years before the war the
Jews in Poland had been suffering un.
der an economic boycott. After the
withdrawal of Russia from the war
Jews naturally wondered whether
Germany and Austria, which had al
ways laid claim to a superior civilza-
ton to that of Russia, would put an
end to their trials On the contrary,
their sufferings have been even more
intense. :,.s'
Antt-Jewish propaganda has been in
constant circulation. Articles appear
almost daily in the newspapers accus-
ing the Jews of all sorts of crimes
and advocating enforced emigration.
In order to insure still wider circula-
ton for this propaganda, leaflets are
repeatedly distributed by unknown
agencies calling for attacks upon the
Jews. These leaflets have been sent
out, not only in small towns where
it might appear that they had escaped
the eyes of the governmental author
tiles, but also in the large cities of
Warsaw, Lemberg and Cracow. These
incendiary leaflets and posters are
written in Polish (full Germanisms)
and are printed in type used in Ger
man presses, so that the conclusion
is obvious.
In Warsaw and LodZ Anti-Jewsh
posters calling upon the people to
attack the Jews were exhibited in the
streets for three days. Although tie
Jewish press was not allowed to refer
to them at all a German-run, Polish
paper was permitted by the censorship
to express it's approval of them. This
case of unfairness on the part of the
government was so obvious that the
two socialist deputies Cohn and Noske
entered a protest on the subject in
the German Reichstag to the Chancel'
lor, but without receiving any salts
faction.
Germans Admit Anti-Semitism.
1t is significant that even the Ger
man semi.oflcial organ, the Norddeut
sche Allgemeine Zeitung admitted last
March that there had been recent in
crease in Anti.Semitism in Poland
Little else could have been expected
from the new government set up last
January by the Central Powers.
Not a single Jew has been appointed
to the Office of district administrator
in the cities of the occupied zone. OF
the 200 Jewish councillors in the Aus
trian occupied territory, not a single
one was allowed to attend as delegate
TO the conference of the union Of
municipalities. Furthermore various
hardships have been imposed on thu
Jews in the nature of education and il
business. For example the WARSAW
municipal council has forbidden then
to collect money for the upkeep o
their schools. Jewish students in War
saw are not allowed to form their Owl
unions and are strictly excluded iron
the Polish organizations. Throughout
the province of Lublin no Jew is ad
mitted to grammar school. The ad
ject of these measures is obviously f
discourage the Jews from aspiring t
an educational or TO a professional ca
reer But even those who are conten
without these things are hindered il
various ways. Jews are barred iron
the course for masons and maste
builders who will be much In deman
for work of restoration, and HebreN
shop signs are taxed more heavil
than those in Polish characters.
Lithuanian Jews are Fined.
The Jews in Lithuania have fare
no better than those in Poland. The
have been denied the right to sen
deputies to the Lithuanian Diet. Eve
their request for permission TO organ
ize a conference to discuss their pos
ton as one of the nationalities {
Lithuania has been ignored The mi