Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-06
PROGRAM SHOWS
ZIONISTS' AIM IN PALESTINE
Correspondent Says Ambition Is to Form
Model Commonwealth Based on
Experience.
BY BERNARD A. ROsENBLATT.

AApSA
BY BERNARD A. ROSENBLATT.
The Pittsburgh program is a dec
laration Of the kind of a Jewish COM
monwealth which the Zionists of
America hope to establish in Pales-
tine. Its six leading clauses are:
First-Political and civil equality,
irrespective of race, sex or faith. of
all the inhabitants of the land.
Second-To insure in the Jewish
national home in Palestine equality
of opportunity, we favor a policy
which, with due regard to existing
rights, shall tend to establish the
ownership and control of the land
and of all natural resources, and of
all public utilities by the whole peo-
pie.
Third-All land. owned or controlled
on such conditions as will insure the
fullest opportunity for development
and continuity of possession.
Fourth-The cooperative principle
should be applied as far as feasible
in the organization of all agricul,
financial undertakings.
Fifth-The fiscal policy shall be
framed so as to nSPtect the people
from the evils Of land speculation and
from every other form of financial
oppression.
Sfxth-The system of free public
ir1..r-.:t lion which is to be stablished
should embrace all grades and de-
partments of education.
(The seventh and final clause. pro-
viding that Hebrew shall be the Ian
guage of instruction, Is not germane
to this article.)
Aim, a Model Commonwealth.
We are not satisfied merely with
a duplicate of the numerous small
states of Europe and America. We
believe that the 1000 years of suffer-
ing and martyrdom of the wandering
Jew has given to our race a wealth
of experience which, added to the
ancient heritage of the Jew. can be
made fruitful in the creation of a
model commonwealth in the land of
our forefathers. This is not mere
empty boast of a group of chauv1nlsts,
nor is it an attempt merely to IN
terpret in modern phraseology the
ancient challenge of "a chosen peo-
important part in history is chosen
people"-chosen to carry out the task
which history reveals as it's particu-
lar province. Thus we think of the
English as the race that has given us
parliamentary government: France,
Italy, as the country of music and
song There have been many Eng
lish artists as there have been
great French parliamentary leaders.
yet the great quantity of Englishmen
are opponents of representative gov
eminent, even as the great quantity
of Frenchmen and Italians are in
terested in art and beauty, in music
and song.
"Justice Keynote of Character.
And so history shows the Hebrew
with a major characteristic that Is
easily recognized. From Moses, the
law giver, to the prophet Of Israel;
from the sages who composed the
Talmud to the Jewish labor leaders
of the nineteenth and twentieth CEN
turtles the distinctive Jewish note in
the world symphony has been the
passion for justice. In the olden
days, when life was simple and the
individual led an isolated existence. it
took the form of individdalistic JUS
tice-a communion between man and
his Creator. Yet, even in those days
we find that from the Ten Command
ments and the words of the prophets
down to the displtes of the talmud-
lists the emphasis is laid upon the
.
and man rather than upon theological
theories.
It is but natural that during the
last century, when life has become
complex and people live and act and
think in groups, the Jewish passion
for Justice should be extended into
the larger concept which we call so
cial Justice" Karl Marx. Lassalle
and the host Of Jewish labor leaders
of today beginning with Gompers.
are simply illustrations OF this dis
tinctive Jewish trait. even the many
of their labor leaders deny the mother
race from which they imbibed their
ideals. It is therefore altogether
proper that when the Zionist ideal is
transformed from an old-time dream
crete accomplishment the program
for actual achievement in Palestine
should reflect this passion for social
justice.
Platform Summarized.
The Pittsburgh platform may be
summarized In the following three
battle cries for freedom: (1) Land
(2) the Cooperative
Commonwealth; (3) Equal Rights.
The first is expressed in the phrase
that the land of Palestine shall be
owned or controlled for the benef1t of
the people of Palestine as a whole"
This is not the place for a discussion
of the measures whereby such a pro-
gram is to be achieved, but it is suf-
fcient for us to understand that the
Zionists of America have resolved
that the benefits which come through
increasing land values will not go into
the pockets of land SPECTATORS. but
will always remain community val
ues." which will go into the public
treasury. This is merely the modern
Interpretation of the phrase: 'The
land is NINE" saith the Lord. land We
are only my tenants"
Ideal Cooperation.
The second principle does not neces-
sarily involve the Endorsement of a
socialist state for Palestine, but it
does indicate that the Zionists of
America are resolved to encourage CO.
operative enterprise to the largest
extent possible, SO that a cooperative
commonwealth may be gradually
evolved, without, however, crushing
individual initiative. There is nor
simple formula by which the COOP
erative commonwealth can be
achieyed-it must be a, development
through struggle and experimental
tion.e In any event. we have set the
goal!
Equality in Everything.
The third principle is ono with
which all Americans are famsliar-at
least in theory, though we may fall
T.