The Denver Jewish news., 1920-05-12
Poland Can Meet Com
petition of Neighbors
MI2sT GIVE JEWS THEIR ECON
OAIIC FREEDOM.
BY DIR. JOSEPH TANNENBAUM.

I
mission sent here by the Galician Jews
The Editor.
Poland is rich country. God has
endowed the Polish soil with great
natural riches which make possible n
magnificent development. Yet. the
economic position of the country is diff
f:cult enough, because in general. Pol
ish production and trade are still in
transitOry state. They are not
adapted as yet to the modern, large
scale, capitalistic forms. Formerly.
when Poland was part of Russia, where
industry and trade stood at an even
lower level. she could send her pro-
of other lands she was well able to
hold her ground, sine no tariff was
levied upon her products. The bOun-
lary between Poland and Russia was
free and open.
Now the situation is entirely chang
ed and the new state will have to
compete with neighbors who are much
more powerful economically than she
and better developed. Poland will
now be compelled TO rival German.
Czecho-Slovakian and Austrian indus
try. all of which are organized for
the East European market. If Poland
wishes to he the victor in this strug-
gle. If she wants to remain economical
Iy and politically independent. if she
desires not to fall under the sway of
German capitalism-she has only one
recourse: to give the Jews economic
freedom. The Jews have created Pol
ish industry and trade: they are the
pioneers and chief workers in this
field; and they will also make Poland
victorious I'm competition with her
neighbors. If the Poles cease persecut-
ing them. Poland may become par
ntlise for ALL when 1t will cease to he
hell for the Jews.
Thirteen percent of the popula tioi
of Poland is Jewish: of Galicia-
eleven percent Statistics of these two
lands show that the minority OF the
Jews were engaged in trade. or thu
S71 .SO4 Jews who, lived in Galicia In
1910. 4G2.OO4 earned their livelihood
thru commerce. ul
Moreover. the statistics for the sams'
yenr show that sixty percent of the
whole trade of Galicia was in Jewish
hands and only forty percent in the
hands of the other peoples who In
habited the province. Both figures
adequately show the important role
played by the Jews in the economic
life OF the land.
In the last few years before the wal
1t was attempted to drive out the Jews
from the commerce of the country
Special cO-operatives were established
for the peasants. and specific laws en-
ucted such as the Alehouse Law. di'
racted against the Jewish merchants.
They did not have general effect
however. The number of Jewish trad
ers did not decrease; they merely bc-
came even more concentrated than be
fore in n few commercial branches and
overfilled these.
Then came the war which brought n
catastrophe upon Jewish trade.
Seeking to safeguard the country
against hunger and the profiteers, the
government took over all trade. She
did not consider the human eXper-
fences of many centuries and admin
istrators who were not businessmen
and knew nothing of commerce wer,
nut in charge OF the exchange and
distribution of commodities. As n re
suit the country WIS not saved IRON
hunger. and the prices of food pro
ducts and clothing did not remain
normal, hut scared to the highest pos
sible stage.
These high prices were not official
The government did nor recognize
them: they were beyond the law. There
| was created an Illegal. illcgitimntt
trade-the so-called "Schleich-Handcl.'
At the market of the .>chleich-Han
del' everything could be procured II
the high price was paid. All took par:
in 1t not excluding the Jews.
| Anti-Semites insist thar the Jews
and the Jews only were and are gull
" i'm the. "Schleich-H Handel" This
charge is as absurd as it Is false. Tho
Jews are lust as much the victims OF
this order as the other sections oi
the population. Often the Jews are
the only ones to suffer .nru 1t. But
all sections have share in the trade
IT'S origin is not Jewish one. 1t be
Gins with the land owner and peasant
therefore-not Jews. These sell theil
food products to private persons al
very high prices which is contrary t.
the law, and so the commodities Offer
mass thru a number of hands before
,eacbinc the Jewish petty merchant