The Washington herald., 1920-12-27
EUROPEAN jews
RETURN TOLAND
OF FOREFATHERS
Modern Exodus Brings
Thousands Back to
Palestine.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
The modern Exodus is IN progress.
Jews from all the oppressed quar-
ters of Europe are fiocking into
their new-old Promised Land in Pal
estine. Many of them are trudging
their weary way across the con-
tinent on foot. From Russia, Po-
land. Rumania, Hungary and other
regions they are migrating to the
edge of the Adriatic at Trieste.
There they embark for Port Said
and thence proceed to Palestine by
rail. Within the past few months
5000 or 5000 children of Israel have
reached the soil of their ancient
fathers. The New Year is destined
to find the tide of immigration in
still wider swing.
Before 1921 is very old, the first
Palestinian national loan is to be
offered for world subscription. 1t
will be fioated simultaneously in
Great Britain, France and Holland.
and amount to $12,500,00 Jewish
patriots in those countries will pro-
mote and subscribe it. The loan
rs planned to be a record breaker
from the standpoint OF Interest II
has been decided to issue 1t at 8
per cent aremarkably low figure
in these days of tight money In
the international market. A small
European state is said recently TO
have paid eagerly 10 per cent for
a foreign loan.
Cowen Brings Report.
The aforementioned facts fig
ure in the reports being submitted
to American public men in WASH
ington by Joseph Cowen, of Lon
don. Cowen is a prominent official
of the International Zionist Fed
Grafton, which has undertaken the
establishment of the Jewish Nation
al State in the Holy Land. He is
making a six weeks visit to the
! United States, during which he Is
comforting with Justice Brandeis, OF
the Supreme Court; Judge Mack, OF
the Federal Commerce Court; Rabbi
stephen s. Wise and other Amer
ican Jews interested in Zionism. In
an interview today. Cowen said:
Just now our phoblem is pri-
marily economic in character. 1t
concerns water-power. By arrange
men with Great Britain, France
controls Syria, which forms the
northern boundary of Palestine.
Syria contains the sources of the
rivers Jordan and Jarmuk. Pales-
tine having no coal, water power
is essential. 1t can be derived only
from the Jordan and the Jarmuk.
We do not relish dependence upon
outside favor for Palestine's indus
trial life-blood. French and Zionist
engineers will shortly meet to eff
feet some kind of arrangement, but
no settlement. short of a readust-
ment which places the mouths of
the Jordan and the Jarmuk within
Palestinian jurisdiction can be per-
manently satisfactory. French con-
troll over the Jordan and the Jar
muk supply almost is tantamount
to French control of Palestine it.
self"
who is administering Palestine
at present." Cowen was asked.
The British government, under
a mandate from the intcr-allied su-
preme council, has established a
civil administration under a high
commissioner. He is Sir Herbert
Samuel, for many years an impor-
tant figure in British public life.
He is an orthodox Jew, a believer
in Zionism, an experienced eXecu-
tive, and in every respect an ad-
mirable official for the post. The
supreme council mandate was be-
slowed upon Great Britain at the
socalled san Reno conference. It
still requires the formal sanction of
the league of nations.
Mandate Helpful. :.
Meantime Sir Herbert SamueI's
administration is functioping effec-
lively. The country has been divid-
ed into local government districts,
with councils representing the three
different elements Of the population
Jewish, Christian and Arab. That
idea carries out one of the basic
Zionist principles, namely, that there
must always be scrupulous regard
for the spiritual and political rights
Of non-Jewish Inhabitants There
are also issues of postage and cur
rency In three languages-Hebrew
English and Arabic. Arabs outnum-
Der the Jewish population at pres
ent in the ratio of eight or ten to
one. Out of the 100000 or 700, 900
people in Palestine. hardly 1000
are Jews. What, of course, even
tually is intended is a radical al
teratton of those proportions by the
hoped-for immigration of Jews from
lands where they now live under op-
pressive conditions. The time ought
to come when immigration of Jews
to the United States largely IL not
entirely will be diverted to Pales-
tine. From that standpoint hardly
any country in the world has so d.
rect an interest in the establishment
OF the Jewish National Home as
America"