The New York herald., 1920-12-24
RELIGIONS JOIN IN
PROTEST. AGAINST
ATTACK ON JEWS
Catholics, Protestants and
Jews Make Appeal for
Religious Liberty.
SEE PREJUDICE IN U. s.
Propaganda Here Ascribing
Red Activities to Jews
Cited as Example.
TREATIES DISREGARDED
Taft, Eliot, Bryan, Hughes,
Hoover, Gibbons and Elkus
Among Signers.
SEE PREJUDICE IN u. s.
TREATIEsE DIsREGARDED

Leaders Of the Catholic, Protestant
and Jewish religions united last night
in an appeal to the people of America
to help safeguard religious liberty
throughout the world from the menace
OF bigotry. prejudice and fanaticism
Their appeal issued through the
American Committee on the Rights of
Religious Minorities, 20 Fifth avenue,
declared that one of the disappointing
results of the war was an era of re-
ligious persecution which had been
sweeping many lands.
The appeal is especially directed
toward overcoming propaganda that
has been circulated in the United
States and elsewhere, accusing the
Jews of a conspiracy to foster COM
munism. Among the signers are Will
lam FL. Taft, DR.. Charles W. Eliot,
William J. Bryan, Charles E. Hughes,
Abram /. Elkus. Herbert C. Hoover
Robert Lansing and Cardinal Gibbons.
Text of Appeal.
The appeal follows:
"One OF the grave problems of the
present day concerns the rign;s OF re-
Iigious and racial minorities. We had
hoped that the struggle for religious
liberty had been won among civilized
nations; that the world recognized that
the right to worship God according to
the dictates of ones conscience is among
the most precious rights of man; that
the adherents of any and every faith
should have unchallenged freedom to en-
deavor to win converts by persuasion;
that every one has Il right voluntarily
10 change his faith, and that any con-
straint by either church or State upon
those who prefer their own faith is
repngnant TO every sane and enlightened
mind. The peace conference at Paris
expressly sought to guard the rights of
religious minorities. and articles for
their protection were incorporated in the
treaties.
Among the disappointing conditions
that have followed the war, however, is
the recrudescence of persecution in a dis
turbing number of countries. The
changes of frontiers have sometimes
united separated members of the same
nationality or creed into new state. In
other cases these changes OF frontiers
have broken old ties. Minority groups
have arisen which are separated by
creed. language or by nationality from
the majority of the people in the state to
which they now belong.
"The protective clauses of recent
treaties are in many instances being
disregarded. and minority groups are
being subjected to tyranny and oppres-
sion, ranging all the way from petty
annoyances to the most atrocious cruel
ties. In some cases those whose rights
are being restricted are Protestants. In
other cases Roman Catholics, and in
still others Jews. although in certain
lands all three are the objects OF per-
secution.
1--WE are not unmindful that political.
economic and racial factors are fire.
quently involved, but we must remem-
ber that the alleged interests of the
state have ever been the excuse OF of
ficials for prosecuting a religious mi
nority. As for the excuse that perse-
cution Is for economic rather than re-
ligious or racial reasons, why is II, then.
that IL includes women and children
as well as multitudes of men who are
not engaged in business, and why does
IL not include men of other faiths who
are notorious for the kind OF financial
dealings that are objected to? II perse-
cution Is primarily racial rather than
religious II is none the less reprehen-
sible. Race prejudice and religious big
otry are twins.
America Invaded by Prejudice.
America and Great Britain. OF all
lands. are the ones where neither religious
nor racial enmities might be expected to
exist. for they have prided themselves
upon their civil and religious liberty.
While. however. we were engaged IN
studying the rights OF religious minori-
tics In other countries we were startled
and humiliated by the outbreak OF prop
aganda against the Jews In England
and the United states.
"Inhammatory and abusive articles.
pamphlets and newspapers are being
diligently circulated among public ofii-
ciais. editors, teachers. clergymen and
many others. A determined effort Is be-
ing made to poison the minds of those
who make and enforce our laws and who
mold public opinion. The scale upon
which propaganda is being conducted
indicates a literally financed orsaniza-
ton.
Cites Abuse of Jews.
The crux Of the charge is THAI there
has been for a century n hidden con-
spiracy of Jews to produce revolution,
communism and anarchy, by means OF
which they hope TO arrive at the
hegemony OF the world that this is
really a conspiracy against civilization,
and that the revolutionary Bolshevist
movements In many lands and the in
Vulnerable strikes of the workingman
from the day OF the armstice, until to-
day-not single week has passed with
out strike. we are told--has been
directly due to- this conspiracy, no mat
ter wheN troubles have occurred, wheth-
er in RSssie. Poland, Hungary. Austria
Portugal, France. Great Britain or
America
"ft is all charged upon these arch
Cortirued on FonrtA p4r