New-York tribune., 1920-09-26
Jacob Sclliff.
Banker, Dies
Here, Aged 73
(Ceasinued 1rem psso ens)

During the great strike in the cloak
and suit trade, in 1915. he was active
in endeavoring to persuade the EN-
ployers to make an equitable settle
ment with their employees.
Active in Civic Affairs
For many years Mr.. SchiR took an
active interest in civic affairs, gener-
ally in an entirely non-partisan way,
though until 1912 he was a steadfast
member Of the Republican party. He
was q prominent member of the second
Committee Of Seventy, and Of the later
Committee Of Fifteen and the Commit
tee Of Nine, which did much for the
reform Of local administration, partieu-
larly Of the police department. He
was q generous promoter of educa-
tional and other enterprises for the
improvement of social conditions in
New York, conspicuous among them be-
ing the Henry Street Settlement, of
which he was an important benefactor.
He supported Woodrow Wilson for
the Presidency in 1912 against William
H. Taft, chiefly, as he afterward ex-
plsined, on economic grounds, and he
against Charles E. Hughes on the
ground that che kept US out of war"
He also was an earnest supporter Of
William Sulzer in his campaign for the
Governorship, largely because Of the
sympathy with the prosecuted Jews Of
Russia which Mr.. Sulzer had shown
while he was a Representative in Con-
gress; but he turned vigorously against
him at the time of his impeachment.
Despite these incursions into Democ-
racy, he was in 1915 elected a member
Of the New York County Republican
Committee, having previously been a
member Of the County "Buil Moose"
Comittee, and he created a furore at a
meeting of the former organization by
urging that the Republican party
should adopt President Wilson's eco
nomic policy and refrain from agitating
for retur to protective tariff.
Interested in Foreign Affairs
In foreign relations Of the United
States, both commercial and diplo-
His fotation of the Japanese war loan
has been mentioned. It was said to
have been his refusal to float another
Japanese loan which compelled that
country to gran the easy terms Of
peace to Russia which it did at the
Portsmouth conference. He antica-
pated serious rivalry of Japan against
this country, and caused a consider rable
discussion in the fall of 1909, when,
returning from g visit to Japan, he
spoke Of an inevitably impending con-
hict with that country. His express
sion was commonly interpreted as
meaning that there would be a mill
tary and naval war, though, as he
afterward explained, he meant moth
ing more than commercial and indus
trial competition. But his remarks
gave great umbrage in Japan.
The outbreak of the World War
placed Mr.. Schiff in amost embarrass-
| ing position. He was, he vehemently
protested, not anti-English; he was
passionately anti-Russian, with a
strong tendency toward teoretical
pacificism. In controversial CORE
spondence with his close friend, ex-
President Eliot, Of Harvard University,
ne made these circumstances plain. He
| lleved that England was intent upon
crushing Germany to destroy her com
mercial and industrial rivalry, but that
this was fatally short-sighted policy,
because the crushing Germany would
mean the domination Of Europe by
Russia, and that would mean the sure
and hopeless decline Of England. He
could not be persuaded that Germany,
with the possible exception of a hand
ful Of military extremists, had she
slightest thought of trying to domi-
nate Europe, much less the world, and
he deprecated the humbling of either
Germany or England as almost certain
to be disastrous to the United States.
AS early as 1915 he was in favor of
league of nations. and for such exer-
else Of moral suasion by the United
States as would bring about cessation
Of hostilities without avictory or de-
feat for ether side. When at last the
United States was compelled to enter
the war he, of course, committed him
self unreservedly to the support Of his
adopted against his native country and
was incessantly active in promoting
Liberty loans. Red Cross funds and
other financial adjuncts to the cam
paign.
Devout and Loyal Jew
Mr.. SchiY was a devout and loyal
Jew, though in some important respects
he differed radically from other promi-
nent members Of that race and faith.
He was inexorably opposed to the
Zionist or Jewish Nationalist move
ment, insisting that Jews should iden-
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