Evening star., 1937-04-18

Ia
By CONSTANTINE BROWN.
A N ANTI-SEM1T1C drive ex-
~ tending from the Vbtula to
~ the Rhine Is afoot
4 a Hundreds Of thousands of
Jews-many Of them residents for
generations in the countries where
these drives are either already in effect
Or IN preparation-are being forced
to seek haven In more hospitable lands.
Entire economic structures might be
ruined, families uprooted, but the
drive must 60 on. It Is . move in
many ways more ruthless than the
Spanish mquisition of the fifteenth
century.
The movement began in Germany
with the assumption of power by Hitler
and has now spread to Poland, Ru-
mania, Lithuania and Hungary.
1t Is neither religious nor racial
fanaticism which Is behind this perse-
cution Of citizens who have done their
duty toward their country to the best
OF their ability. The movement is
political and economic. In Germany
there was . multitude of reasons which
led Hitler and the Nazis to start their
ruthless anti-Jewish drive. There Is
one outstanding political argument
which has not been sufficiently
stressed. Hitler took over the reins
Of government when Germany's army
and Germany Is q nation were still
totally unprepared to wreck the
Versailles treaty and became = first
class military power. Hitler had to
show his complete lack Of concern for
outsiders and had to bind his new
subjects into solid national group.
The persecution Of the Jews, with all
Its repercu&sions abroad, enabled him
to assert in the eyes Of his followers
Germany's independence OF the out
side world. The boycott organized by
Jews In the Western countries in
Mcted on Germany serious economic
hArdships. Yet Hitler remained ada
mant IN his persecution of the Jews.
1t WAS an indirect approach to things
to come; 1t was the beginning Of pre-
pairing the German nation for inter-
national ostracism.
Hitler's anti-Semitic policy caught
the Imagination Of the vould-be die
tators and the demagogues Of the
other Eastern European countries.
They could inhame the passions OF
the ignorant masses by showing them
that the real cause OF their hardshipe
and depression came from the Jews.
Hungary Bost Illustration.
The economic position of the Jews
IN Hungary i probably the best illus
tratlon Of the real anti-Semitic move
in Eastern Europe. The middle classe.
are preponderantly Jewish. According
to impartial statistics one Jew in four
belones to that class, while only ]
individual In is Of the Gentle has q
place In the Hungarian bourgeosie
Some Jews penetrated the Hungarian
aristocracy in the days Of the dual
empire kingdom; 200 Jewish families
had been ennobled by the Emperor OF
Austria before the World War.
ers, yet IL per, cent Of the owners
Of estates between $50 and $500 acres
are Of the ancient faith.
It Is In the industrial and financial
life Of Hungary that the Jews are
noticeably predominant Forty-six
per cent OF the industries employ
ing more than Is workers are owned
by people who celebrate the Passover.
ststistically, this does not appear ex-
oessive, although the Jewish popula-
tion is only per cent Of the total
population. But certain industries
are almost monopoliSed by Jews. Out
Of 10 sugar refineries, 8 are Jewish.
The entire asphalt and tar industry
Is In their hands, too Seventy-fiv
per cent Of the board members in the
20 largest enterprises in the coun-
try are Israelites. Seventy eight per
cent Of the privately owned medium
sized enterprises are Jewish.
The prosperity Of these people
arouses the envy and ire Of the Gen
tiles, who feel they cannot compete
with them unless the government be-
gins an anti-Jewish drive. 1t is not
difncult to understand the anti.Se-
mitic feeling which IS now spreading
in Hungary when the returns of the
ministry Of finance show that so pei
cent Of the taxpayers who have de-
clared fortune of over 10000
pengos "a pengo Is worth about 1s
cents) are Jews.
It is only natural that in country
like Hungary, which had to change its
economic status from an agricultural
to q semi-indutrial state, the Jews
who were forced into business genera
tions ago by their Christian rulers,
should fare better than the Chris
tians. Yet it irks the Hungarian peo-
pie to hear that while the yearly per
capita income Of the Jewish popula-
ton averages $500 pengos, the average
for the Gentiles Is only 427 pengos
These figures are not denied by any
body-they are published in Hungarian
newspapers which are also controlled
to . great extent by Jews.
shown Devotion 10 Country.
Like the majority Of the German
Jews, their Hungarian co-religionista
have shown throughout the modern
history Of the country their devotion
to the land of their birth. They fought
during the World War like the rest OF
the Hungarians, made sacrifices and
suffered with the rest. OF course
there were those who were war profit
eers and 1t Is possible that since they
were sf1rewder business men they made
more money. This Is the reason for
their being singled out as the sole wal
v,llturos In Land Of patriots.
Despite their ultra -nationalist tend
encies, the Hungarian Jews, because
they are . prosperous minority, are
facing trouble. The political future
Of Regent Horthy's kingdom-a greater
Hunsary-is closely linked with Hitler
And that implacable enemy Of the
Jews Is at present ENCOURAGING his
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