JEWS IN RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2986, 25 January 1917, Page 7

JEWS IN RUSSIA

THIOIR CONDITIONS-A REPLY. J ■ In The Dominion of yesterday's date t t.liero appeared an article from a cor- ■ respondent of tlio "Morning .Post" re- ' viewing the conditions of tlio J ou'ish ] race in the Russian dominions. It is i suggested that another aspect of tho t question, constituting a reply to tho < article in tlio' "Morning Post," might also ho published. . This is an editorial in tho "Jewish.Chronicle," which l throws some light on the association of tho Jew-baiting party in Russia with tho pro-German element:— We/ have, in the critical circum- ; stances of tlie war., refrainqd from pressing unduly the need ffir the rectification of tho Jewish position in Russia, in confident hope that events themselves would sliapo in that direction. But'when wo find a journal of so much influence as tho "Morning Post" . admitting to its hospitality a letter, a whole column in length, the object of which apparently is to prove that the Russia Jews are not an oppressed minority but a privileged sect, then we feol that an undue advantage is being ! taken of our forbearance. The "Morning Post", writer's main contention scoms to bo that tho limitations impos--led upon tho Jews aro justified'by the, i "special privileges" granted them. Ho ovon goes on to describe these as "poli--1 tical privileges," and asserts that they i put into the hands of Russian Jewry "extraordinary powers," and bring i about a complete triumph of the Jews ' fn all those spheres of Russian eco- • nomic and public activity where coi operation and solidarity play tho chief . part ill crushing all competition. The i Kagal (sic) (? Kahal or Jewish reli- > gious congregation) is for instance, ac- > cording to this writer, tho instrument > of tlib cconomio perdition of Poland > and Lithuania. Anything nioro ludi- ) crous has surely never been communil cated by' a! strange pen to a confiding ■ print. The -writer suggests, however, f that if tho Jews will only cease to keep » up Chedarim, manago their religious - affairs, cany on the Rotlii Din, and so t forth, they can "acquire in a moment absolutely all the rights of Russian citizenship in: their fullest scope." , Thero is only one remark that we need 5 mako upon this proposition. We won--1 der whether tlie Russian Government . would support tho theory that the j. only reason why tlio complicated anti- _ Jewish code is maintained is that the . Jews have boon in tho habit of attend--1 ing to their own religions and purely . communal affairs. It is really in- . credible that such, a letter, bearing all i tho marks of the authorship of a memf tier of tho Russian Jew-baiting (and 1 pro-German) party, which has been busy reviling tho British Ambassador _ at Petrograd and intriguing against the ; Allies, should appear in an English piiby lication. Wo have, however, to deal _ with tho facts, and wo hope that what t has occurred will stimulate tho new a Russian Minister of tho Interior, who . assuredly is better acquainted with tho B truth, to put an end to the present o state of the Jews in Russia, as soon as e is consisent with the supreme demand r upon Russia and her Allies, of winning s tho war. Tlio present state of affairs - is not only calamitous for tho Jews, hut e must be. as is recognised so freely too day in Russia itself, in tho highest dej> eree injurious to Russians in general, g Having regard, indeed, to the quarter [- from which this letter has obviously, g indirectly if not directly, emanated, iti y is for the "Morning Post" to ask itp self whether by the publication of such if contributions, calculated as tliev aro to y foster antagonism and old irritations, if it is serving tlie great cause'which, liko > ourselves, it has most nearly and dearie ly at heart at tip's moment. it ' r- Although it is now clear that the "tank" is purely a British invention it :o is interesting to note that a San Frani- cisco paper published on May 17, 1908, 1, contained' a full-page illustrated article id descriptive of "the auto that jumps ie fences and other strange phases of n motoring passion." Tlie writer says: "Here's the last cry of the twentieth century—the fox-hunting auto. It will rise ill the air, take a fence or a. diteli, t. a brook, or a hurdle' with the same it ease that it skims along the highway > or whisks over country roads. Much i, has, been dono for the automobile witliB, in the year. The hurdler isn't the lr onlv one. There is the traction auto--1-' mobile that goes ahead without roads, i- up hill and down'dale, through sand ih and mud, over brooks and swamps, r, inst as if roa:d's had been built for it. ;h Then there,is tho new machine plani, lied bv Henry Farraan, the man who won tlio Deuiseh prize the other day r- in Paris for his flyine machine. He a puts wings to his auto—he will fly d> over the ground. Reallv, nobody can guess where the twentieth century a- automobile will stop. There seems ie to be i"> limit to what, men will do." ill Mr. Hugh W. Crawford, whose headlg quarters aro at Palmerston North, ailverof tises an investment of 65,000 cumulative ly preferential shares, with a guaranteed in- [{_ terest of 7 per cent., giving absoluto d preference over ordinary shareholders. ' Tho company has-been in-existence for nine years now, and requiros new capr--10 tnl' to cope with extensive growth. The u " business is stated to have proved its R0 stability, and is attracting a J.argo "i amount, of capital, open to all classes <tf s- investors. Jlr. Crawford will be glad to post prospectuses to any any address. Tlio business, it is stated, will bear tho strictest examination, and tho investing ili public are advised to write for further \ c particulars. . 0 j 'it is impossible to buy a real tennis „ 0 ball in the German Empire to-day. A 0 f most hopeless makeshift has been put on the market, but after a few minutes' play it no longer keeps its id shape or resiliency.