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In
our last we were compelled to break off in the midst of an article on the
subject of our people in Russia. The part inserted contained merely our
own remarks; and deeply do we regret that the accounts since received, do
not throw any farther light on the subject. The reports only appear to
have been too well-founded, and their very indefiniteness leaves us but too much cause to fear that much has to be endured.
The object of the Emperor seems to be, to enforce a uniformity of action
throughout his dominions; to break down the nationality of Poland, to
destroy all languages but the Russian, and to have but one church, the
Greek. His power to accomplish his will, is fearfully great; yet we
confidently hope, that He who governs all the world with beneficence, may
soon break the tyrant's strength, or so direct it, that good, unexpected
good, may thence spring up for those who now groan under oppression.—Ed. Occ.
“Another
hard blow has just been levelled against the unfortunate Jews of Russia.
In virtue of a new ukase, all Jews inhabiting the open country are to be
driven into the towns. But all Jews not possessing immovable property
shall be unable to obtain the right of citizenship; that is, they are not
to be allowed to carry on any trade, but are to be given over to
starvation, should they decline the proffered alternative of turning
Russian Catholics.
“In
a comment upon the purport of this ukase, the Z. d. J. publishes a
rather violent article. Looking at the inability of our English brethren
to interfere beneficially in behalf of our unfortunate Russian
co-religionists, and at the uncontrolled power of the Autocrat,—whose
resentment might perhaps make a measure irrevocable, originally intended
only as an intimidation; or who might mature into a stern resolution, what
at first was only the effusion of momentary displeasure,—we think the
policy of inflammatory language may be questioned. And certainly, when we
look back at the avowed effect which the invectives of the French press
against the Autocrat, had upon the unfortunate Poles, we should long
hesitate before allowing ourselves to be overruled by an impetuosity which
cannot mitigate the fate of the sufferers, and might much aggravate it. In
this view we are also corroborated by the opinion of men whose experience,
influence, and attentions, must insure
to
them due weight and regard. Sympathizing deeply as we do with our wretched
brethren, as fellow-creatures, as brethren and as co-religionists,—happy
thrice happy, as we should feel, if by any effort, by any sacrifice on our
part, we could mitigate their fate, we shall, nevertheless, at present
abstain from any superfluous remark; and thus, if we cannot soothe, at
least we shall not irritate. We, therefore, content ourselves for the
present, to extract from the paper above-mentioned, various ukases
published of late, with some comments from the same source. These are no
speculations; they are stern facts, which will enable every one to judge
for himself, and to say whether the inferences are just.
“The editor, in order to prove the justness of his
opinion, passes in review the various ukases, concerning the Jews, issued
by the Emperor since his accession to the throne. He begins with the edict
of 1828, which subjected the Jews to the conscription. But, although the
Emperor did not fail to express to the communities furnishing their
respective contingents, his satisfaction, and even his sense of gratitude,
he, nevertheless, a few years afterwards, excluded the Jewish soldiers
from all military advancement; eluding the force of his promise to remove disabilities in the army, by interpreting it as
having only reference to converted soldiers! In virtue of a secret
order of the Emperor, a catechism of the Russian Greek Church was written,
in which the Jewish children, torn from the arms of their parents in order
to be brought up as soldiers, were to be instructed. The mask, however,
was altogether dropped in 1844, when the public order was given, that
these young recruits should be at once brought up as Christians, and that
the adults should be incapable to serve in the guards, in the active army,
or in the fleet, but were to be sent to the Caucasus, or to be employed at
work in the military arsenals. Besides these indirect means, others of a
more compulsory nature are resorted to in order to force them into
apostasy. Thus it happened lately, that, when looking over the list of the
military converts, the Emperor found ‘vacat’ in the regiment of a
certain colonel, he expressed to the officer his displeasure. But what
happened on the following day? Eight hundred Jewish soldiers were, with
the sabre and the knout, driven into the church:—two of them preferred
death.
“A ukase of 1835, conferred various rights on
Jewish merchants, artisans, agriculturists, scholars, and artists.
Considerable as these rights appeared, they were very insignificant in
comparison with those which the Jews possessed under the Polish
Government. And in what spirit were these laws administered? Already
previously, in 1825, the Emperor had indiscriminately expelled all Jews
residing in the two capitals of the empire.
“The same fate was inflicted in 1835, on the Jews
of Kiew, the sacred city of Russia, Nicholaew and Sewastopol, on the Black
Sea. None but converts were suffered to remain there. The interior of
Russia was altogether shut against them, and even a temporary sojourn
there rendered almost impossible. The agriculturists were not better
treated.
“In 1837, a large number of the Jews of Courland,
wished to immigrate into Siberia. The minister of finance, Count Cankrin,
supported the undertaking, but the Emperor withheld his sanction. In 1840,
Jewish settlers were sent to Cherson; half of them perished on the way,
the other half perished there in the greatest misery; because Cherson, a
country without trees or rain, required other settlers than persons not at
all acquainted with agriculture, and certainly unable to change stones
into bread.
“A
proportionably very large number of the Jews exercise all kinds of manual
labour and trades practised in Russia; and certainly they are superior in
intellectualization to their brutalized, non-Jewish neighbours. The
Emperor, in order to cut off this branch of sustenance, has determined to
control the Jewish traders, till, as it is openly said they shall come to
their senses. And since the promulgation of the Law of 1835, has a Jew
received any government situation, however subordinate? Not a single one.
An eminent artist of the Jewish religion, who in virtue of this ukase,
applied for a situation in the Academy of Arts, received for answer,
‘You must convert yourself,’ to which of course he did not submit.
“But
the Emperor soon found out, that however he might oppress the Jews,
however successful he might be in cutting off single stragglers from the
camp of Israel, yet that camp was impregnable by the means used. The
Emperor determined therefore at once, to resort to the employment of
force; and it is to this determination that may be attributed the series
of atrocious ukases which have lately appalled the Jews of the universe,
and extorted a cry of horror from the civilized world.
“The
first of these ukases, expelling the Jews from the frontier into the
interior of the country, resounds still in the ears of Europe. This edict
was to produce a threefold effect; it was to render the boundaries not
Polish Jewish, but Russian; it was to reduce the Jews to beggary, and to
give them over to starvation, by tearing them from their establishments;
it was still more to overcrowd with Jews the governments in which they
were allowed to settle, and thus to compel them either to stifle each
other, or to free themselves by apostasy. It is true, that in order to
justify this measure in the eyes of Europe, it was pretended to be taken
in order to prevent smuggling. But that this was only a pretence, and not
the real motive of this ukase, is clear from the statement of the very
ministers of the Emperor, who represented to him, that this step would not
prevent smuggling, that sixteen large trading places, besides various
smaller places, would thereby be ruined; and that it would cause to the
public revenue an annual loss of 1,460,000 silver rubles. Nor was the
solemn offer of the Jews, ‘to enter into a bond against smuggling, under
pain or excommunication,’ of any use.
“The
second preparatory step for the fatal blow to be struck, was the ukase
which took from the Jews the right of regulating their own commercial
affairs, and of representing the congregations by elders. Henceforth, all
internal connexion of the Jews as congregations was prohibited, and the
administration of their internal affairs and finances put into the hands
of the local authorities; without whose permission, they were not even
allowed to meet. By this step, the Jews being deprived of the only one
centre of unity possessed by them, no unanimous measure could be taken; no
protection or relief given to the members; and their strength as a body
was totally broken. Now that all was prepared, that the victims were
entangled in the net from which they could not extricate themselves, now
that the fatal blow was struck, the ukase adverted to appeared. Deprived
of all means of support, crowded in small rooms, which must soon become as
many black holes, the prisoners must engage in a deadly struggle for
preserving themselves, or save their lives by the proffered
alternative.”
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