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The JEWISH OUTLOOK WeeKly Journal Devoted to the J*wtsW Coinnaunities of the IVocKy Mountain Region PDBLISHtD EVERY FRIDAY Volume 11 REVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR Our New Year (September K>. 1!M)4) was marred by an anti-Jewish disturbance in Sos nowiec, Russian Poland, thus ushering in a long series of riots to which the Russian Jews have been subjected during the year, and which culminated in the spring massa cres (Zhitomir, etc.). Nevertheless, the year seemed to open auspiciously for our breth ren in Russia. Only a few days before Rosh ha-Shana an imperial ukase was issued (September 4th) which, though leaving the great mass of the Jewish population to its misery in the congested towns of the Pale, conceded to merchants of the First Guild, to retired soldiers "who, having taken part in the military operations in the Far East, have been decorated, or generally served in the active forces without stigma,” to specially-inscribed working artisans and to persons who have had a university or higher grade education, the right of residence out side the Pale; the graduates of universities and high schools acquiring the right “to en gage in commerce and industries without having previously been First Guild mer chants” but in no way to follow their pro fession outside the Pale. Close upon the heels of this conciliatory edict came (September 7tli) the appointment of Prince Peter Sviatopolk-Mirski as succes sor to M. von Plehve (assassinated July 28th). rtS governor of Ekaterinoslav, but es pecially as governor-general of the Wilna, Kovno and Grodno provinces, the Prince won general and undissimulated love and respect by his justice and humanity, and, in par ticular, the gratitude of the Jews for his moderation with which he executed the re strictive laws to which they are prevailingly subjected, removing, wherever he could, un due harshness, protecting them against ill treatment, discouraging anti-Semitic attacks in the local official organs and in a number of ways endeavoring to lighten the burden resting on the Jews in consequence of the special legislation. Meantime, there was a veritable epi demic of anti-Jewish excesses. While the disturbances in Rovno, government of Wol hynia (September 4th) and Smjela, govern ment of Kieff (September 4th and sth) were of a general anti-Semitic character, serious riots occurred in the month of October in Denver, Colorado, Friday, September 29, 1905 BY MAX L. MARGOLIS. connection with the call inf? out of the Re servists. The recruits, who with the utmost reluctance left their homes to tight in the Far East for an unpopular, and, to the ma jority of the people incomprehensible, cause, vented their spleen on the Jews, whom the anti-Semitic press was, with deliberate mal ice. representing as having brought about the present war out of revenge for Kishi neff. The Jewish populations of thirty-five towns were thus ruined: in the sequel the number of localities where the reservist ex cesses were enacted was doubled. The loss of property is estimated at seven million roubles. The originators of these excesses chose an opportune moment; their aim was clearly to intimidate the Prince in whatever steps he contemplated for the betterment of the condition of the Jews. An imperial manifesto of December 2Gth, while promising reforms, reaffirmed with the utmost definiteness and in an authori tative way the principle of autocracy, thus repudiating the demand of the zemstvos for a representative government. It was reported in December that the ministry of the interior was actually en gaged on the revision of the laws affecting the Pale of settlement. Unfortunately, how ever, the position of the Prince was even then not very secure. The Gomel trial was a farce: the court was presided over by an anti-Semite whose shameful attitude was denounced by all right-minded Christians. The Jews of Gomel, who had resisted the attacks of the rioters, were saddled with a criminal trial, and the affair was represented as an organized attack on "native” Russians out of revenge for Kishineff, the innocent, “unprotected” Russians having merely de fended themselves against the organized at tacks of the Jews. The notorious anti-Sem itic governor of Mohileff. Klingenberg, re mained in office although in his government the anti-Jewish outrages had assumed the most terrible dimensions without meeting with the slightest interruption on the part of the police. A deputation of Mohileff Jews obtained little satisfaction from Prince Mirski. Each fresh mobilization of troops for the unpopular war in the Far East led, on the one hand, to reservist excesses against the Jews, and. on the other, to desertions in which, it must be owned. Jews largely fig ured, although from the kingdom of Poland there fled many Polish reservists, a consid erable percentage of whom belonged to the intellectual classes, and there were among the fugitives Ruthenians and even native Muscovites. The surrender of Port Arthur on January Ist was a severe blow to the bureaucracy, which stood condemned before the Russian people of having precipitated a war for which no adequate preparations had been made. The government was openly censured. While the liberals protested in their own way, there seemed to be a re crudescence of terrorism in the unsuccess ful attempt on the life of the Czar with the gun of one of the saluting batteries at the ceremony of "blessing the waters” on Janu ary 19th. Of an entirely different and hith erto unparalleled nature was the industrial strike of vast proportions, developing into political riots which held the Russian capi tal in a state of siege and resulted in the killing by the military (on January 22nd, "Red Sunday") of 2,100 and the wounding of 5,000 of the participants, who had gathered before the Winter Palace under the leader ship of Father Gapon, to present a petition to the Czar in which they prayed for relief from intolerable laws. Similar riots oc curred elsewhere, notably in Moscow. Jews took, and could take, no part in these riots, for the simple reason that though they are artisans —Jewish artisans enjoy the right of residence beyond the Pale—there are no Jewish factory laborers in the two capital cities. But in Wilna. Byalstok. Warsaw and Lodz matters were different; there the youthful section of Jewish labor ranks, which is chiefly organized by the “Bund,” or "Gen eral League of Jewish Workingmen in Lith uania, Poland and Russia,” certainly took a part in the labor risings, fraternizing with the other sections of Russian Socialism. The Czar replied (January 25th) with the appointment of General Trepofl: as governor general of St. Petersburg with almost dicta torial powers. In the arrests which followed the government did not fail to see to it that a vastly disproportionate number of Jews were taken into custody. The Jews were made, as so often before, the selected scape goats of these new occurrences. Trepoff was reported to have declared that the dis turbances were solely and exclusively tne machinations of the arch-fiend of the Rus sian people—the Jew. On February Ist, announcement was Number 48