THE JEWISH POPULATION. 



213 



curse of the Russians communes. How many hundred 

 thousand honest Russian families, I wonder, have these 

 Jewish brandy-sellers ruined? 



'That our objection is solely to the anti-national Jews, 

 not to Jews who become Russians in all but their origin, 

 is proved by the decision of the commission in favour 

 of allowing the Karaite Jews, or " Karaimes," as they are 

 called, and call themselves, in Russia, to sell drink as 

 freely as any other of thir Russian fellow-subjects. It 

 is only the Talmudist Jews who are forbidden that 

 privilege.'* 



This is considered a fair statement, of what is alleged 

 against the Jews in extenuation of the bad feeling of the 

 peasants towards them. With regard to the bad feeling of 

 holders of landed property it appears that many of them, 

 in borrowing money, find it convenient to do so from Jews, 

 mortgaging estates in security for the loan ; and if they do 

 not repay the loan the mortgage is foreclosed ; and Jews 

 become the purchasers. Many do so ; and the stranger may 

 be ready to ask, And why not ? 



* A correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, who boasts an intimate knowledge of 

 Hungary, says : ' Throughout the whole of Hungary hardly a public-house or village 

 inn can be found which is not owned by a Jew. The Hungarian lower classes, like the 

 English, are unfortunately addicted to drinking ; and it is by skilfully taking advantage 

 of this vice that the Jews make their fortunes, and at the same time raise such ill- 

 feeling ajainst themselves. This is how the matter works. A peasant enters a public- 

 house in the evening intending to spend the few kreutzers he may have in his pocket 

 on drink As soon as these are spent he will very likely get up to go I have been a 

 witness to this scene more than once myself but this does not suit the landlord's 

 purpose, who will say to him " Stay a little longer and I will chalk up what jou drink 

 down." The peasant already, perhaps, a little excited cannot resist the temptation, 

 and before he has left that evening the commencement of a long score is already made. 

 The next time he finds it so pleasant and simple to drink without paying that he allows 

 his score still further to be increased. This goes on till the peasant is in debt for a 

 considerable sum. Then the Jew turns round, his former civility changes into menaces. 

 Finally he consents to allow the matter to stand over, on the peasant giving security on 

 his land for principal and interest of the debt. A fresh score is run up, the interest is 

 not paid, and at last the Jew seizes the peasant's land ; for in Hungary, it must be 

 remembered, every peasant owns a piece of land. In this manner all the peasant hold- 

 ings are gradually but surely passing into the hands of the Jews. In the village of 

 Cziffer, for instance, and several more places could be quoted, more than one-third ot 

 the lands formerly belonging to the peasants is now owned by the Jew landlords. Any 

 one who knows the deep love the Hungarian peasant has for his land can readily imagine 

 the strong feeling of hatred he will cherish towards the class who have robbed him of it 

 by such means. And it is to this cause, more than any other, that the present disturb- 

 ances against the Jews are to be traced.' The Gazette's comment upon this is that if 

 this were the ouly ground for Jew-baiting the anti-Semites might more intelligently 

 direct their energies to making tavern scores in Eastern Europe irrecoverable by law. 

 This is the case in England at present. J. C. B. 



