THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
5
Elihu Root Should Not Head Commission to
Russia, Says Henry Morgenthau
Deplores Appointment Because He Is "Utterly Out of Sympathy
With Jewish Race," Attitude on Passport Question as
Secretary of State Justifies Opposition, Says Justice
Brandeis Better Man For Position
New York. — Samuel Untermyer,
speaking last week in Cooper Union to
3,000 members of the Jewish League of
American Patriots, deplored the selec-
tion of Elihu Root as the head of the
proposed American commission to Rus-
sia, on the ground that Mr. Root was
not in sympathy with and had no un-
derstanding of Jewish aspirations and
pr oblems. He did r it advocate his re-
moval as head of the commission, but
he suggested that the President appoint
some representative Jew to its member-
;hip. The meeting, which was called to
discuss the Jews' place in the war, took
00 action on the matter.
"I wish it were possible," said Mr.
Lntermyer, "for us to still have the same
high hopes of the success of the mission
that we are about to send to Russia as
when the project was first announced,
but I regret to say that enthusiasm has
perceptibly cooled since the announce-
ment of the name of the chairman of
that commission. I wield to none in my
admiration of the great ability and re-
sourcefulness of Elihu Root as a diplo-
mat and a statesman, and am satisfied
that under ordinary conditions no more
fitting selection could have been made
by our beloved president. I appreciate
also the patriotism and unselfishness that
prompted Mr. Root at his time of life
to make the sacrifice involved in this
call to duty. He has nothing to gain in
reputation or otherwise. His place in
history is secure. And yet I deeply de-
plore his choice, not only because of the
reasons that were so cogently. stated by
Professor Alexander Petrunkevitch of
Yale University at the Economic Club on
Tuesday night, but also for another rea-
son which I would have much preferred
not to discuss and would not now men-
tion if it were not from a sense of duty,
and because of the transcending impor-
tance of the occasion.
Restoration of Palestine Important
Question.
"Whether rightly or wrongly, through-
out Mr. Root's distinguished career he
■ Mll ■ MI
.1.1•1
has impressed the Jews of this country
with the conviction that he is utterly out
of sympathy with our race and has no
understanding of our problem and as-
pirations. Frankly, many of our people
regard him as incredibly narrow and pro-
vincial in his conception of the Jew.
His attitude as secretary of state toward
the Russian passport question and again
in the Constitutional Conventions of
1894 and 1914 furnished abundant justi-
lication for this view.
"\\Te are intimately and particularly
concerned in this mission above and be-
yond the interest of our fellow-country-
men. We have been and are being hu-
miliated and discriminated against as
American citizens by Russia, notwith-
standing the protests of our government,
which insists upon its right and duty to
demand equal treatment of all its cit-
izens. Our president has been our con-
sistent champion in this demand. Be-
cause of our deep and special interest,
it is hoped and expected that we shall
also have associated with Mr. Root on
this historic mission an outstanding rep-
resentative of our race, some man of
the type of Justice Brandeis, Mr. Schiff,
Mr. Straus, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Morgen-
thau, or Mr. Roosevelt, who understands
our view and will truly represent us, and
other members whom we may hope and
expect to assume an attitude different
from that which Mr. Root's record and
our instinct concerning him lead us to
fear at his hands.
"There is another reason why we are
intensely interested in the efficiency of
this commission, the sympathy with
which it is met in Russia, and the out-
come of its laborers. That reason arises
out of the hope and expectation that
Palestine will be reconstituted a Jewish
state at the termination of the war. The
mission can do much in that direction
provided it has a thorough understand-
ing of the aims and aspirations of the
Jews all over the world, and partic-
ularly those of the Russian Jews."
Furnish Your Home
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0
1
1 1 1 11
VER HERE on the East Side—five blocks from
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Our entire third floor is divided into fifty-two in-
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Among the suites are splendid examples of the William
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rOURTEENTH
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BERNARD GINSBURG BRANCH
LIBRARY TO BE DEDICATED
TUESDAY, MAY 15.
Building Erected at Cost of $40,000
Will Serve Literary Require-
ments of Most Populous Sec-
tion of City.
Shirts Made to
Your Measure==
3 for $101
You'll be surprised to
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Compare the materials
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These are of imported
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Others of cheviot, crepe,
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100 Broadway
The branch library on the East Side
which will bear the name of Bernard
Ginsburg, a former member of the
Library Commission, will be dedi-
cated on Tuesday evening, May 15th.
A short program has been arranged
to commence at 8 p. in. Rabbi A. M.
Hershman will be the chief speaker
and Mr. Ralph Phelps, president of
the Library Commission, will preside.
The branch library is located at 91
Brewster street and was erected at a
cost of $40,000. It will serve the
populous East Side section of the city
and it is expected will be patronized
more extensively than any other
branch in the city. Headquarters of
this branch were formerly located on
Hastings street, but the demand for
books and reading facilities were en-
tirely too great to be handled prop-
erly. In the new and beautiful Ber-
nard Ginsburg library the voracious
literary appetite of the new Ameri-
cans in the district will receive an
added impulse.
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"Give MORE
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"I never imagined I
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---exclatmed a surprised
and pleased patron.
E
EZD
VERY DAY we hear ex-
pressions of surprise at
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showings of exclusive diamond
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This is quite natural, as many of the
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Fifth Avenue, New York, Shops.
Woodward at Gratiot
"The Sallan Corner"