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Show M. WITTE AND THE JEWS. The report of the Interview of Messrs. Isaac N. Seligman, Oscar Straus, and Adolph Kraus with M. Witte Is full of Interest. The Russian peace commissioner commis-sioner was distinctly encouraging personally, per-sonally, though declining to bind himself him-self officially, or In any way to speak for his Government. And yet, the gentlemen gen-tlemen named were encouraged to think that there will soon be a prao-tlcally prao-tlcally complete emancipation of the Jews In Russia from the disabilities under which they have been suffering for ages. If there Is such a relief to them, It will certainly not be due to any humanitarian human-itarian sentiments on the part of the Russian bureaucracy; still less, by reason rea-son of the allaying of the brutal prejudices preju-dices of the Russian populace; but the controlling force will bo the need of Russia for money, and the necessity of making concessions in this respect, to tho Jews who are the masters of European Eu-ropean finances. It Is true that In the interview referred re-ferred to the gentlemen who talked with M. Witte expressly disclaim the broaching broach-ing of a loan or any money question. But a Berlin dispatch of September 9th shows the drift of European opinion on this point, thus: Tho Schlcslschc Zcltung la authority for the statement that M. Wllto, who negotiated ne-gotiated tho treaty of Portsmouth for tho Russians, has arranged for an American loan of 400.000,000 roubles to tho Russian Government. The money will be advanced ad-vanced by Jewish bankers In America on condition that Jews in Russia aro to bo accorded tho right of residing In any part of Russia that they deslro and that tho restriction to certain zones shall be lifted against thorn. That seems too definite and specific to be a mere rumor or dream; and the probability Is that what relief the Jews of Russia may obtain will be bought with the money of those of their race In other lands. And when so bought, It will be Russia's plan, as It has been her traditional policy, to get as much as possible and make her concessions very small and very frail. |