THE LUST FOR RIOT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 270, 20 November 1911, Page 2

THE LUST FOR RIOT.

ANTI-SEMITIC FEELING

Jews in London are much perturbed by the attacks on their brethren in South Wales. Not for many years in this "country have they been subjected as a class to such assaults, and we understand (says the Daily Chronicle) that, in order to ascertain the facts of the case, a well-known London Jewish merchant sent one ot his firm down to Tredegar and other places to' find, out how far the allegations to which widespread publicity have been given are correct. A report was laid before the firm, which, we are informed, shows that the statements that the Jews have been guilty of rack-rentifrg their tenants, making it'a condition of tenancy that householders should buy their goods and furniture from thenii and that extravagant prices have been charged for the necessaries of life because ot the strike, are all very much exaggerated. In fact, it is stated that the charges cannot be supported! It is admitted that one landlord ©f insanitary property, did, some time ago, | charge a' heavy rent for one room , and a kitchen, but that the Jew® m \ South Wales are any more exacting ; in this respect than their neighbors is strenuously denied.' DANGER OF SPREADING.

A representative discussed the matter with one of the most influential members of the Jewish fraternity in. London. ."1. am inclined to believe, he said, "the report of the newspapers that the'violence and looting are the work of the hooligan section of these villages. I hope it may prove to be the case on fuller investigation. Otherwise one would be forced to the conclusion that the outbreak has its roijts in racial bitterness. Whatever Hhe' cause, or whoever are 'the . .instigators—whether hooligans or strikers —the serious aspect of the riot is that a class of people, distinguished for their religious peculiarities, are being attacked. That, is a fact that is fraught with serious suggestiveness. I can conceive of attacks in other places being levelled at Jews just by the force of this example, and if the spirit of persecution breaks out again against the Jews, we may" have a development of the present unrest that will not stop when, men ha.ye fully returned to work. We surely do not wish to encourage, either actively or passively, religious strife!

A CREDIT TO THE COMMUNITY

"Who are the people who are being made the .scapegoat of the disorder? I know th© people, and lam | convinced that, while they are not all 1 immaculate—far from it—they be- ! long tovthe sober and industrious sec- ' tions of our communion. Thsy are the offspring of Jews who originally settled in London, where they, made a moderate income; and desirous of improving their position, migrated to j the provinces and ■ started various businesses and professions. As a rule they are a credit to the community. , 1 can easily understand that, in the -view of Nonconformist' peoples, the 1 orthodox Jew might be repugnant, and I can also conceive that repugnanoe being deeper in regard tx> , the unorthodox Jew. But is that a reason why, in ,-a country _ that has I shed its blood for the religious emancipation of the „ classes that go to make up a nation, there should be this wantoit. .ajtack on law-abiding and industrious citizens, whose sobriety and frugality are still the ad-

miration of all Britons who are not tainted with religious prejudice?

THE LUST FOR RIOT.

"But even suppose these Jews in I South Wales to be all that their traducers state, which I deny, does that justify the inhuman conduct of the plunderers? Further, permit me to ask: Are there no rack renters . among the Gentiles. Are there no unorthodox and profane Christians even among the Dissenters of South Wales? Have no Christian traders raised their prices of foodstuffs in consequence of these deplorable industrial i strikes? Is it not a fact that all over the country the prices of certain ; table foods have gone up? Are the • stalwart sons of Wales so degenerate in these unfortunate days that they cannot resist the insidious attempts ;of money lenders to extract from them exorbitant interest? To me ; there is a hollowness about these ' charges .that suggests that the people lof South Wales have simply got out 'of hand, and that down at Tredegar i and Bargoed' the lust for riot has dethroned the power of theiir reason. But we must be careful how we play with this racial question, and I hope the Government, that acted so effectually and yet so fairly with the strikers, will exercise the same qualities' in handling this new phase of a very difficult problem."