The leading political party of Russia—the Constitutional Democratic
Party—officially voiced its sentiments on the Jewish question at a
national convention of the Party, held at Petrograd on June 19–21
(O. S. June 6–8), 1915, at which the Central Committee of the Party
submitted a comprehensive report which was adopted unanimously, and
which, summarized in the form of a resolution, was ordered published.
This resolution, after citing the loyalty and patriotism of the Jews at
the outbreak of the war, continues:
“This intense spirit of patriotism manifested by the Jews in the hour
of Russia’s danger seemed for a time to have broken down the rooted
prejudices of the Government and to have cleared the way for the
recognition in Russia, of that civic equality which is accorded the
Jews throughout the civilized world. But this would have deprived
our reactionaries, those champions of an outlived past, of their old
and well-tested weapon of black demagoguery—anti-Semitism. And so we
see that under the direct influence of these notorious Jew-baiters
measures were early adopted by the Government to set the army and the
people against the Jews. Every advantage was taken of the exigencies
of war. Isolated cases of espionage, likely to occur among the border
populations of all nations, were seized upon as a basis for universal
accusations and furnished the occasion for the invention of incredible
myths and rumors circulated exclusively to the injury of the Jews....
The Jews have been held collectively responsible for the acts of
individuals among them—a policy which outrages the most elementary
sense of justice, a policy which is no longer sanctioned by the laws
of any civilized land, a monstrous survival of the remote past....
Needless to mention the spread of discord and hatred, the growth of
mutual suspicion and distrust among the races inhabitating Russia
which must of necessity follow such a policy....
=“Not only in the name of brotherhood; not only in the name of that
harmony so necessary where different nationalities are fated to live
under the shelter of a common government; not only for the sake of
keeping alive among the Jewish people, now being driven to despair,
some hope of a brighter future, and some faith in that progress
of which they have ever been the valiant champions, but also for
the sake of the attainment of that ideal of the Russian people—the
elevation of our beloved Fatherland to the status of a truly
enlightened empire—must we offer united opposition against the forces
of reaction.... Our adversaries hope to continue, even after the war,
to use the poisoned weapon of primitive race hatred which they have
used until now. It is our task to demonstrate to the masses of the
people that they are again being duped, that their base passions are
now being aroused in order to distract their attention from their own
vital interests. We must continue, as before, to point out, firmly
and persistently, that there is only one path to a brighter future
for Russia, the same path along which the entire civilized world has
traveled, and that along this road there is only one solution of the
Jewish question—a solution demanded by the most elementary principles
of civilized government—and that is to grant them, as individuals,
full civic rights, and as a people, the right to free racial and
cultural self-development.”=
A striking incident occurred during the debate upon this resolution.
One of the leaders of the party, Maklakov, a brother of the former
Minister of the Interior, advanced a plea in extenuation of the alleged
Jewish treacheries.
“The Jews have suffered such cruel persecutions in Russia,” he
remarked, “that they might well be excused even if these spy stories
were found to be true.”
=“We spurn this right to baseness,” cried out former deputy Vinaver,
a Jew. “Our loyalty is not for sale. We are not newcomers here. Our
ancestors have lived here for hundreds of years. We are patriots
because we feel ourselves bound to Russia. We believe in Russia even
more than you do.”=