Notes on the Diplomatic History of the Jewish Question Part 6

Les nationaux de toutes les Puissances, commercants ou autres, seront traites en Roumanie, sans distinction de religion, sur le pied d'une parfaite egalite.

[Articles V, XXVII, and x.x.xV, relating respectively to Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Servia, are in the same form with the exception of the last _alinea_, which only appears in the above quoted article.]

LXII. La Sublime Porte ayant exprime la volonte de maintenir le principe de la liberte religieuse en y donnant l'extension la plus large, les Parties Contractantes prennent acte de cette declaration spontanee.

Dans aucune partie de l'Empire Ottoman la difference de religion ne pourra etre opposee a personne comme un motif d'exclusion ou d'incapacite en ce qui concerne l'usage des droits civils et politiques, l'admission aux emplois publics, fonctions et honneurs, ou l'exercice des differentes professions et industries.

Tous seront admis sans distinction de religion a temoigner devant les tribunaux.

La liberte et la pratique exterieure de tous les cultes sont a.s.sures a tous, et aucune entrave ne pourra etre apportee, soit a l'organisation hierarchique des differentes communions, soit a leurs rapports avec leurs chefs spirituels.

Les ecclesiastiques, les pelerins, et les moines de toutes les nationalites voyageant dans la Turquie d'Europe ou la Turquie d'Asie jouiront des memes droits, avantages et privileges.

(_Ibid._, pp. 764, 766-767.)

REVISION OF THE RUMANIAN CONSt.i.tUTION (1879).

_No. 115. Mr. White to the Marquis of Salisbury. (Rec. November 4.)_

BUCHAREST, _October 25, 1879_.

MY LORD,--I have the honour to forward to your Lordship an authorized French translation of the Const.i.tutional amendment concerning naturalization and religious equality as promulgated by a Decree this morning.

I have, &c.,

W. A. WHITE.

THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY.

(TRADUCTION.)

_Article Unique.--a la place de l'Article 7 de la Const.i.tution soumis a la revision, on mettra le suivant_:--

Article 7. La distinction de croyances religieuses et de confessions ne const.i.tuera point en Roumanie un obstacle a l'acquisition des droits civils et politiques et a leur exercice.

-- 1. L'etranger pourra, sans distinction de religion, et qu'il soit soumis ou non a une protection etrangere, obtenir la naturalisation sous les conditions suivantes:

(_a_) Il addressera au Gouvernement sa pet.i.tion de naturalisation, par laquelle il fera connaitre le capital qu'il possede, la profession ou l'industrie qu'il exerce, et la volonte d'etablir en Roumanie son domicile.

(_b_) a la suite de cette demande il habitera le pays pendant dix annees, et il prouvera, par ses actions, qu'il est utile au pays.

-- 2. Pourront etre dispenses du stage:

(_a_) Ceux qui auront introduit dans le pays des industries, des inventions utiles, ou qui possederont des talents distingues, ceux qui auront fonde de grands etabliss.e.m.e.nts de commerce ou d'industrie.

(_b_) Ceux qui, nes et eleves dans le pays, de parents y etablis, n'auront jamais joui, ni les uns ni les autres, d'une protection etrangere.

(_c_) Ceux qui auront servi sous les drapeaux pendant la Guerre de l'Independance, lesquels pourront etre naturalises d'une maniere collective, sur la proposition du Gouvernement, par une seule Loi et sans autre formalite.

3. La naturalisation ne peut etre accordee que par la Loi, et individuellement.

4. Une Loi speciale determinera, le mode d'apres lequel les etrangers pourront etablir leur domicile en Roumanie.

5. Les Roumains ou ceux qui seront naturalises Roumains pourront acquerir des immeubles ruraux en Roumanie. Les droits deja acquis seront respectes. Les Conventions Internationales actuellement existantes restent en vigueur, avec toutes leurs clauses et jusqu'a l'expiration de leur duree.

(_Ibid._, lxxi. 1176-77.)

THE COMPACT WITH RUMANIA (1880).

_English Text of Identic Note presented to the Roumanian Government, February 20, 1880._

The Undersigned, British Representative at Bucharest, has the honour, by order of his Government, to convey to M. Boeresco, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Roumania, the following communication:--

Her Britannic Majesty's Government have been informed, through the Agent of His Royal Highness the Prince of Roumania at Paris, of the promulgation, on the 25th October, 1879, of a Law, voted by the "Chambres de Revision" of the Princ.i.p.ality, for the purpose of bringing the text of the Roumanian Const.i.tution into conformity with the stipulations inserted in Article XLIV of the Treaty of Berlin.

Her Majesty's Government cannot consider the new Const.i.tutional provisions which have been brought to their cognizance--and particularly those by which persons belonging to a non-Christian creed domiciled in Roumania, and not belonging to any foreign nationality, are required to submit to the formalities of individual naturalization--as being a complete fulfilment of the views of the Powers signatories of the Treaty of Berlin.

Trusting, however, to the determination of the Prince's Government to approximate more and more, in the execution of these provisions, to the liberal intentions entertained by the Powers, and taking note of the positive a.s.surances to that effect which have been conveyed to them, the Government of Her Britannic Majesty, being desirous of giving to the Roumanian nation a proof of their friendly sentiments, have decided to recognize the Princ.i.p.ality of Roumania as an independent State. Her Majesty's Government consequently declare themselves ready to enter into regular diplomatic relations with the Prince's Government.

In bringing the decision come to by his Government to the knowledge of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Undersigned, &c.

W. A. WHITE.

BUCHAREST, _February 20, 1880_.

(_Ibid._, p. 1187.)

(_g_) RUMANIA AND THE POWERS (1902).

It must be confessed--and, indeed, it has been avowed by prominent Rumanians themselves[40]--that Rumania's evasion of the Treaty of Berlin has been a monument of resourceful duplicity and bad faith. Accomplished by pretending to regard the native Jews as foreigners, it actually placed them in a far worse position than they had held in 1858, when at any rate their national character as Moldavians or Wallachians was not contested. But, not only have they been refused emanc.i.p.ation and stamped as foreigners, but, in their character of foreigners, without a State to protect them, they have been made the victims of special and cruel disabilities, which in practice do not and cannot affect other foreigners.

One peculiarly barbarous act of persecution of this kind which was attempted in 1902 nearly brought about a serious intervention by the Great Powers to compel Rumania to observe her Treaty obligations. An Act was pa.s.sed by the Rumanian Parliament forbidding foreigners to exercise any handicraft in Rumania unless Rumanians were a.s.sured similar privileges in the parent States of such foreigners. The result of this Act would have been to deprive all the Jewish artizans in Rumania of the means of earning their livelihood, as, being foreigners without a parent State of their own, they could not prove the reciprocity required by the law. Prompt steps were taken to bring this project to the notice of the Great Powers, chiefly by the late Lord Rothschild in London and Mr.

Jacob Schiff in Washington. Lord Rothschild was the first to move. In June 1901 he forwarded to His Majesty's Government an elaborate Memorandum setting forth the intolerable situation of the Rumanian Jews and especially emphasising its international dangers as a stimulus of undesirable immigration in other countries.[41] At the same time he brought all his great influence to bear privately on individual members of the Government. From Lord Lansdowne he received the warmest sympathy, and the Foreign Office at once set inquiries on foot with a view to ascertaining whether combined action by the Powers signatory of the Berlin Treaty would be practicable. The responses, however, were not encouraging.[42] Meanwhile the action of the London Jews had been communicated to Mr. Oscar Straus in New York, and he persuaded Mr.

Schiff to bring the question to the knowledge of President Roosevelt.

The President, deeply moved by Mr. Schiff's story, acted with characteristic energy. In July 1902 the Secretary of State, Mr. John Hay, under the guise of a despatch giving instructions to the United States Minister at Athens in regard to certain negotiations then pending for a Naturalisation Treaty with Rumania, formulated a powerful indictment of the persecutions. Three weeks later the American Amba.s.sadors in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Rome, and Constantinople were instructed to communicate this despatch to the Governments to which they were accredited, and to ascertain from them whether it might not be possible to take some steps to secure from Rumania the fulfilment of her obligations under Article XLIV of the Treaty of Berlin.[43] Thus supported, Lord Lansdowne no longer hesitated. In September he despatched a Circular to the Great Powers definitely proposing combined representations at Bucharest.[44]