al statistics of that time (about the year 1860)
brought out the fact that the number of Jews in the fifteen governments
of the Pale of Settlement, exclusive of the Kingdom of Poland, but
Inclusive of the Baltic region, amounted to 1,430,800, forming 8% of the
total population of that territory. The number of artisans in the
"Jewish" governments was far greater than in the Russian interior. Thus
in the government of Kiev there were to be found 2.06 artisans to every
thousand inhabitants, against 0.8 in the near-by government of Kursk,
i.e., 2% times more. In reality, the number of Jews in the Western
region, without the Kingdom of Poland, exceeded considerably 1 and
one-half millions, there being no regular registration at that time.]

A surprisingly liberal pronouncement came from, the governor-general of
New Russia, Count Stroganov. In the world of Russian officialdom
professing the dogma of "gradation" and "caution" in the question of
Jewish rights he was the only one who had the courage to raise his voice
on behalf of complete Jewish emancipation. He wrote:

The existence in our times of restrictions in the rights of the Jews
as compared with the Christian population in any shape or form is
neither in accord with the spirit and tendency of the age nor with
the policy of the Government looking towards the amalgamation of the
Jews with the original population of the Empire.

The count therefore concluded that it was necessary "to permit the Jews
to live in all the places of the Empire and engage without any
restrictions and on equal terms with all Russian subjects in such crafts
and industries as they themselves may choose, in accordance with their
habits and abilities." It is scarcely necessary to add that the bold
voice of the Russian dignitary, who in a lucid interval spoke up in a
manner reminiscent of the civilized West, was not listened to by the
bureaucrats of St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, as far as the specific
question of Jewish artisans was concerned, the favorable replies were
bound to have a decisive effect.

However, red-tape sluggishness managed to retard the decision for
several years. In 1863 the question was referred back to the Jewish
Committee, only a short time before the dissolution of that body, which
for a quarter of a century had perpetrated every conceivable experiment
over the "amelioration of the Jews." Thence the matter was transferred
to the Committee of Ministers and finally