e enemy who opposed it in its manner of
dealing with the Jewish question.

It must be added, however, that the opinions voiced by the Commission in
its memorandum were by no means shared by its entire membership. For
while the majority of the Commission were in favor of gradual reforms,
the minority advocated the continuation of the old repressive policy.
Owing to these internal disagreements, the Commission was slow in
submitting its conclusions to the Government. One more attempt was made
to procrastinate the matter. At the end of 1888 the Commission invited a
group of Jewish "experts," being desirous, as it were, to listen to the
last words of the prisoner at the bar. The choice fell upon the same
Jewish notables of St. Petersburg, who had displayed so little courage
at the Jewish conference of 1882. [1] The cross-examination of these
Jewish representatives turned on the question of the internal Jewish
organization, the existence of a secret Kahal, the purposes of the
"basket tax," [2] and so on. Needless to say the replies were given in
an apologetic spirit. The Jewish "experts" renounced the idea of a
self-governing communal Jewish organization, and pleaded merely for a
limited communal autonomy under the strict supervision of the
Government. True, a few of the questions referred besides to the legal
position of the Jews, but this was done more as a matter of form.
Everybody knew that the opinion of the majority of the Commission,
favoring "cautious and gradual" reforms, did not have the same prospects
of success as the views of the anti-Semitic minority which advocated the
continuance of the old-time repressive policy.

[Footnote 1: See p. 304 et seq. In addition to those mentioned, M.
Margolis was invited as an expert.]

[Footnote 2: See above, p. 61, n. 1.]

Soon the worst apprehensions proved to be true. Count Tolstoi, the
reactionary Minister of the Interior, blocked the further progress of
the plans formulated by the Pahlen Commission which should have been
submitted in due course to the Council of State. There were persistent
rumors to the effect that Alexander III., being decidedly in favor of
continuing the policy of oppression towards the Jews, had "attached
himself to the opinion of the minority" of the Pahlen Commission.
According to another version, the question was actually brought up
before the Council of State, and there, too, the anti-Semites proved to
be in the minority, but the Tzar threw the