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Christian Students’ League in Roumania Defies Order of Government to Disband

May 28, 1928
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(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

The Union of Christian Students, under the leadership of Alexander Cuza, has issued a statement declaring that as the representative of 28,000 students, it refuses to lay down its arms.

The Rectorate, it contends, had no right to dissolve the Union, which includes the student organizations of all the university towns. The students, it says, are just as good patriots as the representatives of the authorities. The Union, the statement concludes, will stop its activity only when this is demanded by the students who elected it.

The Government decision to dissolve the Union of the Christian Students, the “Diminlaiza” here states was made for the following reasons:

The participants in the Congress of Oradeamare included, in addition to a large number of students, the delegates of various student organizations, some of which have been recognized and some of which have not been recognized by the University Senates. Following the disturbances which took place at Oradeamare, the University Senates punished the guilty students in accordance with the findings of the Inquiry Commissions. In university circles it was thought that this punishment would result in the students preserving order and devoting themselves to their studies.

The student organizations of the capital, however, continued to carry on their agitation, only this time under the pretext that they were seeking to obtain the release of their imprisoned colleagues. The University Senate thereupon decided to reconsider the sentences. Several of the students were released, because it was found that they were innocent. But the Senate soon realized that this did not restore order. The Bucharest student organizations continued to hold their inflammatory meetings.

The Rectorate, the “Diminiatza” states, therefore decided to dissolve them. As for the Union of Christian Students, it functioned hitherto without the permission of the University Senate, and it was therefore dissolved by the Ministry of the Interior. If the students attempt to continue their agitation they will be dealt with by the courts martial.

The 22 students who are under arrest are kept in the fortress of Szilagy. Their leaders. Sirbulescu and Theodorescu, are to be put on trial for breaking into the residence of the Rector. Dr. Pangrati. The others will be tried for disturbing the peace. The offices of the Union have been sealed up and have been placed under military guard.

The recent statement of the United Roumanian Jews of America, favoring the $60.000.000 loan being sought in the United States by the Roumanian Government, was viewed as marking the conclusion of an entente cordial between the Roumanian Government and the Jews of Roumania in a news item which appeared in Saturday morning’s issue of the “New York Times.”

The “Times” reproducing the statement of Bennets E. Siegelstein, president of the United Roumanian Jews of America published in the “Jewish Daily Bulletin” some time ago reports that Dr. Stephen S. Wise, as president of the American Jewish Congress, expressed agreement with the move. The dissolution of the Christian Students League and the retirement of Cuza from the chair of economics at the University of Jassy were pointed to as indications of the new agreement.

The newspaper also quoted George Cretziano, Roumanian Minister to this country, as saying that “the action of the Roumanian Government has solved the Jewish problem to the entire satisfaction of the Jews in this country, I believe.”

“The support by the Roumanian Jewish society in this country to the proposed Roumanian loan,” the Minister stated, “whose principal purpose is to stabilize the currency, will be very beneficial. It will have value not only to Roumanians as Roumanians but as Jews because of the fact that a large proportion of the country’s trade is in Jewish hands.

“The agreement was arrived at after many conversations between leaders of the United Roumanian Jews in America and the Roumanian Legation in Washington.”

Providing that the bulk of his estate to go eventually to the Lewis Baer Foundation, a charitable organization for establishment of needy children in nursing homes, the will of Lewis Baer was probeted in the Orphans’ Court. Baltimore Md. The estate was estimated to be valued at $200,000, according to the bond.

Mr. Baer who was 73 years old, died last Sunday.

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