Palestine’s absorptive capacity depends upon the development of its industry and commerce, Senator Royal S. Copeland declared in the first of a series of articles for the Hearst newspapers. In the company of Senators Warren R. Austin, and Daniel O. Hastings, he recently returned from an unofficial tour of investigation in Palestine.
Terming Palestine “the maritime frontier of a vast hinterland which is just beginning to awaken to the call of civilization,” the Senator maintained that the country may be made a home for millions of Jews by the development of industry, without minimizing the role of agriculture.
He praised “Jewish endeavor and sacrifice.” He said the party found Palestine “an armed camp.”
“A state of warfare prevailed, without the martial law warranted by the activities of the Arab terrorists,” he said.
Proof of the “industrial progress of the Zionist movement,” the articles said, can be seen in the success of the Kremmener foundry on the plain of Zebulon, which is engaged in turning out bath-tubs and plumbing fixtures for Palestine and neighboring countries. The first article dealt for the most part with Haifa.
In his second article, published today, Senator Copeland praised the Jews’ fortitude in the face of danger. He declared that many British soldiers were chafing under British leniency and “are pining for a Kitchener or an Allenby.”
The article described a perilous train journey made by the senators and their wives between Haifa and Jerusalem, at the conclusion of which they asked themselves:
“Has Great Britain not the power to make human life safe in the Holy Land entrusted to her care by the nations of the world?”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
