The Daily News Letter

Bucharest.

Former Prime Minister Vaida-Voevod continues to remain the enigma of all enigmas in Rumania’s incredibly complex political picture. True enough, we know what his immediate goal is—the realization of his ambition to hold the reins of power again and direct the countries destinies. But what his plans are, what comrec the country’s destinies. But what his plans are, what com a mystery.

Unfortunately, the Jews, as Jews, must take a deep interest in all of Dr. Vaida-Voevod’s activities because of his campaign for a proportional restriction of racial representation in all spheres of Rumanian life. Vaida-Voevod, in one speech denies that this so called “numerus valachius” is diriceted against the Jews, and in another, appeals to the Rumanianborn Jewish population to support it to protect themselves and the country from the invasion of Jews from other lands.

Whatever the extent of Vaida-Voevod’s sincerity in his protestations that he is not anti-Semitic and that the Jews have nothing to #ear from his bid for power, they must remember that in his last term as a cabinet member, he quietly extended financial aid to the violently anti-Semitic Iron Guard. And they must also relaize that in his present drive he has the assiduous support of the German Nazi elements of the population and has secured the support of most of the known anti-Semitic leaders. Whether or not he soft-pedals anti-Semitism as an issue, his chief followers do not.

No one ever denied that Vaida-Voevod is a good politician. In his present campaign he is revealing himself as possessor of a thorough knowledge of the people and of the means of arousing their support. Rumania is hard hit by the world depression—harder than most countries. The country is staggering under the terrific burden of an incredibly large civil service as well as a heavy military budget. The middle class is hard hit by heavy taxation and poor business; the intellectuals find the professions overcrowded and un#erpaid; the peasants cannot find ### market for their produce or prices recompensing them for their work.

To the middle-class merchant, Vaida-Voevod is promising measures restricting the competition of liens and the export of the nation’s wealth to the intellectual, restriction by his “numerus vala#hius” of the “aliens” in the pro#essions, leaving them open for native-born. Rumanians; for the #easant, elimination of Jewish middlemen who allegedly take all the profit rightfully belonging to the peasant; to the laborer, restriction of the right to work of “foreigners” in the country so that more jobs will be available to the laborer.

It is not surprising, therefore, that Vaida-Voevod has obtained much support and aroused much interest by his campaign. It is surprising, on the other hand, that such an all-embracing, all-promising program hasn’t won him much support.

The National Peasant Party recently deposed Vaida-Voevod as its leader in Transylvania and expelled a few of his chief lieutenants. The former premier immediately let it be known that he was organizing a new party to enter the next election lists. In fact, he issued a manifesto announcing it. But, at this writing, he had not felt himself yet strong enough to set up a new party and remains within the Peasant Party which has rejected his platform in its entirety (although there is reason to believe that this was a matter of expediency rather than conviction). In fact, he has let it be known that the manifesto was issued without his final consent and was premature.

From his speeches and from writings in journals supporting him, it is not too easy to comprehend the exact meaning of the “numerus valachius” idea. Not only does it differentiate between Rumanian citizens and non-citizens, but it differentiates between citizens on the basis of their racial origin, giving preference to pure, full-blooded, native-born 100 percent Rumanians. That is how one of Vaida-Voevod’s chief lieutenants described it to me.

But the former premier, it seems from a recent speech of his at Jassy, modifies the term’s definition to suit the exigencies of the moment.

For in Jassy, he offered his program to the Jews as a panacea for the Jewish problem and a protection for the native-born Jews against the East European invaders. He took pains then to deny any anti-Semitism and described himself as fulfilling a mission to free Rumanians from their slavery to aliens. He urged that all parties unite in submitting a petition to the League of Nations “to settle conclusively and finally the Jewish question.”

Addressing the Jassy demonstration, he said: “The numerus valichius movement is not a new scheme of mine. For over two years, while I was Prime Minister, I made efforts to strengthen the Rumanian elements, but I could not do all that I wanted at that time, because I had no figures with regard to the minorities. I wanted at one time to resign my office on account of this, but refrained because it would have led to undesirable results. I am not demanding a numerus nullus, but a numerus proportio nullieus. What I demand most is a numerus valichius…. I am not conducting any Hitlerist policy, as some accuse me of doing, but If to carry through national Rumanian policy is the same thing as Hitlerism, then I have no objection if I am described as such. The idea behind my demand is to provide