Jewish Record of Jewish Candidates Must Be Unquestionable, Paper Says

In the political circles of the Democratic as well as the Republican Party. a great deal of activity can be noticed in connection with the various appointments of judges in the elections which will take place in November, writes the “Day.”

While there are as yet three months before elections, a number of candidates have already organized their committees, who try to influence Judge Olvany and Samuel Koening with regard to their choice of candidates for the Supreme Court, City Court, Court of General Sessions and the Municipal courts. Although there is only one vacancy in the Supreme Court, the applicants are in numerable. Among those seeking the Supreme Court judgeship, over 100 are Jewish candidates.

A well-known leader of the Democratic Party told a reporter of the “Day” that there is hardly a well-known Jewish lawyer who does not consider himself a Jewish leader and entitled to an appointment. “In our own circle.” he said. “we do not have to suffer from such applicants. We know where each man stands in political life, and we can not be deceived. But as soon as the question of Jewish candidates arises. we are often seriously embarrassed. We do not know how to decide. Each one brings a list of signatures of rabbis and other Jews and declares that he is a leader of Jewry.”

The most important candidates for Supreme Court judgship are, according to the paper. Mr. Irwin Untermeyer, Jonah J. Goldstein. Carl Sherman Jacob Benjamin Schreiber, Assembly-man Maurice Block, Gustavus A. Kogers, Judge Louis B. Brudsky, and others.

“It is time.” says the paper editorially. “to say a word with regard to this subject. In priciple, neither geography nor religion should play any part in politics. The ability of the candidate in question should be the only criterion. and no mention should be made of his origin. religion or domicile. It is a fact however, that the politicians. who are all practical men, do pay regard to geographical lines and the religious ## of the political candidates.

“If, for example, the presidential candidate has been nominated by the East, the vice-president is chosen from the West. If the governor is nominated by the City of New York, the ##-governer is chosen from up-state. If the mayor is from Manhattan, the comptroller is from Brooklyn and the president of the Board of Alderman from the Bronx. Just as election lists are ebalanced geographically, so are they also balanced according to the origin and the religion of the candidate.“If a Catholic runs for the governorship, there is unually a Protestant for the lietenant-governorship, and a Jew for the office of attorney general. It is a well-known fact that of the three candidates which the Democratic Party nominated last year for the Supreme Court, one was a Catholic, one a Protestant and one a Jew.

“It is therefore of great importance to the Jewish community that if a candidate is nominated as a ‘Jewish candidate’ he should be not merely a Jew in name, but actually our representative. Such a candidate should not only have a general record as a citizen and jurist, but also a Jewish record as a Jewish communal worker. Because the Jewish candidate is considered by the outside world as a symbol of Judaism. he should be a recognized Jewish leader. Only too often are such Jews, occupying high positions, merely election Jews. that is, Jews who declare themselves as such only at the time of elections in order to secure votes. It is therefore important from the Jewish viewpoint that Jewish candidates should not be men with Jewish names only. It is vital that the following questions be asked of the Jewish candidate: Is he a Jewish communal worker? Has he participated in or worked for the Federation of Jewish charities and other philanthropic institutions? What has he done for Jewish education in order to maintain Judaism in the United States? Does he belong to any of the large Jewish organizations? What has he done for the suffering Jews on the other side of the ocean? Is he connected with the great historical enterprise of rebuilding the Jewish national home in Palestine?

“It is the duty of the leaders of the two great political parties and of our own Jewish communal workers to take care that the candidates who are elected because of their Jewishness be Jews not only in name, but should incorporate the best qualities of the Jewish people.”