Senator Bailey—“No; but in the case that I refer to, it would be a matter of religion.”
Senator Guggenheim—“That is the point; it is a question of religion.”
That was in April, 1909. In December, 1909, Simon Wolf was the chief witness for the pro-Jewish con¬ tention. Simon Wolf is a very interesting character. From before the days of President Lincoln, he has been lobbyist for the Jews at the National Capitol, and has been in contact with every President from Lincoln to Wilson. At the hearing where Mr. Wolf testi¬ fied, Senator Dillingham acted as chairman, and the whole proceeding was enlivened and clarified by the vigorous part which Senator Lodge took in it. Cer¬ tain extracts, which entirely reproduce the spirit and argument of the hearing, follow:
Mr. Wolf—“The point we make is this: A Jew coming from Russia is a Russian; from Rumania, a Rumanian; from France, a Frenchman; from England, an Englishman; and from Germany, a German; that Hebrew or Jewish is simply a religion.”
Senator Lodge—“Do I understand you to deny that the Jews are a race?”
Mr. Wolf—“How?” Senator Lodge—“Do you deny that the word Mew’ is used to express a race?”
HOW JEWS IN U. S. CONCEAL THEIR STRENGTH 15 Mr. Wolf—“As the representative of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations— which I have been for nearly 30 years—I took up the matter and propounded a series of interroga¬ tions to some of the leading Jews of the United States, among others * * * Dr. Cyrus Adler, who was librarian of the Smithsonian * * * and every one of them states that the Jews are not a race.”
Senator Lodge—“That, I think, is an impor¬ tant point. I have always supposed they were.