But it is not the possession of power that consti¬ tutes an indictment of any people; it is their use or misuse of it. And if the fact of power is established, no misuse of it being found, the fact has a commendatory side. If the Jews who flock to New York become American, and if they do not work ceaselessly to twist Americanism into something else; if they strengthen the principles and traditions of America, and do not cease to vitiate the one and abolish the other, the judgment upon them must be one of friendship.
However, to establish the fact of Jewish power, one JEW VERSUS NON-JEW IN NEW YORK FINANCE 33 need not remain in the ghetto, nor in the mercantile districts. There are higher fields awaiting survey.
In Wall Street, the Jewish element is both numer¬ ous and powerful, as might be expected of a race which from early days has played an important part in the financial operations of the world.
This is not to say, however, that Jewish influence in American financial affairs is paramount. At one time it