§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSasked the First Lord of the Treasury, What are the grounds for his statement that—
The outrages which had taken place on Jews in Roumania and in Russia, and the burning of their houses, were the reaction of a poor and necessitous population against the gombeen men;and whether, in view of the great danger to which the Jewish population in Russia would be exposed if so serious a charge emanating from so high an authority, remained uncontradicted, he will quote or lay upon the Table of the House any Reports from Her Majesty's Consuls which he may consider to bear out the above statement?
MR. GLADSTONESir, I know not from whence the hon. Member has drawn the words which he puts in inverted commas. I do not think he heard me, or he could not possibly have put these words into my mouth, and I am by no means prepared to adopt them. The fact is this, I was not making charges against the Jews or anybody else engaged in money-lending. I was apologizing for the "gombeen" men, as they are called. I was pointing out that these money-lenders, though they may have in this case used their power unmercifully, are probably discharging 1544 a necessary function, and that their unpopularity does not prove that they were mischievous persons. I made no charge against the Jews.