Riga (Nov. 8)
Step Taken as Result of Attack by Nationalist Party (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The status of hundreds of Jewish families, residents of the Republic of Latvia for many years, will be decided by the people in a referendum, notwithstanding the fact that the citizenship law passed by parliament some time ago seemed to solve the matter satisfactorily.
The referendum was decided upon by the government following an attack made on the law by the nationalist faction in the Latvian Sejm yesterday.
A resolution introduced by the nationalists demanded the repeal of the law. Former Prime Minister Zelmins led the attack on the citizenship law. The Jewish angle was introduced by Zelmins when he stated directly that the intention behind the nationalist resolution is to curtail the number of Jewish voters. He complained that “the Jews seized power and are ruling the country with the aid of the socialists.”
Refuting this argument, the present Prime Minister, Skonek, a Socialist, declared that the nationalists were dissatisfied not with the workings of the citizenship law but because of the fact that the democratic Jewish minority lent its support to the Socialist candidates during the last election.