But they remained in full force in relation to the
Jews, living in towns. But since all the Jews were registered as
townspeople, this restriction coincided with the limits of their
nationality. Hence arose the "Pale" which assumed the character of a
national disability. Thus, the problem of Jewish disabilities was
practically solved before the legislator ever formulated the Jewish
question.
For this reason, in the times of Catherine II, when the main features
of the future Jewish disabilities were becoming a fact, the Government
did not solve the general Jewish question in principle. Likewise,
during the entire century which followed Catherine's reign, that is,
all through the nineteenth century, our legislation was in a state of
constant indecision.
A brief historical survey will show plainly the accuracy of this
statement. In 1795 the Jews who lived in the villages of the Province
of Minsk were ordered to move to the towns. In the following year they
were permitted to stay in the villages, because the landed proprietors
employed them as agents for the sale of whiskey.
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