During the months of May and June, 1890, he succeeded under great difficulties to collect for his protest sixty-six signatures in Moscow and over fifty signatures in St.
Petersburg, including those of Leo Tolstoi, Vladimir Korolenko, and other literary celebrities.

Despite its mild tone, the protest which had been framed by Solovyov [2] was barred from publication by the Russian censor.

Professor Ilovaiski, of Moscow, a historian of doubtful reputation, but a hide-bound Jew-baiter, had informed the authorities of St.Petersburg of the attempt to collect signatures in Moscow for a "pro-Jewish petition." As a result, all newspapers received orders from the Russian Press Department to refuse their columns to any collective pronouncements touching the Jewish question.
[Footnote 1: The latter expression was a euphemism designating the Russian Government and its reactionary henchmen in the press.

The severity of the police made this evasion necessary.] [Footnote 2: The following extracts from this meek appeal deserve to be quoted: "The movement against the Jews which is propagated by the Russian press represents an unprecedented violation of the most fundamental demands of righteousness and humanity.

We consider it our duty to recall these elementary demands to the mind of the Russian public....