The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-12
THU NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT TUESDAY, JUNE u, 1877

we'll succeeded in disseminating the be-
lief that the Bulgarian and Roumanian
Christians are prosecuted and unresist-
ing saints, bowling meekly under the
brand Of the Turk.
We have nothing against the Bull
garian and Roumanfan Christians. but
neither have we anything against the
Turks, and we think that both sides
should have fair hearing. No man
can justify, excuse or palliate the bar
barities OF the Turks, but Christendom
has been, and still is, doing what is
equally as reprehensible and wicked; 1t
IL covering up the atrocities perpetrated
by the Christians In those countries
and endeavoring to represent them as
an inoffensive, humane and pious peo-
pie. The truth is that the Bulgarian and
Roumanian Christians are not any better
or more merciful than the Turks. In
deed it is question whether the Chris
tians did not begin the outrage business
themselves. They concocted scheme
to exterminate all the Mussulmans from
Philippopolis to STEAMBOAT before the
Bashi Bazouks got their work In. These
same sweet-tempered Christians caught
six Turkish policemen and burned
them slowly to death In quick lime and
occasionally amused themselves by
emptying q few Turks into vessels OF hot
water and boiling them to turn as we
do crayfish. Then. only the other day
the telegraph brought us the news that
the Roumanian followers of the faith
had cleaned out the Jews of Dawbani,
killing eleven Of them and wounding
twenty-four, and that they wound up
their Sundays holy work by appro-
priating ninety thousand ducats be-
longing to their victims. Now,
that might be termed lively days
work In the interest of the Lord, and
such ardent Christians ought certainly
to be protected, even IL 1t convulses the
whole of Europe and Asia and gives
the Gar an oppo unity to scoop up
dozen or 80 outlying Turkish provinces.
In sober truth, all the sympathy
upon the Eastern Chris
tians Is worse than wasted-it is
bestowed. The trouble
in the principalities and prov
inces liz not that the Turks are cruel
and intolerant and that the Christians
are meek and prosecuted; the real
trouble is that the spirit OF religious in
tolerance and fanaticism there domi.
mates the human mind, and Christian,
Turk and Jew are equally brutal, fana-
tical and intolerant. The subjugation Of
those provinces and principalities to
Russian influences will not remedy the
evils complained of. It may strengthen
md protect the Christians, but 1t will,
1T the same time, weaken the Turks and
The Jews and subject them to the fierce
and fanatical persecution OF the Chris
Jams. We do not see how the cause OF
humanity or of God will be benefited by
his arrangement. A Turk or a Jew is
IS much entitled to protection as
Christian, and q Turk or an Eastern
Jew is fully as good and worthy
creature as an Eastern Christian.
Fanaticism, superstition and brutality
are not banished from the minds and
hearts Of men by conquest or the change
1f tyrants. The Roumanian and Bull
garian Christians and Turks will con-
,inue to prosecute each other and the
Jews, whether Turkish or Russian influ-
snces dominate among them. Were the
and provinces organized
into great confederation under the
rule of an able and enlightened emperor,
The spirit Of persecution might be con-
trolled, and all classes and denomina
lions Of the population to great ex-
tent protected. But, OF course, this
Is impossible. We believe, there
lore, that to the cause Of
humanity 1t is a matter OF very little
which side wins at present.
The spirit Of religious fanaticism and
persecution among them will never be
destroyed, and Christian, Jew and
Turk will continue, each to believe that
he Is serving God and Allah while he
butchers or burns or boils his neigh
Dor, until the free school and the free
press shall have asserted their power
among them and established for their
protection and happiness the principle
Of religious freedom and liberation.
Late last evening Mr.. George B.
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