, 1880-05-19

ten been exceptionally good Governors
who failed to comprehend the nature OF
the work which they were sent to do It
is generally agreed that since the Congress
of Berlin the condition oil" the people
has been growing steadily worse, and that
there is no hope Of Improvement except
through European invention. Europe is
already familiar with the sad story Of the
ravages committed in rArmspia by The
Kurds, but these FREQUENT raids rnpon Chris
tian villages are lbptcs small part Of the
sum of misery which the Turkish Govern
ment continues TO i1fict upon the Arme.
mans through the lKprds. +, These wild
nomads are alternately repressed and let
loose. and the repression, which is called
an ssl0hat (reform), is more destr uctive
than the work of the Kurds themselves.
An army is sent into the country, which
does but little harm to the Kurds, who
simply retire to the mountains with the
plumber of years, a part of which they
share, with the Turkish pashas. The army
r%etires, after having collected from the
Armenians the whole tax Of the province,
including what ought to have been paid
by the Kurds., In itssa place | t4eeaarves a local
militia. made up of Turks aha Kurds,
under the coIntiand Of, the Turkish beys,
who proceed 10 Collect the regular taxes
over again, in addition to three or four
extra taxes, which often raise the amount
collected to seven times the amount of
ordinary years. The next year the Kurds
return as before to their work of plumber,
mutilation, and murder, the Armenians
never being allowed by tie Turkish Gov
ernment to arm themselves in their own
defence. AS there are no Kurds in North
ern and Western Asia Minor, the Turks
have now sent the Circassians to do u
similar work. there, and towns almost
in sight of Constantinople, like AID.
abazar, are given over to their tender
r%!ercies, while the authorities laugh in the
faces of ambassadors and consuls who inter
fere to protect the lives and property of
the people. An English consul lately
spent a month in Adabazar. and finally
went away, leaving the people in u worse
condition than BEFORE"
Whether determination is or is not desir.
ed at Constantinople may be doubtful, but
depopulation certainly is, for the Vail of
Erzeroom, a Turk, recently appealed to
COnstantinople, and informed the Porte
that whole districts were being depopuIa-
ted, and that the people would be forced
to emigrate to Russia, which would result
in great loss to the Imperia! treasury.
The Grand Vizier replied, 1T is not neces-
sary for you to NEEDLE in political affairs,
or to consider things from this point of
view. A happy journey to the Armenians
who wish to emigrate. l will fill their
places with Clrcassians and others.'......
The only wonder is that any Armenians
remain 10 the country. for il Is not simply
lite and propeffryy Which ID DESTROYED
they are subjected to insult ana abuse Of
every kind. Alsingfees Kurdish chief has
carried off for his use within a few years
1877 Armenian 9.girls.a Such things. and
worse, are occurring every day, and no
redress is ever obtained. The police, where
there are any, are as bad as the Kurds,
and very Often are Kurds. The gendar-
merle, of which so much has been said,
and which was to have been under the
command of English officers, does not
exist" The Christian population of
Armenia has been reduced oneJfourh since
the Treaty of Berlin, q. place like Suren,
for example, with pine Armenian churches
not having ops Armenian jnhabitaut left.
~ = - - - st"~ t.