The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-22
TROUBLE IN TURKEY.
Armenian Subjects Outraged and
RebelliOus.

Armenag Effendi of Constantnople. the
son of an official al. the Sultan's palace, is in
the city. He is an Armenian, and tells
story of systematic Ontrages heared on
those of his ownnatonality by the Turks
For years there has been in existence"
he said. ''a secret organic ton known as
the Armenian National Society. It's object
is to force from the Sultan form of local
self-gOvernment for the people of my race.
We differ from the.Turks in physical habits,
religion and national laws and in these re-
spects come into continual conflict with the
Turkish p0sseSsors of the country.
ut is seldom that an Armenian is per-
mltted to attain a position of authority. but
about five years ago the Sultan made man
named Agop Pasha Minister of Finance He
had previously made a successful financial
secretary in the Sultan'S household and re-
duced the expenditures, which had been
about six times as great as those of En-
glands royal family, to One-tenth of the
former amount.
ROBBERY AND PILLAGE.
"a wholesale system Of robbery and pill
lage mad been going on among the servants
OF the palace. who speedily grew rich upon
their DecuiatOns. AgOp Pasha stopped
these leaks, and so incurred the enmity Of
the Turks who had DTOfiled by the cOnnly-
ance of the former Secretary. During his
term as Minister he advanced the national
credit 30 per cent, and the country was on
the eve OF financial prosperity when last
year AgOp Pasha was poisoned by food
served in the palace.
"Ali through Armenia the natives are
Systematically robbed by Turkish tax
g&thereFs, who extOrt sums far in excess of
the legal sum. If man refuses tax col
lectOrS demand lie IS thrown into prison on
some trumped-up charge aud perhaps de-
tanned six months without an investigation
of his case.
1.-THE unprlncipled Sultan pretends to be
ignorant Of these OutrageS, but he secretly
conniyeS at their preparation. When he
learned of the existence of the Armenian
National Society he endeavOred to break it
up. Numbers Of Armenians have been ar
rested IN ConstantinOple, thrown into dun
geOns and tortured to force them to confess
the plans of the society aud TO reveal the
names OF other members
REFINED TOBTUREs.
Some Of the refined t0rtures take the
form of starving the prisoners, deprying
them Of sleep, immersing them TO tine neck
in iced water, placing live Goals In their
hands and Keeping them for three DAYS in a
standing position hemmed in by four boards.
Some OF the more horrible and obscene of
the toTtureS are too revolving to be de-
scTibed, but these cruel atrocities would
breed revolutionary spirit in flock Of
sheep.
The tyrannies to which the Armenians
are subjected are worse than those directed
against the Jews in Russia. The movement
against the latter is open and ayowed,
against my cOuntrymen secret and therefore
the more cruel. We feel that a rebellion
would be perfectly justifaDe if only the
Armenans were strong enough to subdue
their OppressOrs. But as the result of such
movement would, at the best, be exceed
ingly doubtful, it will probably be wise to
wait little longer and secure a repetition
of the European Influence made several
years ago at the instance of the late Earl OF
BeacOnsfeld, then Prime Minister of En-
gland"