The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-12-12
THEARNENIAN HORRORS |
The Presidents Report on the
Matter to the Senate.
REPORTS GREATLY EXAGGERATED.
Dur Government Has Received No Notice
That American Citizens Were Among
the Victims Of Turkish Brutallties-Ar-
meuiau Intrigues in This Country.

That American Citizens Were Among
the Victims Of Turkish Brutalties-Ar-
meuiau Intrigues in This Country.
WAsHlNGToN, Dec. 12 In compliance
with the Hoar resolution the president
yesterday sent to the senate letter from
Secretary Gresham relative to the Arme-
nian outrages The secretary states that
the department has received no informa.
ton other than the statements Of the
Turkish government, the published press
reports and two tclcgraphic reports from
the legation Of the United States at Con
stantinople Those statements and reports
contain nothing as to any cruelties com
mitted upon persons who are described in
the resolution as 'Citizons who have de-
clared their intention to become natural
ized" The secretary is not aware that
there are American citizens in Armenia
or elsewhere who are such otherwise than
by birth or naturalization. The depart
ment is not informed that Turkish sub
jects who have declared their intention to
become citizens Of the United States and
have acquired domicile in this country
have, upon returning to the land of their
birth, been subjected to cruelties
In the absence of authentic information
"eXpOstulatiOns" have been addressed to
the government Of Turkey regarding
them.
As to proposals" made by or to this
government to act in concert with other
Christian powers, the secretary says that
on the Both ult, the American minister at
Constantinople telegraphed the sultan had
expressed a desire that citizen of the
United States should accompany "Turk-
ish commission" to investigate the alleged
cruelties with its solicitation, which is
doubtless one of the proposals" referred
| to in recent public rumors, was, though
fully appreciated declined.
| subsequently, however, the British gov
ernment, one Of the principal signatories
of the Berlin treaty of 1878, having taken
steps in the matter, expressed a desire that
Va capable and uprightciti of the United
States might participate with the commits
| sion i'm an Investigation now TO be made.
| With this request, which was supported by
the porte, it was decided to comply, and
Mr.. Jewett consul of the United States at
Sivas, was designated for the duty
| In transmitting the correspondence to
the senate the president says in part: "I
have no information concerning crueltes
committed upon Armenians in Turkey or
upon persons because of their being Chris
tians except such information as has been
derived from newspaper reports, and state
ments emanating from the Turkish gov
ernment denying such cruelties, as do two
ltelegraphic reports from our minister at
ConstantinOple.
One of these reports, dated Nov. 2S, 1894,
is in answer to an inquiry by the state de-
lpartment touching reports in the press al
lleging the killing Of Armenians and is as
follows;
REPORTS in American papers of Turkish
atrocities at Sassoun are sensational and
Exaggerated The killing was in a con-
lflict between armed Armenians and Turk
ish soldiers, The grand vizier says it was
necessary to suppress instruction, and
that about fifty Turks were killed Be
tween three and four hundred Armenian
guns were picked up after the fight, and
reports say that about that number of
Armenians were killed l give credit to
this statement"
The other dispatch referred to is dated
Dec. ,, 1894, and is as follows:
Information from British ambassador
indicates far more,loss Of life in Armenia,
attended with atrocities, than stated in
my telegram of the 2Sth.
Il have received absolutely no infOrma-
tion concerning any cruelties committed
upon citizens who have declared their in
tentiOn to become naturalized citizens in
this country or upon any persons who
have a right to claim or have claimed for
any reason the protection Of the United
States government.
"In the absence of such authentic de-
, tailed knowledge on the subject as would
Justify our Interference, no expostula-
tions have been addressed by this govern
ment to the government Of Turkey in re
lFard to such matters"
The president also transmits a letter
from the Turkish minister at Washington
60 the secretary of the state copy of a
Telegram concerning the seditious doings
of the revolutionary Armeuians in
Turkey
The minister in transmitting the tule-
gram says: 1.-THE intriguas of Armcnians
residing i'm the United States; their bold
faced ISLANDERS, as well as their public en-
dcavurs to disparage the imperial govern
mcut must, l am sure, have given your
eHcclency evidence of the kind of people
who in reality compose the Armenian
colony in the United States people who
nearly all acquire American citizenship
for the purpose of returning TO Turkey
rs acknowledged by Mr. Terrell himself
and thus propagate their revolutionary
theories the existence of which is no
longer established by mere assertions but
by documents published in the whole press
/ OF the United States and by facts.
, "Fur all these reasons the imperial gov.
crnmpnt is placed in the attitude Of legiti-
mate self defense, and like all constituted
governments should never allow that re
bcllion to De organized and propagated in