The morning call., 1894-12-23
THE ARMENIAN TROUBLES.

HE ARMENIAN TROUBLES.
Wien the Government of the Porte OBJ
jected to the appointment of Colonel jew
EFT as Commissioner to Armenia. the
administration was compelled to withdraw
him. Turkey had perfect right to object
to any one who was not persona grata.
and though it may be suspected that MIR.
Jewett was unacceptable. not because he
was not impartial, but because he speaks
and understands the Turkish language. it
does not lie in our mouth to impute mo-
tives. The effect of the Turkish protest.
however. will be to convince Europe that,
as in the case of Bulgaria sixteen years
ago, Turkey has something to conceal.
It is understood, moreover. that the in
cident has moved the State Department to
instruct Mr.. Jewett to report generally on
the treatment OF Americans in Turkey.
Current report states that Americans trav-
cling in Syria and Asia Minor have we'll
grounded cause of COMPLAINT OF the Turk
ish officials; that Turkish troops have
more than once acted in sympathy with
the highway robbers who infest those por-
lions of the Turkish domnions, and that
American baggage has been looted and
American correspondence rifed. The
moment is propitious to inquire if these
charges are we'll founded. If they are,
there could not be better time for pro-
test against Turkeys neglect Of the comfy
of nations.
In the mean time Commissioners from
Great Britain, France and Russia have
proceeded to Armenia to investigate the
events of Novenb Der. The point to be
cleared up is narrow. The Turks admit
that their troops laid heavy hand on the
Armenians. burned their villages aud
killed number of their people. But they
claim that these severe measures were
taken to crush an instruction against
Turkish authority, and that the army did
nothing more than the occasion required.
On the other hand. the friends of the Arme-
mans assert that the distur bance began
with an invasion of Armenia by the
Mohammedan Kurds; that when the
Kurds were working their wicked will on
the Christian Armenians the Turkish
troops interviewed. and took the part not
OF the victims but of the invaders. They
claim that the chief outrages were COM
mitted not by lawless Kurds, but by regular
troops wearing the uniform of the Sultan.
Thus the question is narrowed down to an
issue of fact to be determined by pre-
ponderapce of trustworthy evidence taken
on the spot.
In the days when the Jiugoes were 10
power in England it would have been safe
to predict that the British Commissioner
would have been on the side of Turkey as
opposed to the Russian and French Com
missioners. But of late years a change
has come over the spirit of the English
dream. The late Car is known to have
offered England guaran ees for the preser-
walton of British dominion in India, in
exchange for withdrawal of EngIand's
anti-Russian policy on the Eastern
question. In other words, Alexand er pro-
posed to agree to such deIimitaton of
the frontier between Russian Asia and
British India as would render the latter
secure against invasion by the former on
the condition that England should declare
that since the completion of the SueZ
canal she had no further interest in the
future of Asia Minor Or in the forts of
COnstantinople. To this proposal the
British Ministry are not known TO have
made any reply. Those, however. who are
familiar with The course of opinion in
London have made no secret of their
notion that the Russian offer was reason
able, and that so long as England is left
undlsturbed in the possession of Egypt,
her interest in the countries on the Bos-
phorus and the Black Sea is small. They
have been confirmed in this view by the
position of France on the Mediterranean.
The French republic now holds or con-
trolls most Of the ports of the African
coast from Alexandria to Tangier; she
has converted the ancient Carthage into
second Gibraltar; thus England would
be handicapped In an attempt to oppose
any demonstrations made by the Joint
fleets of France and Russia.
The bearing of this new condition on
the Armenian incident is easily discerned.
II Russia AID France should agree that
the Armenian outrages demonstrate the
unftness of the Sultan to rule over Chris
tian communities, and call for Russian
protectorate of the country east of Sivas,
the English Minister might see fit TO hold
his tongue; If he did, Turkish rule In Ar
menia would become thing of the past.