The record-union., 1895-04-18
ARMENIA'S DISTRESS.
QUESTION WILL SOON REACH AN
ACUTE STAGE.
Plentifully Supplied With the sinews
of War to Carry On a Pro-
longed Campaign.

| copyrighted 1895, by the Associated Press. 7
LONDON, April 1.-THE correspondent
of the Associated Press writing from Ar
menia, under date of March I7tA, says:
have travelled many hundreds of
miles in Russia and Persia, and have
visited Armenian colonies as far east as
the Caspian aud az far south as the city
OF 1eheran, and have learned, after the
most careful investigation and vertical
ton OF the facts, that the Armenian Ques-
ton will soon reach an acute and painful
crisis. In fact, Armenia is preparing for
war. The revolutionary party has now
both money and guns. During the past
eight weeks money has poured into the
revolutionary treasury from the Arme-
nian colonies in BatOum, TitiIs, Baku
Erivan, EtchmiadZin and other places in
Russia, and from Rescht, hazvin, Te-
herRn, Tebriz hhoia and other cities in
Persia.
The central idea of the plan of cam
paign is general uprising OF Armenlans
throughout the Turkish Empire some
| time during the month OF May. The
leaders promised the people in the east
ern part OF Armenia that the chief attack
Will be made in the city OF ConstautinopIe
itself. and that the brunt OF the fighting
will be done by the Armenian residents
therein. But this may be only subter-
fuge to encourage the aint-hearted at
Van, Bitlas and Moush.
The Armenians have at least 1000
Martini henry rifles hidden III secret
places in the mountains, not great dis
tance from Lake Van. For a handful Of
unframed Armenians to deliberately be-
gin fight with the 300, 900 regular troops
of the Turkish Empire would seem to De
folly too colossal for human conception;
yet the purpose is not to bring Turkey to
terms in fair fight, but to settle the
quarrel by Intervention of the European
powers. Before the revolution is three
months old the powers, it is believed,
will be compelled TO take hand in the
conflict, for the cruelty, atrocity, the out
/ rage, the blood-lust and butchery of the
! struggle will be so unthinkably horrible
! that Christian humanity will interfere
J Armenia, it is then hoped, may get her
/ freedom.
For the most part the revolutionary
! leaders are of the younger generation of
| Armenians, who argue ii is not worse that
| q few thousand ArmenlanS should have
! been killed at one time than TO be killed
separately during period OF few
months or years.
To what extent the plans of the revolu-
| tionary leaders are approved by the Ar
menian people at large it is difficult to
! tell. 1t is seriously doubted if those
| plans are known in detail to more than
five per cent of the Armenians. Still,
/ there are genuine patriots who believe
| that TO free Armenia from the dread
| ful depth to which she is sunk, they must
surrender some of their fellow country
men to torture. outrage and death.
There is belief in Europe that Russia
desires to make the ArmeniauS Russian
subjects by anneXing the eastern end
OF Turkey. Curiously enough this be-
! lisf is not shared by the Russia 5 of the
! Caucasian region. The GeorgIRns GER
tainly would resent any further increase
IN the Armenian population. the busi-
ness methods of the Armeniaus are not
generally approved by Georgians and
| Russians. 1t is, therefore, believed that
/ II Is not likely that Russia wants the Ar
menians, but whether or not she wants
/ the Turkish territory which the Ar
lnenlans lnhablt, is quite another matter.
! For the most part, the average Armenian
! is anxious to have some other man firht
his battles, and he is willing TO believe
that England and Russia are only wait
| ing Tor chance to come in and dismem-
ber the Turkish empire.
! The Armenian newspapers in Russia
and Persia contain not hint, however
remote, of their preparations, but contain
only denuncietions of Turkish tyranny
| and demands for the enforcement of the
sixty first article of the Berlin treaty.
fhe lower classes are less discreet In
Tihis, especially, they fill themselves up
with vodka and go about the streets
clamorlng Tor an Armenian King, AS
the time for the revolutionary uprising
approaches, the words OF the Armenian
Catholic, Mgr. Ghrimiran, have added
significance: Armenia is in sore dis
tress, but her sutferings will soon be at
l an end"