The San Francisco call., 1895-12-30
Christians in Abdul Hamid's
Land Sacrificed to Higher
Politics."
THE END IS NOT IN SIGHT
Turks and Kurds Can Continue With.
out Hindrance Their Horrible
MaSsacreS.

LONDON, Eng, Dec. 29.-The next issue
OF the Contemporary Review will contain
a long article entitled Armenia; An Ap-
peal. by. DR.. E. J. Dillon, of which the
following is a synopsis:
1.-The time has come for every rea-
sonlng person to accept or repudi-
ate his share of the Joint respon.
sibility of the British Nation for a
series of the hugest and foulest crimes
that have ever stained the pages of human
history. The Armenian people in Ana
tolia are being exterminated by Turks and
Kurds by such fendish methods as may
well cause the most sluggish blood to boil
with shame and indignation.
''The Armenlans are neither lawless bar
barians nor brigands. nor are the Turks
and Kurds the accredited torch bearers of
civilization, but If it be expedient that
Armenians should be exterminated, why
chop them up piecemeal? Why should an
honest, hard-working man be forced to
witness the violation of his daughter, and
then have his hand cut off and stuffed
into his mouth, while a sermon is being
preached to him on the text, II your God
is God why does he not succor you? Then
the other hand is hacked off, his ears torn
off and his feet severed with hatchet.
Surely roasting alive, flaying, disembowel-
ing, inpaling and other horrors have
nothing that can excuse them in the eyes
of Christians, however. deeply absorbed in
politics..
''The Ara1enians constitute the sole civ
,iliZing element in Anatolia. Christians
they are, and from the middle of the fifth
century scarcely a year has elapsed in
which Armenian men and women have
not unhesitatingly laid down tDeir lives
for their religious belief. The murdered of
Sassoun, of Van. of Erzeroum, were Chris
tian martyrs; and any or all of those
whose eyesywere gouged out, whose quiv-
ering flesh was torn from their bodies,
might have obtained life by embracing
Islam and abjuring Christ. But. instead,
they died like Christian martyrs. Why is
it that our compassion for these, our fell
low men, has not yet assumed the form Of
effective help? For reasons of higher
politics.
1.-The condition of Armenian Christians
when we first interfered (1S7S) was deplor-
able. Laws existed only on paper. Mo-
hammedan crimes were punishable only
in theory. Russia was willing to supsti-
tute law and order for crime and chaos and
to guarantee to Christians the treatment
Que to human beings. But we then de-
MED her right to do this, as she refuses to
admit our claim to undertake it single
handed.
awe said in effect: Though our politi-
cal interests may clash with those of Rus
sia, we will see to it that they are not SUBJ
versIve. of the elementary principles of
human justice and the immutable law of
God Yet we never took any efficacious
step to fulfill that solemn promise. Our con-
suls forwarded exhaustive reports, the press
published heartrending details, Armenian
ecclesiastics presented piteous appeals.
But we 'pigeon-holed' the consular re-
ports, pooh-hooed the particulars pub
lished by the press and ignored the petit
tions of the priests. We pressed knob as
it were in London and thereby opened
hell's portals in Asia Minor, letting loose
Iegions of fends in human shape who set
about torturing and exterminating the
Christians there. And lest it should be
urged that our Government was ignorant
of the wide-reaching effects of its ill
advised action it is on record that for sew
enteen years 1t continued to watch the
narrowing results of that action without
once interfering to stop it.
During all those seventeen years writ
ten law, traditional custom, the funda-
mental maxims of human and divine
Justice were suspended in favor of a Moham-
medsn saturnalia. The Christians, by
whose toll and thrift the empire was held
together, were despoiled, beggared, beaten
and banished or butchered. Thousands OF
Armenians were thrown into prison and
tortured and terrorized until they de-
liyered up the savings of lifetime. Whole
villages were attacked. In few years the
proyinces were decimated-Aloghkerd for
instance, being almost entirely purged of
Armenians.'
"Over 10000 woe-stricSen wretches fed
to Russia or to Persia. On the way they
were seized over and over again by the
soldiers OF the Sultan, who deprived them
of their little money and clothes, outraged
the women and girls, and then drove them
over the frontier to hunger and die.
"Those who remained for time behind
were no better off, Turkish tax-aatherers
followed these, cleaning what the brigands
had left, torturing and foggipg their male
victims, dis onoring their wives and de-
filing their daughters.
''Stories OF this kind in connection with
Turkish misrule In Armenia have grown
familiar to English ears OF late. 1t should
be rememb bered that these statements are
neither rumors nor exaggerations, con-
cerning which We are justified in suspend
inc our Judgment. History has set its seal
upon them. The Turks have admitted
@E fha
Kurds glory in them; trustworthy Euro
peans have witnessed and described them,
and Armenians have groaned over them
in blank despair. Officers and mobiles in
the Sultan's own cavalry regiments bruit
abroad with pride the story of the long
series OF murders and worse crimes which
marked their official careers.
"In accordance with the plan OF extermin