The Portland daily press., 1895-01-14
RUSSIAN VS.. TURK.
This Said to be the Real Armenian
Question.

Lively Levantine Imagination MO-
hammedan Religious Tolerance-Jekki
Pasha-A Bad Taxing Systematic
Armenian Terrorists.
TAdoIphe Smiths London Letter to
Philadelphia Telegraph
In Judging of this matter we have first
of all to remem Der that whatever may
be the evils of Turkish administration,
those of a Russian administration would
be even worse. Again, supposing that
this statement is not correct, and that
the Russian authorities are more toler-
ant, are more humane, than the Turkish
Pashas; then there remains this I'M
doubted fact that Russia is greater OBJ
stacle to the development of civilization
than Turkey. By all means let us have
peace. religious liberty, reform and
order in Armenia; but do not let us
imagine that these ends will be Obtained
by allowing Russia to annex still great
er portion of Armenia. Let us first ask
the Poles, the Jews, and the Stundists
what measure of religious freedom they
enjoy under the Russian government.
Let us compare this with the very large
measure of liberation granted by the
Turks to the Christian subjects of the
Sublime Porte. But we are told that
there have been terrible atrocities COM
mitted in Armenia" Our information
comes from that Leyantine population
which possesses none of. the virtues of
the Mohammedan, but many of the vices
of the Christian. In the telling of plaus-
BILE lies the LeSantine has passed grand
master. On the other hand l do not
wish..Io suggest that we should trust the
truthfulness. of the Turkish officials
But it will be said there are outsiders
who are neither Armenian nor Turk, and
they bear witness to the atrocities COM
mitted. That is SO, but to a mitiqated
extent. / am not aware that these i'm
partial witnesses" saw much with their
own eyes, nor am I tempted to repose
great confidence in their disintereste5
ness. The majority are witnesses who
have taken an active part in Christian
propaganda. They are for the most part
persons with strong Christian procilivi-
ties, and are unconSc1ously prone to give
more credence to what a Christian would
say than to what Mohammedan might
affirm. But. for my part, l believe that
the word of good Mussulman is quite
as trustworthy as the afiirmations OF the
very bad Christians we have in the east
of Europe After all. Mussulman who
follows his religion is a much more re-
liable man than a Christian who does
not follow his religion; and l put it to
anyone who has lived in the East wheth
or he would not rather be served by a
Mohammedan than by Christian. In
Constantinople, in all the European
houses I have visited, it was the same
complaint-namely, the impossi billy OF
obtaining Mohammedan servant,
and the. utter unrelia billty
of the Greek, Armenian, and other
Christian servants.
These circumstances make me feel
somewhat du bious about the Armenian
atrocities. do not mean for a moment
to question the fact that great atroci-
ties have been committed; but what has
occurred is not what has been set forth
by special p1eaders who profit by the
Christian sympathies 81 OF the British
press to get only their own version put
forth. We are still in England laboring
under the delusion that the "unspeak-
type, and that he must at least be
driven out of Europe. Now my recent
visit to the East has made me question
whether after all, the Turk is not the
most respectable individual in thai
part of the world. Nor can think, es-
pecially after the lesson taught by the
loss of Bulgaria, that the Turkish au-
thorities have any desire whatsoever to
commit acts of violence against the
person of their Christian subjects. Adj
miral Sir j. E. Commere1l writes to the
Times, stating that he has had thirty
years. experience of Turkey and the
Turks. He has travelled frequently in
Asia Minor, where the atrocities are said
to have been committed, and has mixed
with all denominations of Turkish sub
jects-Kurds, Armenians, Roumelians,
and Bosnians-and he does not believe
that Turkish rule is the intolerable
tyranny so often represented. Nearer
home we see that extensive civil powers
are given to the Greek patriarch in Con-
stantinople. The Daily News of yester-
day describes the meeting of the Council
of the Armenian church at CONSTANT
NOBLE. Mgr. Tzmirlian was elected parri-
arch by 81 votes out of the 76 mem bers
of the Council present and this choice
was Immediately confirmed by the Sui
tan. The Sultan has the right TO veto
such elections, but rarely, if ever, exer-
cises this right. Now this national as
sembly which elects all partiarchs of the
Greek church of Turkey, is a very demo.
cratic body. Besides members of the
Synod and two government nominees, it
includes eight members of the lay coun-
Gil, two military officers, four scientific
men. TWO Q6le&hlcS REPRESENTING GQo H.
habitants of Constantinople, two finan-
cial and five commercial delegates, and
twelve representatives Of the working
classes. where in all Russia could such
freedom be found, and this, too, granted
all the mem bers of creed that is not
that of the state church? The gathering
together of such a representative council
in Russia would be considered as an act
of high treason; no penalty would be
severe enough for those who attempted
to create such democratic institution.
What we almost urgently REQ uire is to
know the truth. Armenia is the hen
with the golden eggs. Is it likely that
the Turkish authorities would willingly
and deli herately lay waste rich PROVING
es? Undou btedly there is great deal of
Mohammedan fanaticism: people who
are very religious are always very fanati-
cal. The Armenians in Asia Minor are
not so ignorant as the Turks and the
Kurds; consequently they are more skill
full in matters of business, and succeed
more easily in making money That nat
urally excites the jealousy of the Turks,
the avarice and the looting propensities
of the Kurds. A strong luminosity is felt
against the more prosperous Armenians.