The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-18
PREPARING FOR WAR
RISE AGAINST THE TURKS.
The Revolutionary Party Has Ample
Funds, and Is Said to lie Bent
ON Striking for Liberty.
PLANS OF THE LEADERS
BUILDING HOPES ON THE INTERVIEW
TIoN or EUROPEAN POWERS.
First Blow to lie struck in Constants
nop1e-Russin Reported TO BE WILL
Ing TO Annex Part OF Turkey.


Copyright, 1895. by the Associated Press)
LONDON, April 1.-THE correspondent of
the Associated Press, writing from Ar
menia, under date of March Is, says: II
have travelled on horseback and in SPRING
less wagons many hundreds of miles in
Russia and Persia. and have visited Ar
menian colonies as far east as the Caspian
sea and as far south as the city of Teheran.
and L have learned only after the most
careful investigation and verifcation of the
facts that the Armenian question will soon
reach acute and painful crisis. In fact,
Armenia is preparing for war. The revo-
lutionary party has now both money and
guns. During the past eight weeks money
has pourned into the revolutionary treasury
in steady stream from the Armenian
colonies in Batoum, Tihis, Baku, Frivan,
Etchmiadzin, and other places in Russia,
and from Resent, Kazvin, Teheran, Tebriz,
Khoi and other cities in Persia. How
much money has been raised no one knows,
except the leaders of the revolutionary
party themselves. and they are disposed
10 keep their affairs very quiet. The CEN
trail idea of the plan of campaign is a
general uprising of Armenans throughout
the Turkish empire some time during the
month of May. The leaders have promised
the people in the eastern part of Armenia
that the chief attack will be made in the
city of Constantincple itself. and that the
brunt of the fighting will be borne by the
Armenians resident therein; but this may
be only subterfuge to encourage the
faint-aearted at Van, Bitlis and Moosh
The leaders have even gone so far as to de-
clare that the first attack VIII be on the
palace of the Sultan, and that the reign
of Hanid will come to a sudden end. The
younger Turks, particularly those who have
frap nj aY1e w that
present Sultan was anywhere except on the
throne The Armenians have at least $500
Martini-Hen rifles hidden in secret places
in the mountains, not great distance from
Lake Van.
eFor a handful of unframed Armenians
to deliberately begin fight with the three
hundred thousand regular troops of the
Turkish empire is folly too colossal for
human conception; yet one must take into
account the underlying motives Of the revo-
lutionary leaders before passing final judg-
ment. The purpose is not to bring Turkey
to terms in a fair fight. but to secure set
Element of the quarrel by the Intervention
of the European powers. Before the revo-
luton is three months old the powers, it is
believed, will be compelled to take a hand
I'm the conflict. for the cruelty, atrocity, the
outrage, the blood-lust and butchery OF the
struggle viii be so unthinkably horrible
that Christian humanity will interfere
Then Armenia, IL is hoped, may get her
freedom and the Turkish empire may be
torn limb from limb and thrown piecemeal
to its expectant neighbors. Thus there is
a possibility that Palestine. the birthplace
of Christianity, may at last come into the
possession Of Christian nation.
For the most part the revolutionary
leaders are of the younger and more pro-
gressive generations of Armenians, who
argue that it is no worse that few thou
sand Armenians should be killed at
time than that they should be killed sep
arately during period OF few months
years. To what extent the plans of the
revolutionary leaders are approved of by
the Armenian people at large it is difficult
to tell. seriously doubt If those plans
cent. of the Armenians. Still. there are
genuine patriots who believe that to free
which she has sunk they must surrender
some of their fellow-countrymcn to torture,
no better than quote the significant reply
OF Mgr. Khrimian when questioned point
plank on the sup}eeu th not sna5 ye
father greatly even TO think Of the revo-
lutIonary plans. for he Is q good man; with
is his earnest wish that the Russian gov
eminent shall do something TO end the mis-
mission to go to st. Petersburg to make a
personal appeal to the Gar This request
has been refused. What that can mean
no one outside of ST. Petersburg can tell
beyond tho superstition that the Gear does
not wish 70 take any action until the Turk
ish commission has had a fair chance to
show what it means to do.
There Is belief in Europe that Russia
desires to make the Arnenians Russian
subjects by annexing the eastern end of
Turkey. Curiousy enough this belief is
not shared by the Russians of the Cau-
casus region The ieorgians certainly
Would resent any further increase in the