The record-union., 1895-12-09
THE ARMENIAN DIFFICULTY.

The correspondent of the Speaker,
who gave the first news of the Arme-
nian outrages, and is believed to have
superior means for ascertaining facts
through his relations with the Consul
ates at Constantinople, now reports to
his paper that the lowest estimate OF
the massacred and fatally wounded IN
Armenia places the figure at half a
million souls. This includes those VINO
are now diving of starvation. He says
that after Turkish troops capture a
town the Kurds enter and complete the
work by pillaging the place, carrying
off the women and killing the children.
later advices from the East are to
the effect that the refusal of the Porte
TO permit the Red Cross Society to en-
ter Armenia to give succor TO the dis
tressed is due to the fear that the truth
about the atrocities would be then re-
vealed. On the other hand, official dis
matches from Turkish sources charge
all the assaults upon the Armenians TO
have been provoked by attacks by Ar
menians upon Turkish officials and sub
iects. and to murders and outrages by
Armenfans upon Mussulmans. One ac-
count goes so far as to tell OF an IN
stance in which a band of Armenians
seized in the open a group of Turks and
butchered after torturing them, as, by
plucking out their eyes and cutting on
their ears and members of their bodies,
and then carrying off the women Of the
party. This was all done, say the
Turkish accounts, to excite the Mussul-
mans to fall upon the Armenians in
retaliatory rage, and massacre them
that the sympathy of the outside
world may be invoked successfully for
the Armenian cause.
All which must be taken with much
allowance. It is absurd to suppose that
the Armenians purposely incite their
rulers to butcher them, that thereby the
sympathy of the world may be gained.
But from other accounts it is estab-
lished that frequently there have been
massacres originating in assaults
made by Armenians, as, for instance,
some Armenian fanatic shoots or stabs
or strikes a Turk in the heat of a wordy
war: or. as where one, an Armenian, re-
fusing to obey some official order not
offensive in itself, provokes difficulty
and smites a Turk But in all such
cases it appears that the Turkish sol
diery and the Kurds and Circassians re-
taiiate in a manner out of all keeping
with the provocation. They make
every assault or indiscretion by an Ar
menian quick excuse for indiscriminate
butehery. in which the Turkish officers
and soldiers play the part of attempt
ing to preserve order but always failing
in the attempt, while the Kurds and a
due proportion of the Turkish hirelings
proceed to butcher on-combatants
children and even infants in arms.
These facts seem to be well estab-
lished. but in the midst of them there
is no ray of light giving hope for cessa-
ton Of the horrors. This fact leads
President Andrew d. White. the we'll
known scholar of New York one time
our Minister to Russia, to say that tn,
deposition of the Sultan now, without
precautions being taken, would result
in his retiracy to Asia Minor where hi
would raise the flag of the prophet, anC
a war of complete determination o.
"heretics" would follow, and such {
massacre would begin as the century
has not dreamed Of His plan for cary,
ing Turkey is rather a promising one
He would have the Powers place {
Russian Grand Duke upon the throne
of Turkey. or a Grecian Prince, whos'
integrity and permanancy the Powers
should guarantee. as also the peace 0
Turkey, and the quietude of the coun
try. Then he would have the spoils di
yided. He says:
II believe, too, the European nations
should be given some share Of the spoili
of the East in order to maintain tn,
stability of Turkish Government sucl
as suggested. TO protect the boundaries