The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-12-04
Anarchy in Turkey.

The agent of the United Press in
Constantinople has forwarded to the
American Press a statement of the
facts respecting the recent massacres
by the Turks in Asia Minor. The facts
are derived from Armenian Christians
and from the agents personal observa-
ton. The statement has the full en-
dorsement of Minister Terrell.
During the month of October con-
siderable part of the Armenian districts
in the provinces of Trebizond, Erze-
rum, Bitlis, Van, Harput, Darbekr
and Sivas was laid waste and number
not yet known killed. AS the awful
tidings came in by driblets, the Turkish
government telegraphed abroad that
the Armenians had attacked the Mussul-
mans and aroused frenzy that could
not be controlled, but that order had
been restored after some loss of life.
The sultan had enumerated to the
powers of Europe, which were protest
ing against the slaughter of the Ar
menians, certain reforms for that peo-
pie. Naturally indignation was ex-
pressed at the conduct of the Armeni-
ans in rising at the moment when the
promised reforms were about to be
instituted, but indignation may be
moderated when it is known that the
To- hap vic Of nj
has taken place at Zeitun, in the prov
ince of Aleppo, far from the scene of
the massacres. Moreover, in such
cases as have been Investigated, cir
cumstances cited in the Turkish dis
patches as to the causes of bloodshed
have been proved to be only incidents
and not causes of the slaughter. Ar
menians who happened to have arms
in their houses have defended them
selves and their families. Al Diarbekr,
where the Christians were generally
armed, they made hard fight, and
some 1900 Mussulmans are said to
have bit the dust But, aside from
this one case, the destruction of some
ZOO Armenians has not cost the
Turks more than from 200 TO 300 lives.
In the latter part of September, while
the powers were renewing their de-
mands for the acceptance by the sultan
of the reform scheme, tidings began TO
come in from the provinces that the
Mussulmans were being armed, while
! the disarming of the Christians was
being pressed with determination. In
some cases the government officials
openly distributed arms and ammuni-
ton to the Mussulman peasantry.
Mussulmans who hadn't money to buy
bread were openly buying arms. The
arms taken from the Christians were
sold by the Turkish officials to the
Mussulmans. At the same time the
Kurds began to assemble, saying they
had received orders from the COM
mander of the Turkish military force
to devastate the Armenian villages,
taking the plumber for their pay.
Whether or not such an order was
given no one knows, but they immedi-
ately began to seize the cattle and
sheep of the Armenians in all the sur
rounding regions before the slaughter
began. During the early days of Oc-
tober the Turks in the six provinces
openly declared that they were going
to massacre the Christians. Terror
reigned in all that region. Hangers-on
about the sultan's palace at CONSTANT
nople began to repeat the statement
that Europeans might do what they
liked with the country after the Turks
had done with the Armenians, but
that no Armenian should profit by the
reform scheme.
This was the situation October 20,
when the reform scheme was signed.
Immediately the massacres began. A
region of 10000 square miles, from
Trebizond to Diarbekr, and from the
Russian frontier at Erzerum to Sivas,
was given up to massacre and pillage.
The total number killed, 80 far as re-
ported, is over 1900. Probably the
actual number greatly exceeds this
figure. A very low estimate of the
number reduced to absolute want by
the loss of their property is 200, 00O
souls, of whom three-fourths are the
wives and children of the murdered
traders and farmers.
The devastation of Turkey in Asia ia
crime from which Christendom can.
not altogether clear its skirts. The
precarious condition of the Christians
has been known to the world for years
but the powers of Europe have
neglected to deal effectively with the
Turkish question. Lord Salisbury, the