The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-06-10
Sultan of Turkey Trying to Starye
Tribes of HISTORIANS.
ORDERS GIVEN TO ALLOW NO FOOD
TO REACH THEM
The Present Course of the Government
Taken I'm Some Quarters as an Indi-
cation That Turkeys Ruler Has Set
nm Foot n systematic Persecution
of Christians in All Parts or the
ErnniPa
Empire

ICOpyrighted, by the Associated ffess, 1oSo,
from the special correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press in Armenia.
DJULFA (Russia), May THE Turkish
Government, it is claimed, has just taken
the preliminary steps in what may result
in a massacre of HISTORIAN Christians In
the mountains of kurdistan. 1t Is as
serted that the Government has given
orders to starve the independent tribes OF
HISTORIANS in the mountain region lm-
mediately west of Caviar, which may Dc
described as lying about midway between
MosuI and Lake Van, about nifty miles
west of the Persian frontier. The orders'
il is stated, are that no food supplies OF
any kind shall be allowed to enter the
territory of the independent tribes, anu
measures are said to have been taken TO
enforce these orders to the letter.
This action is apparently taken as q
means of compelling the independent
tribes to submit to Turkish authority.
and to pay the taxes demanded by the
Government. and is regarded as the hrst
serious aItemDt that the Turks have made
to extort taxes from the independent
tribes. From the earliest times IN the his
tory of the Ottoman Empire these tribes
have been independent OF Turkish rule.
They have paid no tax, and they have ac-
know led ged no allegiance to the Turkish
Government.
The present course of the Government
ia taken in some quarters as an lndlca-
iion that the Sultan has set on foot sys-
iematic persecution OF Christians III ali
parts of the Empire. The Sultan has
plenty of opportunity OF knowing that
The independent HISTORIANS are too poor
TO pay taxes, and. that many of them make
a living by going down into the villages
OF their less wretchedly poor fellow coun-
trymen and begging.
These poor creatures, according to the
story, are to be starved because they VIII
not share with the Sultan OF Turkey the
scraps OF bread, the refuse bits OF meat
and the odds and ends which they obtain
by begging. Their homes are in a wilder
ness of mountain peaks and narrow
rocky valleys, where nothing Will grow
except TUT of broomcorn here and there
III the creviceS on the mountain sides and
a crop of millet in a casual square yard OF
soil III the valleys.
1t is not difficult to forecast the proba-
BILE result of the starvation Of this race OF
bepgarS, should the report turn out to be
correct. Driven desperate by hunger tie
people will endeavor 10 obtain food from
Gawar and other outside districts, and
there will be tights with the Turkish
troops, the villages will be attacked and
some of the wretched people will be
killed. and no man can prophecy where
the persecution will end.
/ have Just returned from rapid jour
ney to the Kurdish Mountains for the
purpose of investigating the report that
fourteen villages had been attacked and
devastated by raid OF kurds last week.
The original rumor had 1t that the hurds
massacred many Christians, and had car
ried off women ana girls 10 the mountains.
Alter riding day and night to reach the
scene of the raid, l at length arrived at
LIE Merguiver Valley, which lies like the
bottom Of boat beneath huge mount
aims, covered from base TO summit with
almost unbroken expanses OF snow. IL
was in this valley that the raid took
place. 1t is said that band of kurds
from the mountains had indeed raided
fourteen villages IN this valley, but the
raid was directed against other Kurds,
and not against Christians. There were
a few HISTORIAN Christians living III the
valley, but they we're not molesled in any
way. AS this was not q race nor a religi-
Gus raid, it will probably cause but little
interest outside of the valley.
l regret to say that Mr.. Palon, the Brit
ish Consul-General in Tebriz, Persia, is
very much in disfavor with the gentle
men who are conducting the Armenian
the fact that Mr.. Palon has been collect
ing evidence of the Sassoun and Moosh
massacre for the use of the British Gov
ernment, the Armenlans look upon him
as spy. They may GO the length of do
ing him bodily harm.
The closing of the caravan routes to
Van has rendered more acute the suffer-
ing from the famine in the districts near
Van. The only hope OF relief is now cut
oil.
MORE FAVORABLE TO REFORM.
LONDON, June 1e.-The Standard COM
ments edtoriaily upon the reported dis
lnissal OF General Djedad Pasha from the
post of Grand ViZIer and the appoint
ment of Turkh Pasha TO succeed Said
Pasha as Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Turkey. The Standard says this indi-
Gates more favorable attitude on the
part of the Sultan toward reforming the
Armenian provinces.
MoosH COMMISSION DISSOLVED.
CoNSTANTINoPLE, June o. Advices
from Moosh are to the effect that the
Moosh Commission has practically dis
solved. The English Consul just ap-
pointed at Bitlis has been instructed to
go to Moosh before the commission
leaves, as the Armenians fear resump-
dion of the attacks If there is no person at
Moosh to represent the Powers there.
Additional reports received indicate
that the Moosh commission on Friday,
so far as the work of the European dele
gates are concerned, were compelled TO
tell the Turkish delegates that they could
have nothing more to do with them.
From the first the attitude of the Turkish
delegates has been invariably and in
creasingly dishonest. According to the
statements of those interested in the
workings of the commission, the repre-
sentatives of the Sultan have not Inani-
tested honor, truth or decency. They
have made no efforts to determine the
cause OF the outrages in Armenia.
The rupture between the Turkish and
the European commission was caused
by the refusal of the Turks on purely
farcical grounds to hear important wit
nesses on matters pertaining to questions
at issue. 1t was evident the Turks were
afraid the tissue OF falsehoods that they
have thrown around the situation in