Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-04

Attempt to Obtain a Certificate OF Good
Morals for a Dollar-Slow Distribution
of Relief Funds-British Agents of Mercy
First Harassed and Then Forbidden to
Perform Their Errand-Pretty Picture of
Turkish Cu,sedness.
NEW YORK. Sept. 4.-The following
statement has just been received by gem
tleman, in this city. from responsible per-
sons in Turkey. fully cognizant of the
facts: Some eight months ago move
Incnt was made on the part of the Turks
to send aid to the victims Of their barbara
t. ut Sassoun. \ gift Of e2,0D0 was re-
ported and a committee was organized to
s"e 70 its distribution. Small sums were
offered TO the people on condition that
they would sign receipts in the nature OF
thanks for the generosity thus manifested,
al the same time certifying that is was not
the soldiers of the sultan who injured
them, but only little row had occurred
between them and the kurls. Naturally
they declined the proffcrcd aid on such
conditions.
The Turk Il Truly Unspeakable.
Here was the government that with fire
and sword and with almost unprecedented
and lcndish atrocity had utterly wasted
their homes, coming and offering IA paltry
dollar head 10 the survivors who are on
the ground as proof of their gracious SOW
crcign' charitable regard for them, while
they could go among their Moslcm neigh
bors and identify property worth many
times this sum Us that which hal been
wrcstcd from them. and it would be easy
for the government itself to collect and
rcturn from among the more distant Kuri-
ish nomads nearly the whc6 amount they
had lost. In the meantime English men
and women had collected for their fellow
Christians some efficient aid. When the
government learned of this and that agents
were coming to distribute this money of
ficials began to say that IF these people
will not accept our aid. why should we al
low others to come in and help thcm:'
Sot IIurryins the Distribution.
Influential friends of the sufferers final.
ly persuaded the government to modify
their demands to the. extent of accepting IA
simple receipt Of funds received, and then
the people were with difficulty persuaded
to receive the proifcrcd aid. However. the
amount that they have been called upon
to receipt for up to the present time has
not been sufficient To prove buriensome
or the -. 90 only 200 has yet mGtcral
izcd, and mciils tncarly e2) per day goes
for salaries of the commission. When
agents were appointed by the British am
basSa,iur to distribute the funds from
abroad it was with some difficulty that
permission was secured for them to enter
the devastated region, where some 5.O0l
survivors had already gone to SOW their
GeidS with sort of millet that natures il,
q few weeks from the time it is sown.
All Turks Generous Offer.
The services of the existing Turkish
committee We're offered TO distribute
these contributions. but finally this point
was apparently waived and they We're al
lowed TO locate themselves at the village.
of Scmal. The sight Of the crumbling
walls of its once comfortable dwelling:
scattered over the picturesque hillsidcS
with not even charrcd chip TO show tha,
they ever had roof save that a few small
buildings were hastily covered last fail
in which families managed to spend tine
winter, convinced them that the first
thing To be done was to prepare thesC
walls, at least a few of them, for the tim
b2rS the government had promised &c
bring them from the nrighbOring noun
tains SO they moved to procure work
,,,.,, tr,p, N,nsh