The morning call., 1895-03-04
ial to the Gear may be found in this inter

rial to the Gear may be found in this inter-
view
Mgr. Khirmiran's home is at Etzchmi-
adzin, in the Ararat region of Russia,
within a short distance of the Turkish
frontier. In an outer room of the house
the correspondent met monk in black
habit, and at the farther end of the room
was a man dressed entirely in red, holding
long mace. The sangquinary appearance
of this man contrasted strongly with the
peace and quietness of the house. Some
times four men were in attendance.
On the occasion of the first visit of the
correspondent to the quiet house he was
introduced by an eminent Armenian gem
tleman, editor of the Ardziagank. On the
occasion of his second visit, Mgr. Khir-
irman having decided to make the state
ment asked for, talked fiuently and elo-
quently of the wrongs to the people.
Among other things, he said:
"The massacre in the Sassoun noun
tains was the result of a long period of
Turkish misgovernment. In the Arme-
nian province of Turkey policy of cruelty
and oppression has continued for long
time. L, myself, have been an eyewitness
of all kinds OF Turkish oppression. In
fact, about fifty years of my life have been
passed in connection with matters in Ar
menia. Twenty or thirty years ago the
Armenians were still very low and narrow
and did not understand the cause of all the
calamities which befel them. They
thought their troubles were sent by heaven
as punishment for their sins. Such is
always the belief of the people deprived of
education and the printing press. But,
later, when they began to think and to
understand the wicked acts of their op-
pressors there came a change, and they
saw clearly the real cause of their troubles.
Zone reason for their change was the
war between Russia and Turkey in 1876
which ended so happily for the Bulgarians
who received freedom and self-government.
The Armenians suffered from the mis-
government of the Turks much more than
the Bulgarians, who lived in the neighbor-
hood of the Western European powers,
whereas the Armenians were at such a
remote distance from the civilized world
that their cries could not be heard
"At the close of the Russo-Turkish War
the Armenians, encouraged by the i'm
proved conditions of Bulgaria, demanded
the same guarantees which were given to
that country. Numerous complaints and
petitions poured into the patriarch of Con-
stantinople.
On the meantime the European powers
were compelled to sign the Berlin treaty
AT this period | was sent with another
delegate to the chief capitals of Western
Europe to plead the cause of Armenia
81 visited London, Paris, Vienna, Rome
and Berlin, but my mission did not pro-
duce satisfactory results. I presented to
the Berlin congress memorial giving full
details of the Turkish atrocities in Turkish
Armenia. Moreover, there was printed in
Berlin at the same time my description of
these atrocities. But what we had worked
for was not realized, as with reference to
the Armenian question the Berlin con-
gress adopted what is known as the sixty
first article of the Berlin treaty, and
although the treaty was signed it had no
Influence in lessening the prosecutions.
Our hopes were in vain. The cruelty of the
Turkish government did not cease; it
merely took new form. But, keeping in
view that there was treaty, the Turks
sought for some legal means of Iustifying
their atrocities. What happened? The
taxes became heavier and all kinds of
duties became greater and the Turkish
people received full power to tax Armenian
peasants.
"Why should people who have not