New-York tribune., 1895-12-27
COMMENT UPON HIS VIRTUES AS CELE-
BRATED BY MR. WEBB.

TIE CHARACTER OF THE sULTAN's CHRISTIAN
FUNcTIoNARIEs- DENIAL OF MAHoME-
TAN CHARGES AGAINST AMERI-
CAN MISSIONARIES
TO the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Allow me 10 say through your columns that
while feeling no personal hostility of any kind
toward Mr.. Webb whom / have never had the
pleasure of meeting nor believing in indiscrmi-
nate condemnation OF the Turks. with many of
whom have been pleased 10 converse as acquain;-
anccs nevertheless feel impeed to call attention
to many erroneous statements in Mr. Webbs letter
published in Mondays Tribune which are calculated
to give a very false impression to the real state
of things in the East Having lived in Turkey
seven years-perhaps more years than Mr Webb
and much of that time at Constantnope. my views
On the subjects under consideration may perhaps
have a measure of weight.
1t is worth whit to point on: at the outset that
Mr. WebGs letter is dated lister Park, " Y. and
not at Bagdad Antab. Marsoven or even at Euro
peaniZeG COnstantinople where things would be
likely to be made easy and delightful for such
a convert to the doctrines Of Islam Mr.. Webo is
sensible 10 discuss Oriental life and manners at the
dis ance of many thousand miles from that East
eysium. Many who exploit ls.am. 1t is no.
ticeable. spend much Of their time-perhap5 on
ieave-in the Occident BE that it may, ii VIII
take more than Mr. Webb's e,oquence TO persuade
American lovers OF truth into disbelief OF cod. hard
facts of massacre and rapine based on Consular re-
ports. TO which many presen: residents of Turkey,
OF the journalistic and other professions. could add
se!t-subsanta;ed details fully horrible and mex
cusable if-and tha; ''if' is big one in Turkey
they dared The Turk has always had a reputation
for attempting the unmakng of history by calling
the things that are as though they were not. II
history has not happened his way. much the
for history. But Mr. Webb. who is not origi
nally an Oriental-a;hough with the zeal of a new
convert he ou;-Turks in sone respects the Turks
should know tha; facts and figures are irrevocabe
even the imperial will Of d Sultan. who can huri
a thousand trades history without altering a sin
gle event that has been
Despite the outrageous and significant refusal OF
the Turkish Governmers to allow Consular rep
resentatives proceed to the scene of greatest
trouble in the further interior. which al of
piece of It's settled policy of suppression OF news
gathering. TO which our President was Obliged to
refer in his message TO Congress- the facts have al
last out with reference to repeated atrocities,
both by rascal,y Kurds and even regular redif sol
diery. in utterly irrefutable fashion.
Come now. Mr.. Webb. do not talk Of side issues.
The fact tina, there few Armenian agitators-
in defence of whom am not now wring-does not
excuse the barbarily Of the Turks in putting down
these insure ctions with pit less ferociiy unpar
ae,ed except by the fanatical ferceness manifested
by the same people at carrier stages in their his
tory The idea of a successful Armenian nsurrecton
against the Sultan is preposterous, since the Ar
menians largely scattered. and for long years
have been allowed TO possess scarcely shotgun
each. while every bloody briganl in the mountains
thanks TO the misplaced ccmency Of Abdul
Hamid who will rarely il ever allow good Mos
lem to be hanged for having shot Chrisan-goes
about armed to the teeth. The truth is that a few
brOs mere and there have been seized upon by
multtudes o. the Turks excuse for policy
Of simple extermnation OF the Armenians. Conse-
quentiy there results for Mr.. Webb this dilemma:
Either the Sultan is utterly incompetent to govern
subjects DESPITE the much-trLmpeted virtues or
sultan has winked at or encouraged this work OF
eXterminaton.
We are far from saying that all the Turks are
bad. some of them. ana ror certain qualities ad-
mre more than | do the Armeniars. There is In Il
vague sense a y ouns Turkey party, OF which bet
ter things are hoped bui II l. disorganzed' sea-
younger officers who. having in the course of their
iaith in Is,ani thoucS keeping up the form of a.
irUi tendance at mosque While they have gained as
substitute no stronse; ana purer reilg9us impulse
makes him fanatlcai. vndicjtc inio,erant and
ambiticness T3lS Is m ,he um,'e cause ,s OF iae
lions from that wordy ana contradictory book the
Koran, which seem to argue broader spirit of toll
Grafton. but the Turks have frequentl, in history
to c a nPGq m S We Sdd a9 n s OF
as being more to the purpose OF their dynastc am
menians are Employed in, pubic ofices-a very. lew
in comparison with me relati proportions Of Turks
question his statements as 70 particular individuals
servce-tha, which best suits his purposes-and
knows well enough that he serve himself bet
menans i and Gre Greeks than with Turk though SOM
Of the latter are meI OF no mean mean @oiy hu ihgse
tians by birth who have since become Mosions
IN mS III, 0 bSckero9nd Hr Numb@rs Of er aPponee
! do not say all-are Simply The Suitan's puppets
italy Moslem-lt is still the Ottoman Empire. TO
sAy that the sultan IN IN ms deans |9 ms su3ieii.
is SIMPLY absurd lie IS always careful 10 keep
majority OF every branch OF the Government or 1u-
Mr. Webb repeats question from The Esypija9
the Armenians can i've IN peace ana irifmGsp WIN
Turk while loading down the Greek Win taxes,
does no! dare pres nm & oeySnd & Gn certain H. mexieni
of the Greek is mighty Russia, to say nothing OF
Greece itself. But the Armenian is frcndlcss, ana
Krkand no doubt be Is i Salant h. officer bai hi,
they live quietly and in most orderly fashion can
estimates, Of scores Of men of the calbre of The
Of % many an ievehendcd travellers Who have bedn in
Turkey and know by personal experience what 4
The AmereSn missonariss are. whose renn,aHi5n is
100 secure to be imperilled by anaihemas from few
.coastitute Very important factor in THrEty's
trouble is is a. cnargf aDsGu'ey ss 3lseess e., .
the persecution OF Moslems who have evidenced any
himself smiles at the danger which secretly. II not
qPs baTe Is sn1 Tesons fSm Sqr, a f1 T IN
remain IN The religion in which he Is born-not 10
change MS rcnglOn-uni'SS in idNOf OF lsam as Mr..
Webb has done. whereupon great uproar Is raised
over the fact.
The statement with which Mr.. Webb closes. that
Trkisb Govefnnant is too ridcnloIs for ans gs me
But as who has had much personal experience
of both the good and bad sides Of Turkish fe who
has seen much both of Anatolia and Of StamboI.
and VINO is not connected with the American or
with any other mission protest against Vilifying
in the interest of pampered and fanatical Sultan
the rank and file Of the orderly and inofensive
Armenian victims Of his wrath. and thus most
cruelty. but In accordance with the true genius OF
Mahometsnlsm. adding insult 10 injury.
CHARLES D. DEVON.
Ncw-York Doc. %. 1897.
THE TR1RINES COURSE UPHELD.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
sir: You must allow TO express 70 Won my