Omaha daily bee., 1895-12-20
TERRELL's WORK REVIEWED.
Secretary OIncy Transmits Some Cor
rcspOndence to the senate.

| today made response to the senate resolu
tion of December calling for information
received by the State department respecting
| affairs in Turkey. The response Is in the
shape of report by Secretary Olney, sum
marizng but not including, the official CORE
spondence, and beginning with the massacres
| at Moosh in August, 1894. In substance the
secretary's report recounts all that has been
done to protect American citizens against
| the rioters; shows that while their property
| has suffered in two instances they have not
| been injured in person; quotes Minister Ter
rell as estimating the number of Armenians
| killed at 30,000 and after citing several
| cases, wherein naturalized Americans have
| been oppressivey treated, states that proper
| steps have been taken to secure indemnity
| in all and to protect our naturalized
| citizens in their treaty rights
| Secretary Olney says tbs number of Ameri-
can citizens in Turkey is not accurately
| krcwn, but there are 172 American mission
aries scattered over Asia Minor and numbers
of our citizens in business, besides naturalized
Armenans temporarily residing in Turkey,
| and that probably the whole number Of these
persons is between 500 and 600. The bulk
| Of the American element is found in the
interior of Asia Minor and Syria in quarters
| remote from our consulates, isolated and
inaccessible except by difficult mountain
| journeys. Says Secretary Olney: Under these
| cHCuHstauCeS, Ill lne mluSt OF the alarming
| agitation which for more than a year past
has existed in Asia Minor it has been no
| slight task for the representative of the
| United States to follow the interests of
| those whose defense necessarily falls to his
care, to demand and obtain the measures
| Indispensable to their safety and to act in
stantly upon every appeal for help in view
| or real or apprehended peril. 1t Is, however
gratifying to bear testimony to the energy
and promptness of the minister in dealing
Irn, 4.
| notice and his foresight in anticipating COM
| plants and securing timely protection in
| advance of actual need. The efforts of the
minister have had the moral support of the
| presence of naval vessels of the United
States on the Syrian and Adanan coasts from
| time to time as occasion required, and at
the present time the San Francisco and
Marblehead are about to be Joined by the
Minneapolis, which has lately been ordered
to the eastern waters of the Mediterranean,
the squadron being under command of Rear
Admiral Selfridge, an officer whose record
indicates the necessary discretion in dealing
with whatever emergencies may arise"
continuing, the secretary says that while
the physical safety of our citizens appears
up to the present to have been secured their
property has been destroyed on at least two
occasions. The meager reports from the
Harpoot riots Of November last show that
American mission property was destroyed TO
the estimated value of 100000 and the Porte
sponsible for full satisfaction. The value
of the property destroyed at Marash, No
Vember 19, by the burning of the American
missionary school of science has not been
ascertalned, but after investigation indem-
nifty VII also be demanded in that case
Apart from these general incidents Secretary
Olney reports upon several cases of indl-
vidual citizens who suffered in life and
person in Turkey beginning with Lenz, the
bicyclist, whose murder was unearthed with
hn oil nit nf fbA III ti,l.
Erzeroum." At last accounts five or six
Kurds and Armenians were to be put to
trial for the murder.
George Webber, naturalized American of
Belgian origin, was killed by inhuman treat
ment while under arrest in disregard of his
passport and the punishment of the guilty
officials has been demanded and an indemnity
will probably be claimed
The premises of DR.. Christie, well known
American missionary at Namroun, were in
vaded by an armed mob. The assailants,
though arrested, were discharged by a Turk
ish judge. but the United States steamship
Marblehead being sent to Mersine to in
vsstigate, the eight persons accused were
tried and confessed and though through
Christian intercession light sentences were
imposed, the judge who first discharged the
prisoners was dismissed. Secretary Oney
says at this point: "a signal rebuke was
administered in high places where respCnsi-
bllty really existed and was abused, coupled
with the establishment of the important
principle that American domicile in Turkey
may not be violated with impunty."
An American citizen named Stupe, of Ger
man birth. was killed in Constantinople by
an insane Turk, and though sentenced to
death, this was committed to fifteen years i'm
prisonment against our protest, the protest
bsing based on the failure of the court to ad-
init the American dragoman on the appeal
proceedings.
Secretary Olney next treats of arrests of
American citizens In violation of treaty
rights, of which there have been
number. Although the treaty in express terms
gives to the ministers and consuls authority
and power to punish American offenders and
absolutely excludes their Imprisonment by |
Turkish authorities, the Ottoman govern
ment, while admitting to this extent the
English rendering of the treaty, has on fire. |
quent occasions assumed to imprison cti- |
zens of the United States on criminal |
charges and denied the right Of agents of |
this government to effect their punishment. |
A fruitful source of such assertion of |
authority is found In the case Of persons of |
Armenian origin naturalized In the United
States and returning within the territorial
jurisdiction of Turkey under circumstances |
suggesting their completely In the revolu-
tionary schemes alleged to be rife In Asia
minor.
Holding as 1t must and should, that no dis
tinctlon can exist under the statutes of the
United States between native and naturalized
ciuZens 30 that IL IL as clearly the right
and duty of this government to extend the
full measure OF its protection to the one as
to the other. and finding neither In the treaty
nor In our jurisiictional legislation any dis
tinction as to ths character OF the criminal
offense charged, but on the contrary seeing
that by our laws our ministers and consuls
have express jurisdiction over charges of in
and rebellion when committed in
tho foreign country by American citizens as
well as over lesser offenses OF a similar char
acter, this government is unable to
forego its rights in the premises and cannot
relinquish jurisdiction over any citizen, even
though after naturalization he returns to his
native land and identify himself with its po-
tical consprators.
The right to try TO punish our citizens
or offenses In Turkey has been so often and
IDLY upheld by the successive secretaries Of
tate since contention the subject was
irst broached In 1872 that no diminution OF
'ur claim can be considered at this important