The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-14
THE TURKISH SITUATION.
uoxy the Turks Provoke the Armenians to
re- volt-Effervencenc Agasnst the Sui
tau-No Doubt that Massacres Were
Ordered.

BOSTON, November 13.-Reliable CORE
snondence received in Boston from Con-
tantinople states that the attitude of the
Moslems in Marsh, at the end of October,
was so menacing that the heads of the
Christian sects called together on the
governor, asking special measures of pro-
lection. On Friday, the governor having
Maid no attention to this request, the
Moslems attacked the Christians, wound
ing quite a number and causing general
flight of all parties to their homes. The
heads of the Christians seots then made a
new petition for protection, this time in
writing, ana addressed separately to the
governor and the commander of the
troops. Still nothing was done to check
the Moslems and general assault was
made onthe Christian quarter and large
number of Christians were killed and
wounded. The Armenian bishop and the
Armenian Catholic bishop and the
protestant pastor, sent collective tele-
going on and begging for something to
be done to stop it. The Turks say that
the reason of the massacre IN the assassi-
nation OF four police by the people at
Zeitoun, twenty miles from Marsh. The
worst of it is that the Sultan and Pashas
all consider this crime in another place as
sufficient to Justify the massacre in
Marash. There is not doubt that the
massacre was ordered from here. The
tone Of remark among the staff at the
Sultan's palace has been all along that
the Armenians shall be killed before the
reforms can be executed. Nothing has
been done in any one lpace to punish the
criminals, but In all the places where the
massacres have occurred great numbers
of Armenians have been arrested as
though those who escaped had committed
crime in escaping. You must not believe
one of the stories that are sent out by the
Turks about coDvicts at these places
where massScres occur. No conflict
occurs. There may be in some cases a
reason in the conduct of Armenians else
where for indignation, but in every case
SO far when a massacre occurs is a cold
blooded deliberate affair, gotten up
separately from any alleged cause. Unless
the Powers intervene sharply in a way
that will compel the sultan to order the
massacre to case, there is no knowing
where to the matter will grow. The
most infamous falSehood as to attacks of
ArmenIalS upon IurK1Sn women anu
children are being diligently circulated
in the city and in the country in order to
fire the hearts of the Muslims and the
government is openly arming or favoring
the arming of the Muslin populace,
while searching Armenians to take away
even their jack knives lest some Muslin
should be hurt when the massacre is
undertaken. At Adabazar the police
have adopted the original and thoroughly
Turkish way of stirring the Armenians
TO revolt, of stopping women in the
streets and feeling over their persons
under pretense of searching for arms.
Meantime the effervescence here against
the Sultan is taking more form. There
was some revolt of the Albanian body
guard of the Sultan, and q fight of some
Importance in the palace grounds A
mem her of the Muslin patriotic commit
tee attempted to kill the minister OF
marine They had previously ordered him
to resign on pain of death. 1t is said that
the minister was only wounded, but it is
very hard to get accurate information OF
any of these things. The situation is go
ing to be worse before it is better, and il
our government has any ships to spare il
ought to send one to Beyrout, one tC
Smyrna, leaving at Alenaxdretta the
Marblehead now there, one to this city,
and if possible one to the Black Sea
coast. This is a large order. but it is a
burning shame for America to be repre-
sented by words alone in the midst Of
such infamous crimes as there are being
enacted in this country.