The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-28
review OF THE SITUATION
An Unbiased Glance at the Affairs
in Turkey.
CAUSE OF THE BUTCHERIEs
plundcr Seems to Have Been the Msin
Objcct-Many Armenians Arc Protected
by Turks-Thousands Of Survivors
Arc In Destitute Circumstances.

Constantinople, Nov. 15.-The follow
Ing matter has been handed to the
European manager Of the United Press,
who is now In Constantinople. The lat
ter from full confidence In the Ameri-
can Christian men who present 1t and
from careful personal observation, Is
able to forward 1t to the American
press as an impartial statement Of
facts. The statement has the full en-
dorsement of Minister Terrell.
During the month Of October a con-
siderable part Of the Armenian districts
In the provinces of Trebizond, Erzer-
oum, Bitlis, Van, Harput, Diarbekir
and Sivas has been laid waste and
number not yet full known Of the Ar
menian inhabitants have been killed
by men intent on crushing into impo-
tence the Armenian race in Turkey. AS
the awful tidings have come in by drib-
let's. the Turkish government has dill
gently telegraphed abroad in regard
to each place that Armenians had at
tackled Moslems, thus arousing frenzy
OF indignation which could not easily be
controlled, but that order had been re-
stored after some loss Of life. The effect
of these telegrams has been to culti-
vate the belief that there has been some
general rising Of Armenians and that
we are in the presence of calamity
which is merely the result of lawless
proceedings on the part OF the Ar
menians themselves.
Natural indignation with the Arme-
mans for rising at the very moment
when the reform scheme was about to
be put in operation, may be moderated
when it Is known that up to this date
the only authentic rising of Armenians
has taken place at Zeitoun, In the pro-
vince of Aleppo, and far from the scene
Of the massacres. Moreover, such cases
offer opportunity for examination, sew
eral circumstances cited In the Turkish
dispatches as causes Of the bloodshed
have been proved to have been incidents
and not causes of the massacres. Men
who found themselves assailed by the
mob and happened to have arms In their
houses, in a number Of cases defended
their lives and their families to the last.
At Diarbekir, where the Christians are
generally armed, they made q hard
fight for life and some 1,5Oo Moslems
are said to have been killed. But aside
from this one case, the destruction OF
from ten to fifteen thousand Christians
has not cost the Turks more than two
or three hundred lives.
PLUMBER tho Main Object.
It is not within the purpose Of this
paper to enter upon the question of the
responsibility for these massacres
mainly confined to the six provinces es-
pecially mentioned, In the reform
scheme, SO empty and so painfully
wrung from the porte. But II the OBJ
ject OF the originatofs Of this massacre
were sensibly to diminish the Armenian
population of these provinces. the main
object Of the men who did the work was
plumber Many thousands who must
have perished, had the attack been a
blind outburst of fanatical fury, es-
capped because 1t was an artificial move
ment. where cupidity was the chief mo-
tive used to induce men to engage In 1t.
And to the honor Of the Turkish people
be 1t said, that in every one Of the places
so far heard from in detail, cases oc-
Cured where Moslems sheltered Arme-
mans and saved them from death. Near
Trebizonde they saved an entire vii
lage.
But the very fact that plunder was
the chief interest with the men engaged
in this crime, makes the position of the
survivors most precarious.
A very low estimate Of the number
thus reduced to absolute want by the
loss of all their movable property Is
200, 900 souls, of whom three -fourths are
the wives and children Of the ruined
traders or farmers.
people gives the following elements of
their desperate condition. all trade Is
broken w. All agriculture In the de-
vastated districts is blotted out, for the
stock has, been carried of. and the
implements generally burned. All the
poor semblance of manufacturing in
dustries in these districts have been
wiped out. At least, In numbers of
cases, the rufiians took delight in de-
stroying machinery which they could
not use or carry away to sell. Thous-
ands Of houses and shops have been
burned. Every house or shop plumb
cred was utterly emptied.
American Missions Piliseed.
Boston, Nov. N.-This evening Rev.
Judson Smith, d. D., secretary Of the
foreign department Of the American
board, received q cablegram from Rep
resentatives Of the board In Constantl-
nople via Phillipopolis az follows:
The reports from Marash have been
intercepted. We now learn indirectly
of q. horrible massacre there. The
school buildings Of the American board
were pillaged and the seminary was
burned. Two students were shot, one
was killed. The missionaries are safe.
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