The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-01-28
RESOLUTIONS PASSED
The House Endorsed the Sentiments
Of the Senate.
ATTENTION OF EUROPEAN POWERS
Strongly Called to Conditions Pre-
yailing In Armenia.
THE DISCUSSION MAS WARN.
and 1t Was Proposed to Sever Rsla-
uons with Turkey. But Resolu-
tton Was Defeated.

Washington. January 27-The house to-
u"s' AFTER an interesting four hour de-
bate, adopted the resolution passed by
the senate last week calling on the powers
signatory of the treaty of Berlin to en-
force the reforms In Turkey guaranteed
TO the Christian Armenians and pledging
the support of congress to the president
in the most vigorous action he might
take for the protection of American citi-
zens Ill Turkey.
The house committee had prepared some
| resolutions on the same subject but il
| was deemed advisable to substitute those
prepared by the senate committee.
MI. teuigg in charge of the bin, made
an able presentation of the case. but there
! was a disposition on the part of some of
the members TO go further than the reso-
lutions did and Mr.. Hepburn of Iowa pro-
posed to give tho Turkish minister his
passports and sever all diplomatic re-
lations with Turkey. His remarks de-
nouncing the Turkey outrages and charg-
ing that the powers signatory to the
treaty of Berlin were actuated by political
and other considerations In maintaining
the balance of power In Eastern Europe.
were received with great enthusiasm and
at one time 1t looked as n the .house might
be carried to his way of thinking. but the
counsels Of Mr.. Hit not to take rash ac-
ton In the course of which he pointed
out the dire consequences that might re-
suit from the severance of diplomatic
relations with n friendly power that had
| fulfilled her treaty obligations to u.s. pre-
| vailed and the Hepburn proposition was
| Overwhelmingly defeated
| Mr.. Bailey opposed this resolution en-
| the ground that 1t would be improper for
| us to 'ins,lt" the parties to the treaty
| of Berlin by !ntimating that they had not
| carried out their obligations.
| Mr. Turner OF Georgia took similar
| view and Mr.. Grosvcnor Of Ohio char
| acterlyed the resolutions as incomplete.
! inefficient and unworthy" and requested
| the committee to withdraw them. They
| were finally passed. however, by vote
| Of AZ to 26. after n motion Of Mr.. Bailey To
| send them to the committee had been
| defeated-55 to 1903
In the house today n bill was passed on
motion of Mr.. Towne (Rep., MIMI 10
amend the act Of 1890 for the relief and
civilization OF the Chippewas so az TO
Permit the secretary or the interior III
his discretion to sell the lands in their
reservations in blocks of 100000 acres or
less, Some i00o,oOo acres are TO be sou
under an act OF 1889.
When the passage of the senate Armenl-
an resolution was announced, Mr., QulGg
Rep., n. ". a member " the foreign
affairs committee, moved that the senate
resolution be submitted for that OF the
house He explained that the difference
between tine resolutions was so slifht mat
it was not advisable in view of the pas
sage Of the senate resolution to press The
one prepared by the house committee. lie
made q brief statement of the facts, which
called upon congress to express its IN
dignation at the situation in Asia Minor.
Our interest was purely humane. Al
though the newspaper accounts OCCASION
ally reported atrocities on American ci'i-
Zens there were assurances from ire
State department that no citizen Fau
suffered in their persons.
Our duty was, therefore, one of numan-
ity and 1t was a matter of profound srlef.
he said that the American people were
now forced to protest to those who nad
given bonds for the good behavior OF the
Turk II was not necessary for us. ne
said to inquire into the motives which
nttuated n European purpose which de-
cried the outrage in Turkey with one nani
and upheld the sultan with the other
with the jealousies and political machina-
tions of Europe we were not interested,
hut since European powers in the name
of good government and humanity had
pledged the sultan--and he had ,cknowi-
edged the pledge-that liberty ana con-
science and freedom of worship should
and that Christians should be protected
from the Kurds, we had the right TO sum
mon those powers before the high court OF
good faith to explain why they rested ldiy
and supinely inactive while 10000 Chris
tian homes were destroyed; while men
and women were murdered, women dis
honcred and children sold into bondage
because they refused to cry out that
Mahomct was the great prophet lie
characterized the. Armenians as noble
and intelligent race who had for 800 years
preserved their language and National
characteristics and had resisted the cHort
to Russian them.
Mr.. Quigg intimated a belle: that the
main responsibility lay with Great Brit
ain and said he wanted the European
powers TO know we we're watching with
horror the helpless struggle OF a peopia
who had for ten centuries retained their
religion and who were suffering not only
for what they did, but for what they
thought. The offenses against them, he
declared, was an offepse against Christian
civilization.
II will not say" concluded Mr.. Quigg.
"whoss duty II Is to stop these outrages.
But / submit to the serious judgment OF
the American people that the time has
gone by when one Christian country can
close It's eyes to such outrages and sol
emnly aver, I am not my brothers Keep
err Applause)
These resolutions will probably be mad
equate bat II they have the effect of show
ing to the parties Of the treaty OF Berlin
that the American people are Watching
their direlection, the protest and warning
II conveys may serve"
In reply TO a question OF Mr., Mahon
tRep., Pa) Mr., Quigg said that no Amer
lean citizen had suffered personal injury.
The death OF the bicyclist who was muir
dered was not the result of religious
fanatioism. As for the property OF 1.-The
American college. that had been destroyed.
Mr. Qulgg said. before Turkey fully real
lied her obligation.
Mr.. Sayers Dem.. Teaas) asked whether
there had been any neglect on the part
of the American minister. to which Mr.,
ouigg replied that the information from