The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-10

the direction of eXpelling all Protestant
and Asiatic missionaries, and the
agents of the American Red Cross So
ciety from Armenia.
There are several reasons given for
this movement, but the affair may be
summed up in the statement that there
is no doubt that
RUSSIA AND TURKEY
are alarmed at the effect of the work
of missionaries in Armenia and else
where, and that it has practically been
decided that they are to be expelled
under some excuse or other in order to
make way for priests OF the Russian
church. This is believed to be the
basis of the understanding Tor secret
treaty. arrived at between Russia and
Turkey when the fleets of the powers
had assembled in the bay of Salonica
and the question of coercing Turkey by
a display of naval strength before Con-
stantinople had been almost decided
upon. According to the explanations
furnished here of the sultans present
attitude towards the missionaries, the
threatening attitude of the powers at
that time threw Turkey into the arms
of Russia and the latter, after dictat-
ing her terms, caused the breakup OF
the European combine against the
Turkish empire by refusing to take
part in any such demonstration and
by threatening to protect the sultan by
force of arms if necessary. Hence the
assembling of the Russian Black Sea
squadron in readiness for immediate
action and the gathering of the Rus
sian army corps on the frontier of
ASIATIC TURKEY.
Russia, it is now asserted, cleverly
took advantage of the desperation of
the sultan to obtain a virtual pro-
tectorate over Armenia. But such a
step, openly taken, would in all proba-
bility lead to serious trouble. Therefore
it was decided to begin the Russianiz-
ing of Asiatic Turkey by getting rid of
the Protestant and Catholic mission
aries and to substitute priests of the
Russian church. A plausible pretext
however, had to be found for such an
important movement and it was
agreed that the work of the mission
aries should be pointed to as being of
disquieting nature and as likely to
inctte the ArmenianS to rebellion. This
was to be followed by closely watching
the most active of the missionaries and
to prepare the groundwork for charges
a;,ainst them of encouraging the Ar
nlenians to revolt against the sultan's
rule. During the last series of mas
s'acres in Armenia, it was continually
claimed that the uprisings were the
work of the Armenian revolutionary
agents, secretly, however; since the
collapse of the proposed naval demon
Stration, as a result of the secret
agreement arrived at between Turkey
| and Russia, it has been Whispered"
in the right quarters that the mis-
sionaries were at the back of the revo-
In TO-. hot 70 ton
aries should be traced the
REAL CAUSE OF THE UPRISING,
and that upon them should fall the
blame for the bloodshed by the Turks
in ''suppressing disorders"
Such an agreement is classed as be-
ing well worthy of Turkish diplomacy
and eastern cunning in general, and it
could not fail to excite the Turks
against the missionaries
Finally, it was decided to begin with
the Rev. Knapp, who has probably
been the most jealous of all the active
workers in the cause of Christianity in
Asiatic Turkey, and he was eventually
openly charged with melting the Ar
menians of Bitlis to revolt, and was to
have been tried by the local court
there on the charge of high treason.
People familiar with the methods of
! tne IurkS nave not the SilSnteSt uouDt
that the American missionary would
have been found guilty and that al
! legged proof would have been furnished
not only of his guilt, but of the guilt
of the missionaries as a body. Here it
was that the United States minister
interfered, and the hand of the Turk
was stayed for while. But as now
clearly shown, Mr.. Knapp is being ex-
PEELED from Asiatic Turkey, and no
body here doubts that this is the first
of series Of such explosions, which
will end in driving all of the American,
British and French missionaries out
of Turkey at the instance of Russia
and in accordance with the latter's pol
icy elf beginning the Outstanding of
Asiatic Turkey.