The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-29
STARVING AND PENNILEsS.
Pitiable Condition of Armenian Ref
ugees Escaped From Armenia

ugees Escaped From Armenia
Copyrighted. 1896 by the Associated
Press.)
MarseiIles, Sept. 29.-There exists a.
condition of affairs in this city at pres
ent which seems to be a disgrace to
Europe and to the Armenian associa-
tions generally throughout the world.
Subsisting upon government, municipal
or private charity here are 500 unfor-
tunate Armenian men, women and chill
dren, y1Ing and old, healthy and sick,
who have succeeded in escaping from
the bloody masSacreS at Constantine
pie and who were. one and all buoyed
up by the hope of landing here Of be
ing able eventually to reach the land
of freedom, the United States.
But weeks have already elapsed and
nothing definite appears to have been
done for their relief, much less toward
finding them homes, by any OF the many
associations for the relief of suffering
Armenians which have been organized
in England and America These I'M
fortunates. however, seem to be the
very class to which the hand of charity
should be first extended. They are
homeless, nearly all pennueSS, many
are enduring the pangS OF hunger, and
yet nobody seems willing to step in and
guide this band of refugees to some
place where they can begin life anew
and under more promising circum-
stances. Large amounts of money
have been raised in the past for the
destitute Armenians in Armenia, but
the situation of the latter is not whit
worse than that of the half starving
people here, if as bad.
The Armentans in Armenia certainly
had their cO-religious and fellow-coun
trynen to fall back upon; the poor peO-
pie here seem to have no friends in
this wide world, yet they are as honest
and Industrious class as you can find
on the shores of the Mediterranean
Some South American Spectators, 1t Is
true, taking advantage Of this deplOra-
BILE situation, have prevailed upon 300
others of the Armenian refugees to al
low themselves to be transported to the
Argentine republic there in all prOba-
bility to meet the fate of thousands of
the Hebrews OF Russia. who, thanks to
the philanthropy Of the late Baron
Hirsch, ernigrated to South America
only to find themselves, fguratively
speaking, tossed from the frying pan
into the fire. 1t is true that the eli
mate of Argentine is said to be more
healthful than that of the regions that
the poor Hebrews could settle in, but
the end is likely to be the same in the
case of the Armenian refugees, who are
not a class Of people to thrive in a
roughly founded colony.
Only about Is of the 800 Armenians
who reached here have as yet been
able to start for the United States.
These few emigrants are of the better
class of Armenians. They are fairly
well supplied with funds and will prob
ably start for New York via SOuthamp-
ton. But what is to become of the re-
naming unfortunate Christians who
are fleeing from the blood-stained
Turks who are living on charity here
with their eyes turned longingly toward
the United States. 1t would seem that
these poor people may be barred from
reaching the United States and they
may be forbidden to land there even if
they succeed in obtaining transpOrta-
ton to the shores of North America.
Surely if ever there was case in
which iron rules, necessary, no doubt,
might be relaxed, it is in the case of
these stricken people, flying from the
prosecutions and butcheries that have
prevailed in their own land. There is
material here for the foundation of a
strong Armenian colony, and it would
appear that there must be some spot on
earth where these victims of the blood
thirstiness and misgovernment of Abb
dull Hamnid, sultan of Turkey, who,
according to generally credited reports,
must have caused the massacre of some
$4,000 Christians during the last few
years, can earn an honest living.