Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-02-20
rnn 1RMENlaN naLIrr


Church.
massmeeting under the auspices of
the Armenian Relief Association of
Delaware was held in Delaware Avenue
Baptist Church Monday night. In the
absence of Mayor Jefferis, William X.
Crosby presided. Bishop Coleman,
Chief Justice Lore, E. I. Candy, the
Revs, William p. Swartz, Kensey j.
Hammond, Charles +. Murray, A. r.
Walker. William A. Walling and A. N.
keigwin, were the vice presidents Of
the meeting.
The Rev. J. B. Haggoonie, an
Armenian, made an address, in which
he treated of the history of his people.
He said they were the first TO accept
Christianity as a whole nation. In
speaking of the massaeres he said that
the Sultan knows that they are going
on and does nothing to stop them. He
declared that the foreign powers were
also responsible for the massacres.
Bartan Dilloyan, survivor OF the
massacre at Sassoun, appeared in ma
tive costume and addressed the audi
ence in the Armenian tongue, the Rev.
j. Ii. Haggoonie acting as interpreter.
He said that the families of Armenians
are starving, not because they are not
willing to work, but because they are
robbed.
The Rev. John P. Peters, d. D.,
rector of st. Michae's Episcopal
Church, New York, stated that the
whole trouble is the result of religious
persecution. 1t is evidently the desire
Of the Sultan to get rid of the Ar
menians. In regard TO the naval
demonstration made by the Powers,
DIR. Peters said that the Sultan felt se-
cure in the knowledge that as soon as
one power attempted to interfere the
rest would also begin operations that
would bring about great war What
the people of this country want to do,
he said, is to assist Miss Clara Barton
and the Red Cross Society in carrying
relief, and to insist upon proper respect
to our citizens and their property in
Armenia. This country should urge
the punishment of the Kurds for burn
ing the American College and the
Theological Seminary.
| The meeting adopted the following
resolutions. which were read by Chief
Justice Lore
Whereas, The government Of the
Sultan of Turkey has systematically
deprived the Armenian people Of their
inslienable rights, including those oil
life, liberty and the pursuits of hap
| piness.
Whereas. The Sultan has refused to
carry out his oft-repeated promises to
reform said evils. but has rather in
creased them by giving his assent to
quartering large bodies of troops among
them; to protecting these troops by a
mock from punishment for any
,1.,, ,,,I,, ,l,. .,s1Ntf
to cutting off the trade of Armenia
with all parts of the world; to i'm
posing taxes upon them without their
consent; to taxing the living for the
| dead members of their families; to
transporting the living to distant
| places to be tried for pretended
offences;
"Whereas, The Sultan has practi-
cally abdicated the government in
Armenia by declaring the Armenianf
out of his protection and waging wal
against them;
Whereas, At this moment large
bodies of merceuaries are completing
| the work of death, desolation and
tyranny with circumstances of cruelty
not paraleled in the most barharous
ages and totally unworthy of the head
of what has been regarded as civi.
| lized nation;
"Whereas, He has encouraged the
savage, merciless kurds in their vio-
laton of womanhood irrespective oi
age and condition;
"Whereas, Notwithstanding these op-
| pressions now continuing through many
years the Armenian people have peti.
| toned for redress in the most humble
terms, but their petitions have beer
answered only by repeated injury
"Whereas, Although in 1864 the
| Turkish government signed treaty il
favor of the International Red Crosl
Society, yet would not permit tha
society to perform its work of love apG
mercy during the Turko-Servian war
even when permitted TO change thu
symbol of the society from the cross tC
] tine crescent;
"Whereas, In 1862, at the Red Cros
Convention there was adopted what ha
been known as the American amend
ment, to wit: That the Red Gross
Society should be permitted to ente
any field at any time of national o
international disaster, as well as war
"Whereas. The government of Tur
key has signed this treaty with very
many other nations and is Therefore
under promise with the great power
of the world, among which are hi
United States, to permit the work o
the Red Cross Society to be carried ou
in Armenia; therefore be it
"Resolved, That we, citizens o
Delaware, in massmeeting assembled
express our deepest sympathy for tn
prosecuted nation;
"That we call upon all the people o
whatever race or religion to deman,
that these unutterable sufferings shal
cease;
"That we urge our government to d
everything in its power to preserve tn
fruits of missionary tJil;
'trhat we solemnly and respectfull
urge our government to make ever
possible effort to induce the more tina
30 governments that have signed th
American amendment to the Inter
national Red Cross Treaty, to insie
that these treaty rights shall not b
violated by the Turkish government
and that the American Red Cros
Society, under Miss Clara Barton
shall be granted the full privilege
that were guaranteed in said treaty.
A Cold Day.
| l.. 7