The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-01-01

ANY allusion to Armenia upsets me.
am ashamed, excited, indignant when
think of what saw in that country
and Of ihe confidence with which I COO
soled qualing women, weeping mer,
with hopes tina: England would see them
through their difficulties, and the words
of heartfelt thinks they uttered, often
upon their kuees in the fields or on the
hi!lsides and the cbildlike messages of
au.icipasory gratitude which they asked
me to deliye- to the English people now
burn and raokle within me like an
eveuomed wound.
The European powers are playing
farcical representation round the graves
of a Christian people. If conduct
similar to theirs were to be pursued by
an individual iu private life. it would
be visited With social ostracism and
wocld brand him With an indelibe
Gains mark Of infamy. Fancy mans
neighbors paradiug about the doors Of
his house while he aud his children
run frantically from room to room and
from window to window, imploriog
them to save them from the devouring
flames. We have pity on rat if We
hear of it's protracted and hopeless ef-
forts to escape from burning. but men
and women. boys and girls are killed
pecemeal, are laughed as-that is what
it has come to.
The governments Of Europe are
spectacle to make angles weep. They
guard the gates of Turkey. so to say,
eolemnly declaring that whatever may
happen to the Christians, however dia-
bolicaIly they may be tortured to death.
aotbing shall happen to the Turks
they, at any rate, must and will be pre-
served from harm. Is it wonder,
then, that the Turks should set about
fulfilling their threat Of wipiug out
Armenia in Armenian blood Every
one knew that the threat would be full
filed. Consols reported to their gov
ernments that the departure Of the
European delegates from Mousb would
mark the begsnuiug Of the blood bath,
and newspapers gave the prophecy
publicity. Appeals to the public to
;ssist on precautionary measures were
multiplied. and at last mere verbal
warning gave place to uumistakable
signs aud preparations But diplomacy
turned deaf ear (the Asmeniaus are
nobody's kish aud kiu) Were they
Greeks or Bulgariacs, Magars or Servs,
they would have high and powerful
protectors. who tellingly talk of the
primary duty Of protecting brothers and
Christians. Even Abyssiniaus are
brethren, and orthordox when political
calculations come in. But Armenians !!
And so none Of these governments in-
sisted on the execution or even dis
missal of Zekki Pasha and the authors
of the Sassoun savagery. Nay. they
were decorated and honored by the
sultan as an encouragement to others to
60 and do likewise. And now others
have gone out and out IIeroded Herod,
and no one seems shocked People are
only interested to get the latest news of
Sivas or Trezi5ond. or wherever the lat
est massacre has occurred, attheir break
fast table early. Few persons take
even a remote interest in the Armenian
question on the continent, aud those
few are the advocates of Turkey The
Austrian press, said TO be paid by the
Turkish government, iupudently denies
the Sassoun massacre, and accuses the
Armeuiaus of having attempted to
butcher the Kurds and Turks. The
German press is the bearer of the same
kind of culture to its readers, and in
both these countries the public knows
positively nothing about the Armenian
Question. The Russian papers, be-
ginning With the Novoya Vremya,
cracks jokes at the ArueDians, and 10 the
last pumber which I have read, asks:
..Wh7 should We Russians sacrifice
single soldier for the sake of Armenian
bankers and millionaires, who are much
better eff than We are ourselves. to say
nothing of British and American al]i-
gators who have SO cleverly got up the
Armenian comedy p
A couple OF regiments Of soldiers
or Cossacks is what is wanted. They
would set matters right 10 few days.
But even if the whole English.speakiog
neople should rise and demand these,
would it be accomplished