Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-02-19
ARMENIAN MAs.ACREs.
Their beginning. Causes and Results.

Their Beginning, Causes and Results.
The massacres of Armenians at
Sassoun. which were the first to at
tract much notice, began in July, 1894,
though others had been reported over
a year previously. They were not
ordered from Constantinople, but had
their immediate origin in the agitation
set on foot by an Armenian revolution
airy committee abroad. The first
provocation, according to Turkish &C
counts at the time, was Selling a num-
Der of Turks of a village, drenching
their clothes with petroleum and firing
them. Retaliation followed. innocent
people suffering the Vengeance provoke
ed by the revolutionists. who escaped.
The foreign cOnsuls sent to Sassoun to
investigate, report, it is stated, as fol-
lows: The consul (Shipley) estimates
at 900 the number of victims in Sas-
SCUM. He1s compelled to regard the
stories told by the newspapers and
similar stories told elsew1 ere as being
enormously exaggerated, and, in certain,
instances, absolutely invented for the
purpose of adding to the horror.
Nevertheless, Consul Shipley says it is
impossible to doubt that in certain
ravines of the Antock mountains
fugitive villagers were attacked by
soldiers and Kurds and massacred
with savage brutality, regardless of
age or sex.
Consul Shipley remarks that an
agitation subversive of government
authority has proceeded for years
among the Armenians in the Moosh
and Talori regions. This agitation
was instigated by the Armenian com
mittee abroad. It was the failure to
successfully cope with the agitation
that finally exasperated the Turkish
officials.
On the other hand, the government
entirely failed to protect the Armenians
from the constant extortions of the
Kurds and rapacity of the officials.
The Armenians were obliged to pay
tribute to the Kurds to prevent their
cattle stolen, the government never
attempting to prevent such outrages.
The reason for the activity OF the
revolutionary committee at that par
ticular time 1894 was political cal
culation based on (1) the fact that a
liberal ministry was in power in Eng
land, bulgarian atrocities had been
taken up with great viEor by Mr..
Gladstone and the liberals and by
Russia, with the result of freedom for
Bulgaria,) and (2) the fact that the
new Gear Nicholas, just come to the
throne, might be expected to be more
susceptible to atrocities than his father
had heen. The calculation failed as to
Nicholas, who might have interviewed
with success, via the Caucasus, but
succeeded with Gladstone, Rosebery
and others in both parties in England.
Much money was subscribed in Eng
land to push the agitation, and great
pressure was brought to bear upon
public men. Rosebery inaugurated a
policy of interference and pressure
upon the Sultan for certain reforms.
The other five great powers took the
matter less seriously. suspecting po-
litical designs on the part of England,
blaming the revolutionary committee
in London for the atrocities and fear
ing war as a certain result of armed
interference with the Turks. They
agreed, however, to go this far-to
unite with England In demanding re-
forms of administration in Turkey.
Germany would hardly GO SO, far; GER
tainly not farther. Lord Salisbury
foresaw the futil1ty of pretending to
force the Sultan without the concur
renee of the other powers. but in
coming into Office felt bound to push
Rose bery's policy Of reforms to sue
cess. It was plain that for England to
interfere alone meant war and the
killing of hundreds of thousands OF
European soldiers in a general con-
fiiet. Intelligent Armenians saw from
the first that Europe would not in
volve itself in general war to save
Armenia. as Bulgaria was saved, and
the English have, on reflection. seen-
that they could not afford gigantic
war for that purpose. War would fol-
low the effort Of any one or two powers
to land troops-Owing to the Jealousles
of ENGLAND. austria, Russia, sc.
The Armenians (the revolutionary
leaders) desire independence, not sub
lection to either Russia or Turkey
They might prefer russian to Turkish
rule, but they want neither. They
differ in race and religion from both
Turks and Russians. turkish rule is
lighter, as being weaker. 1t is also
less intelligent and perhaps more cor
rupt. There is more hope of freedom
ultimately in the Turkish Empire than
in the Russian. There is no Armenia
the Armenians live among a popu
lation of various races, Kurds, Turks.
SC. They are a commercial race, like
the Jews, and have no one country OF
their own. In the regtQh we call
Armenia the civilization is inferior to
that which exists in the republican
mountain counties of Western West
Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, where
the Hatfield Mccoy feud exists. In
Armenia, however, the feuds are en-
FILTERED by differences of race and re-
ligion. Veracity is not virtue held
in the highest esteem by the popula-
ton there. Their stories are often
evident connections of sensational
character.
Every country has the right to de-
mand independence If it thinks it can
get it. Whether it may resort to force
to get it depends upon the probability
of success. To strike hopelessly is
folly. In this sense 1t was unwise for
the Armenian revolutiOnists to keep
up their agitation for independence
aftesitwas seen that Russia and Gel
many opposed their programme. The
probability of the Armenians, in free
Armenia, dominating the more war
like Kurds and Turks among whom
they live is to be considered. Ii they
are now knocked about, it is not clear
that they would control in an indie
pendent Armenia. Armenian inde-
pendence might be found to profit the
Kurds alone.
The general cause of Armenian dis
content, agitation and atrocities is bad
government The Turkish admins
tration is wretchedly inefficient, I'M
wise and Onnrosaiva where il is at It's
best Among the mountains of Ar
menia, in the presence of savage, un-
subdued Kurds, it is at its worst.
The transfer of Armenia to France,
England or Russia would be blessing
to the people. Everybody must desire
the destruction of Turkish misrule
Armenian independence has our best
wishes. But Europe selfishly prefers
To thu raiyrorsal IN h ich