Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-25
THEY FEASTED ON TURKEY
Mir. Cuom Started the Ball and hr. Frye
 Kept lt Moving.
MIR. FRYE ALSO JUMPED ON JOHN BULL
key and Said This Country Ought to Back Her Up Regardless of
 Consequences.

Washington, Jan. 24.-The committee on privileges and elections was given permission to sit during the session of the senate to consider the Dupont cleo ton case from Delaware.
 MT Caffery had the presidents com municaton as to the non-payment of the sugar bounties transferred from the finance committee to the judiciary com mittee and made a statement explana- tory of the questions in dispute. The comptroller of the treasury, he said, in refusing to pay the claim, because ne deemed the1law to be unconstitutional had set up new construction. Never heretofore had a subordinate official Of the government assumed the power to nullify practically an appropriation made by congress.
 The concurrent resolution reported last Wednesday from the committee on for eign relations on the subject of the out rages on the Armenians was laid before the senate and MT. Cullom, republican. of Illinois member of that committee, addressed the senate. He said he was amazed, astounded and appalled, at the brief accounts which he had had of the awful carnival of havoc, destruction and blood which had prevailed for time in a country with which the United States maintained amicable relations. The con current and accumulated testimony of hundreds and thousands of intelligent people, Christian and Jew, Catholic and protestant. European and American, made 1t absolutely certain that massa- ere of innocents, unparalleled for ages, had been ~perpetrated In the Armenian province of Turkey. Fire and sword had swept away, over many square miles of the territory the last vestige of Arme- nian life, and in over 200 villages the demon of damnatiOn and fanatical hate had spread ruin. desolation and death The English government had a direct obligation resting on 1t to protect the Armenians and yet nothing had been done by 1t, nor by any of the other pow ers looking to the enforcement of their treaty obligations beyond mere diplo- matic correspondence between them and the sultan. It had, therefore, seemed to the committee on foreign relations that 1t could do nothing less than appeal to the powers to carry out their pledges. as 1t did in the concurrent resolution.
 As to the right of the United States to protect It's own citizens everywhere, no odds were asked for any nation on earth. MT. Cullom quoted from a speech of Daniel Webster these words: "There is something among men more capable of shaking despotic power than the light ming, the .whirlwind, the earthquake. and - this is the excited and aroused indigna- tion of the whole civilized world" and he added that he knew of nothing which had happened in the world for centuries that more called for interference than these slaughters of Armenian Christians.
 Mr. Blanchard, democrat, of Louisiana, expressed his joy that the committee on foreign relations had at last reported a resolution giving Expression to the ab- horrence felt by thu American people at the atrocities perpe 'ated on the Chris tian inhabitants of Thrkish Armenia. He favored that resolution although, per haps. it did not go far enough.
 MT. Frye, who is second on the commit- tee on foreign relations, took exception to MT. Blanchard's remark about that committee having "at last" reported the resolution. He said that at the last ses- sion of congress the committee on for eign relations had given hearing to two missionaries to Turkey, both of whom he knew personally, and one of whom was a resident of his own city. They had stated the grievances. the troubles, the maSSacres and their fears. They had been asked what was the rem edy. and they had told the committee that if consulates were established at -Grzeroum and Harpoot the troubles would cease. because the eye of America would be on that section of the country. In less than week after that the committee on foreign relations had reported an amendment to the consular and diplomatic appropriation bill, pro- viding for these two consuates, and 1t had become law. The Turkish. govern ment, however, had refused exequaturs to the two consuls sent from the United States. He did not know what the execu- tive department had done as to that re- fusal, or whether it could do anything. But it seemed to him that some pressure ought to be brought to bear. If that con- sulate had been established at Harpoot, and if a consulate building had been pro- vided and an American flag raised on it. more than 10000 lives would have been saved there, as one of the most terrible massacres had taken place at that point. The people of the United States. he said, had planted in Turkey over $6,000, 900 for one single purpose-that they might bet ter and improve the condition of the peo- pie of Turkey. They had erected there fine college, and this college had been maintained by American money. They had educated thousands and hundreds of thousands of Turks or Armenians who were subjects of Turkey. It had been work of wonderful beneficence, and had had marvellous success And yet today that work was absolutely stopped. and American capital was held up.
 The American colleges at Harpoot were burned down and the Americans themselves were compelled to flee for their lives. 'T do not know" he said. s'how far the United States of America can interfere In Turkey. I am in favor of this resolution as an expression of our opinion upon these awful tragedies. But if 1 had my way (after these powers or Europe had waited now solid year, looking each other in the face with sus- picious eyes and fearing each to make a move, lest the other should receive a benefit from it) would have congress memorabilia Russia >and say to her: Take Armenia in your possession; pro- tect the lives of those Christians there and the United States will stand behind you with all its power.,s (Applause in the galleries.) I do not love Great Britain particularly and could not give my as- sent to the marvellous euiogies upon Great Britain delivered here day before yesterday l say that from the time that