The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-17
fHE BLOODY TURKS.
A e1ossERvA ALIVE ESTIMATE OF
THE RECENT ATROCITIES.
One Hundred and sivt. Thousand
Christians nave Been Mnssncred
Durfng the Last Eighteen Months
And the End is Not Yet.

half 100000 Christians have been
slaughtered by the Turks. This is a
conservative estimate of the total Of
the atrocities instigated by the
wretched monster governing the Otto
man Empire.
In view of this, it becomes a prob
lem to the average mind why the great
powers of Europe, with more than
enough force at their command, allow
the massacres to go on. No one doubts
their ability to knock the sultan off
the throne twenty-four hours after they
have agreed to do it, but every one
knows that the reason the agreement
is nc. arrived at is the fear of gen.
eral European war over the territorial
partition of the Turkish empire. Amer
lean people naturally fail 10 under
stand the force of this obstacle, but in
the intricate game OF European politics
it is the dominating factor, greater than
the rescue of a whole race OF people
from the swords of butchers.
The leading statesmen of Great Brit
ain, France, Germany, Russia, Austria
and Italy, could they come to an agree
uIGlPI DIS " d QlNASlOl VI Lie St-O-i+N-AA
empire would set to work the next
moment 10 depose the sultan and crush
into small pieces the dynasty which has
heaped so much shame upon the close
of the nineteenth century. But thus
agreement is a long distance off. A FEW
of the powers above mentioned want
pretty nearly everything now ruled
over by the Turk, leaving only few
crumbs for the others. Naturally, the
latter refuse to accept these terms,
the others are obdurate, the agreement
hangs fire, and -he massacres go on.
1t is the peculiar distribution OF the
Turkish domain in Europe and ASA
Minor that makes it a most difficult
task to divide it. All of the powers
above named have territory adjacent
to some part OF the Ottoman empire.
and owing to the proximity of one TO
the other, their claims on certain terri
tories conflict.
Russia is the leading obstacle to an
agreement, according to member of
the diplomatic corps having access to
certain information at the foreign office.
1t is we'll known that the cZar ana ms
advisers claim that for the present the
integrity of Turkey is political neces-
sity for the peace of Europe, and that
its disintegration would be the signal
disastrous to life and property than
the massacres in Armenia. The motives
of humanity prompting this claim are
! questioned, for Russia is rapidly
strengthening her navy and army, and
every delay she gains makes her more
formidable and stronger to enforce her
wishes upon the others,
RUSSIA'S GIGANTIC GREED.
AS matter of fact, Russians schem-
ing to obtain the most valuable por-
ton of Turkey in Asia Minor, or fully
two-thirds of the whole of the Ottoman
empire. If her ministers have their
way they will draw a line from the
/ intersection of Persia, Russia and Tur-
key, across Armenia to the Taurus
mountains, marking the northern boun-
Diary of Syria then down to the sea-
port town of Tarsas on the Mediter-
ranean, taking in all that territory
| bounded by the Black sea, the Medit-
erIanean and the Aegean sea.
Not only this, but they want to con-
! trcl the sea of MarElcra, the Darda-
nelle5 and the E'osLlorus, by taking in
slice of European Turkey, including
Constantinople. This would give then
| absolute control of the whole of the
! Black Sea, and afford a waterway
/ through the Bosphorus to the Mediter-
/ ranean.
Russia does not seem to care TO
J Syria and that part of Asiatic Turke-
| running along the Dead sea, and tn
eastern side of Arabia along the Per
sian gulf. Neither have her minister
+, seemed solicitious about European
Turkey, except as before mentioned,
narrow slice of the coast line from tn
Dardanelles to the Bosphorus.
A VALUABLE TERRITORY.
But these selections are of small mo
ment compared with those she doe
want and is plotting for. From tn
Persian line on the east to the Aegea
sea on the west, Asiatic Turkey is som
1000 miles broad, and contains all c
the most fertile cities and province
in addition to the three railroads. On
of these runs from Scutari just oppc
site Constantinople, down to Angors
three hundred miles away Anothe
extends from Smyrna to Adalia, abou
two hundred and fifty miles, while tn
third runs from Alden, half way be
. tween Smyrna and Adalia, up /
Kanahissan, in the interior, distanc
of two hundred miles. All the rest
Asiatic Turkey is in a primitive stat
as far as travelling facilities are cor
cerned.
FRANCE WANTS SYRIA.
France is satisfied that Russia shoul
get what it wants, providing that 81
is given the whole of Syria, bounded G
the north by the Taurus mountains c
the east by the Euphrates river, and c
the south by Arabia, and as much
the territory running along the Re
sea as she can get. This would leaN
!, Mesopotamia between the Euphrat,
and Persia a country sparsely inhal
tied by Arabs, for one of the 9th
powers, perhaps England. Englar
might also get a share of the territol
along the east coast of the Red Sc
and it would be a valuable acquisitit
to her holdings in Egypt and Africa.
That part of European Turkey n
fancied by Russia is wanted by bot
. Austria and Italy, but if they had
divide the territory, neither of the
would agree that Russia should hal
the most valuable part, that runniI
along the Sea of Marmora, and inclu
ing both sides of the BosDhorus al
Constantinople All that Greece e
, poets to get is the island of Crete
Gambia, and that viii very probably
) her share of the spoiis.
Germany has little or no legitima
claim to any of the Turkish territor
but as her ministers are actlnS III co
cert with the Russian statesmen in t
matter, she will certainly get scr
share.
England, with as many natur
| claims as the others, seems to be t
} least considered, and her Isolate
among the great European powers
} accountable for this. Until recent
Italy was about her only friend, a.
now Italy has joined Germany Fran
and Russia, because of the success
} the latter in ending the disastro