Evening star., 1896-10-26
CRISIS IN THE EAST
Turkey Preparing to Increase Her
Military Strength.
EVASIVE REPLY TO THE POWERS
Varying Accounts Of the Late Ar
menian Massacre.
WHENCE THE ORDERS CAME
Copyright, 1896, by the Associated Press.)

Copyright, 1896, by the Associated Press)
C0NSTANTINOPLE, October 49, via
Sofia, Bulgaria, October 26-The report
that trouble Of a serious nature is brewing
here has so often been sent out that any
fresh announcement to that effect is looked
upon as having little or no foundation in
fact. But, in spite of this, it is but right
to state once more that everything points
to further and very serious trouble prepar-
ing on all sides throughout the Turkish
empire.
The ball was set rolling on Wednesday
last. when the sultan signed two trades,
which were issued the next day, levying
a poll tax of five piastres per head on all
Mussulmans and increasing the taxes on
sheep. public works and education by 1 to
1A per cent. the funds so raised to be de-
voted to military purposes.
This caused the representatives of the
powers to send a collective note to the
porte couched In the strongest language,
calling attention to the danger that the
arming of the Mussulmans was certain to
create and pointing out generally the crit
lcal situation Of affairs In the Turkish
empire. But large purchases Of arms have
already been made and the danger increases
hourly.
The porte today sent a reply to the COL
lectfve note Of the ambassadors AS ususL.
however, 1t was all evasive answer and in
substance simply stated that the money de-
r.ved from the additional taxes was only
intended to complete the armament Of the
mustahfuz, or landstrum, the third and
last class OF Turkish army reserves, and
10 strengthen the armament of the other
land forces of the sultan, which consist of
the nizam, or regular army, and its active
reserve, the redif. or landwehr, and the
musIan1uz, i already referred to. Conscripts
IN h.
-FOUR with the colors and two in the re-
serve; they then serve eight years in the
redif. four in the first class and four in
the second. Then they complete their
twenty years service by serving six wears
In the mustahfuz.
A Grave Situation.
The action Of the Turkish government in
competing the armament Of the Mustahfuz
1nclcates that the empire is facing a sit
uation which may necessitate calling forth
all the military forces at its disposal. and
1t also indicates that the situation is tho
gravest since the Russo-Turkish war. I'm
Ger these circumstances 1t is but natural
that considerable uneasiness prevails OF
course. there is always In view the proba-
plllty at least that the sultan by these
movements Is simply seeking to detract
the attention of his subjects from the act
ual state OF affairs, brought about by his
decentralization, and that seeing that
the powers are really in earnest and that
an understanding between Russia France
and Great Britain means decisive action.
he Is by these ornaments practically
threatening wholesale massacre of the
Christians and announcing that Turkey
will resist to the utmost any attempt at
armed coercion.
Happily there is one feature Of the crisis
which has a soothing influence upon Abdul
Hamid. This is the financial situation.
1t Is about as bad as it possibly can be.
All negotiations upon the part IL the Turk
ish government for a temporary loan have
failed, and the condition of the treasury Is
one of utter helplessness. On top of this
the price Of bread has risen 40 per cent,
and bids fair to rise still higher as the
price OF wheat goes up. This has decided
ly aggravated the prevailing distress and
Its consequent discomfort. The police con-
ttnue making arrests and it is understood
that many more bombs have been found.
Recent Massacre.
In Armenia the greatest apprehension
exists. The echoes Of the recent massacre
In the city Of Egin are just reaching here,
in spite Of the efforts made by the porte
to suppress anything but the official news.
The Armenian reports say that 1900 Ar
menians were killed at Egin, SO far as
known; that no Turks were killed; that
LOCO houses were burned, leaving only $50
houses standing for the Christian popula-
tiop, and that the women and children
were huddled together in the school houses
and in some of the remaining buildings,
bereaved, destitute and hungry to such an
extent that even the governor general tele-
graphed that they were in need OF food.
The official account Of the affair is that
the Armenians remained in the church Sun
day and Monday 50 long as to excite sus-
picion, and that the government represen-
tatives sent officials to investigate These
officials are said to have found that the
Armenians gathered in the church had
placed a rope around the neck of the repre-
fixyo ~ fhn rfo Nd
were dragging him around the church and
shouting: why did you not allow us to
make disturbance before?"
The Turkish Account.
The Turkish officials further claim that
the shot fired on Tuesday, September ii,
which precipitated the massacre. was fired
by Kassab Manvog, a prominent Armenian.
and that the Armenians issued from their
church, armed with 500 rifles and with
bombs bearing the name of their deposed
patriarch, Izmirlian, and marched to the
upper part Of the town, where they met
the soldiers who were returning from driv
ing off the Kurds. Still, according to the
official version Of the affair, the Armenians
thereupon fired upon the soldiers and killed
several Of them.
This, the Turks say, led to reprisals.
The Turkish version of the massacre
passes with the Turkish population, gener-
recently arrived here from Egin, stated to
the correspondent that he saw no fault in
the Armenians there, and he added that
some very prominent Turks of Kharput
have said to Christians there:
'If the powers take no notice Of what
has been done in Egtn. we shall know that
we can do what we please to the Chris
tians, and this will finish you."
Orders for the Massacre.
Whichever version of the massacre at
Egin is true, there is no doubt that the eff
feet of the slaughter, plundering and burn
ing Is very serious It is claimed in GER
tain quarters that 1t shows a settled pur-
pose to exterminate the Christians, in spite
Of the clustering Of the powers, and it is
generally admitted that the orders for the
massacre came from the palace Of Sultan
Abdul Hamid, as did the orders for the
massacres in the streets Of Constantinople,
and 1t Ia believed that the end Is not yet
for when the heavy SHOWS are on the
ground and the escape of the unfortunate
Armenians Is almost impossible and when
the telegraph wires are down and the roads
impossible there Is the opportunity of the
Turk to do his butchering, with the knowl-
edge that the news will not reach Europe
or America until the massacres are prac-
lxy Inc, ~