The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-28
JUST A PLAIN REQUEST TO THE POWERS

resolution because it meant nothing
mere buncombe.
McCreary CD of Kentucky raised
point of order against Hepburn's amend
ment. Hepburn, speaking to the point of
order. stated that his amendment was in
tended to emphasize the opinion of Con-
gress regarding the outrages being per-
petrated in Turkey. The resolutions be-
fore the House, said Hepburn, were abso-
luteIy meaningless, and according to the
gentleman from Kentucky it was only the
barest possibility that anything could be
accomplished by them
Adams (R.) of Pennsylvania-In case
you send the Turkish Minister home, who
will take care of the American citizens in
that country?
Hepburn-The gentleman is proceeding
upon an error in asking that question,
which was manifest in a previous state
ment. Such an action is not declara-
tion of war on the part of the United
States whatever might be the action of
the nation deem ing itself to be offended.
Quigg, responding to Hepburn's re-
marks, said that handing the Turkish
Minister'S passports to him would not
hurt Turkey-the United States would be
the real sufferer. Turkey did not care for
the United States, but the moment the
Turkish Minister leaves Washington the
American Minister and nine United States
Consuls in Turkey and Asia Minor will
leave Constantinople, and the lives of 900
American citizens, together with all the
property OF the missionaries now held
back from injury and destruction by the
presence of these representatives of the
Government, will be exposed to all the
dangers OF other unprotected residents and
property in that country.
Hepburns amendment was rejected
121 to 19-and the author could secure but
fourteen representatives., an insufficient
number, to support his request for vote
by ayes and noes.
Turner I'D OF Georgia made an earnest
and vigorous protest against the adoption
of the resolutions before the House. He
said that they involved a radical departure
from the previous constitutional policy of
the Government. This arose from what
he called Christian clamor against Tur-
key, clamor against which the best of
US, he said, would scarcely be able to
stand. The action outlined in the resolu-
tions was an impertinence and violation
of the comfy that should exist between
nations.
1.-The powers that signed the Berlin
treaty." said Turner, "are Christian ma
tions as well as we. Shall we arrogate
to ourselves such superiority of Chris
tian piety that we must tell them what
to do?''
The resolutions were a violation of
Washington's warning against engaging
in entangling alliances with foreign pow
= -
gress to approve and support The Presi-
dent in any step he might take to carry
them into effect. How far was that from
declaration of WARP
The United States, he declared, had no
grievance, as Nation, against Turkey.
On the other hand, he asserted, because of
her prompt promise to Minister Terrell to
pay for property destroyed, we were under
obligations for special and particular pro-
lection accorded to our citizens in that
country. The plea OF interference on the
ground of humanity would not Justify this
Government in assuming the attitude out
lined in the resolutions. The question of
Armenian protection was one for other
nations. The attempt to interfere therein
involved both an impertinence and an en-
rangling alliance. Congress, in the opinion
Department to make through the usual
diplomatic channels the protest against
the attacks against the Armenians in the
name of hum anity.
The resolutions were further debated by
McCreary Cd )fof Kentucky, Mahany (R.)
of New York and Taft (R.) of Ohio, the
latter of whom offered the following
amendment:
rt-.
fastens upon the six Christian powers above
named the responsibility of the continuance
of the butchery of Armenian Christians; that
the spectacle of these six leading Christian
powers permitting the murder of Christians
who, by treaty stipulations, were placed under
their special care, is humiliating to the last de-
gree and discredits the Christian religion
throughout the world.
ResoEued, That the one of the signatory powers
that first takes action under the Berlin treaty
to prevent further butehery of defenseless
Armenian Christians, will receive the grateful
recognition, not only of the American citizens,
but OF the entire civilized world.
Grosvenor (R.) of Ohio said the present
condition of the subject, a most lnconsist-
ent and ridiculous one for any legislative
body to occupy, was due to shuddering,
shlverlng cowardice of the body, to speak
the sentiments of the American people re-
garding the unspeakable outrages perpe-
trated in Turkey. Why, he asked, should
the United States fail to speak2 He criti-
cized the Committee on Foreign Affairs
for putting the resolutions IN the form
presented. The pream BILE should make a
dennlte charge that somebody has been
outraged, abused or killed in order to JUS
tify the text of the resolution Why not
protest to Turkey direct for a cessation of
the outrages, if they are of such serious
nature as to warrant us in calling on the |
signatory powers to enforce the provisions
of the Berlin treaty?
Grosvenor said that the argument made
by Adams (R.) of Pennsylvania and
Quigg (R.) OF New York, representing the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, in response
to the suggestion of Hepburn, W as that
because Turkey had possession of hos
tages upon whom she might retaliate in
case the United States sent Mavroyeni
Bey home, we should sink our manhood
our independence and seem contemp.ible
before the world. If there had been
single American citizen iniured in bis