New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-18
the men drafted from the 9TH Artillery Regiment
OF which the Duke Is colonel
WILL RUSSIA OCCUPY ASIA MiNo"'
AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT IN THE CoMMoNs-inH
AsI OIL, TILE REV MR. KNAPP

WILL. RUSSIA OCCUPY ASIA MINOR?
-, opr,cr,, STATEMENT IN THE CoMMONs-THE
CASE OF THE REV. MR.. KNAPP
London Feb i7-George " Curzon, Under sec
retarv for Foreign Affairs said in the hous VI
Commons to-day that the Government nav Nv
knowledge that Russia had been invited to occupy
and no,ice the Turkish territory Of Asia Minor oucn
an ac, on the part OF Russia without the assent ~
the Powers he SAID would be a Vioia'io" Vi '"e
exh ting treaties. .
"a, stantInople. Feb 1.-THE Porte has agreed 70
connlv with the request made by United STATES
Minister Terrell to suspend action In the case u
Mr. Knapp the American msscnary whose arrss ~
was attempted recently at arriye in Con.tan inop.e
Mr. Knapp. with his wife and three otner WoWea,
viii leave B!tis for this city as soon as tne
permits.
The Under Secretary for Foreign Ana'rs might
have added that a communication informing Rus
sla that her occupation OF Armenia wouid not NC
objected to by the Powers was not warranted or
AZ all necessary The 81. Petersburg Government
does not want 10 launch itself into any foreign
enterprise especially Of such an international
and delicate nature the occupation Oh AImehia'
on the eve Of the coronation Of the Gar which IS
to take place next May. Moreover. the European
chancellerles though they did cause their off,
clal or semi-offcal organs to proclaim IL, nave
always BEEN aware OF the real motives which ex-
plain the apparently strange policy followed by
Russia in regard to the Armenian question 1t was
generally expected at first. that Muscovte SYM
pa HES would be practically asserted In iaXor Oh
an oppressed people. who Ike themselves peioi,xsa
TO the orthodox creed. But these sympathies were
satisfied with making platonc ana verpal ae,iiot a.,
STATIONS against the excuses or 1urklsh , Iu a.
Asia Minor and this for two reasons me 81.
Petersburg Government could not insist on .nc
granting by Turkey Of liberal institutions 10 tne
Armcnlans for IT feared that the Armenian prov,
lnces formerly annexed to Russia Would ueihanu
similar privileges on the other hand and THIS was
the principal reason for Russian diplomatic inacton,
III violent attitude OF the Armenian committee a.
ConstantInope caused the Muscovite cioEerhHIent
to consider the oppressed patriots of Asa Minor as
50 many revolutionsts. who were not 10 pe en-
couraced An Armenian banker In Constantinopie,
Mr. Karaguezan. was recently summoned " M
committee TO deposit 900 Turkish liyres IN the Otto
man Bank TO the order or member Oh tne I'm IN,
mItteo Mr. Karaguezian deposited the money p,'e
informed tho notice OF the fact. This action was
known and young man stabbed ana HlI,ed n INN
Two days later when the banker was aightns
from his carriage his door. This murder was tne
twelfth one committed by the order OF the secret
revolutionary Junta since the beginning o, e ,te
armenlan troubles: and the Russian Government
r tainted hv the Nihillst spectre. has felt little
dlsposed to assist the Arfnehldns, rnyir -.
wrongly considered a the adopts or revolutionary
doctrines.