Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1896-10-03
ARMENIAN
Refugees In Large Numbers
Are At Marseilles, And
Are Coming Here.
THEY ARE NOTPAUPERS
But An Industrious Glass Of
People Who Have Been Dis
gracefully Treated.

MARsEILLEs, Sept. 30-There exists
a condition Of affairs in this city at
present which seems to be q disgrace to
Europe and the Armenian associations
generally throughout the world. Sub
slstlng upon government, municipal or
private charity, here are 500 unfortunate
Armenians, men, women and children,
young and old, healthy and sick, who
have succeeded in escaping from the
bloody massscres at Constantinop;e and
who were one and all buoyea up by the
hope of being able eventually to reach
the land of freedom, the United States.
Three weeks have already elapsed and
nothing definite appears to have been
done for their relief, much less toward
finding them homes, by any OF the many
associations for the relief Of the suffer-
ing Armenlans which have been organ
lied IN England and America. These
unfortunates, however, seem to be the
very class to which the hand Of charity
should be first extended. They are
homeless, nearly all pennIless, many en-
during the psngs Of hunger. and yet nov
body seems willing to step in and guide
this band OF refugees to some place
where they can began life anew and un-
der more promising circumstances.
Large amounts of money have been
raised IN the past for the Armeniabs in
Armenia, but the situation of tina latter
Is not whit worse than the half starv-
ing people here, il as bad. The Armen-
isns certainly had their co-rsligionists
and fellow-countrymen to fsll back up-
on. The poor people here seem to have
no friends in the wide world, yet they
are as honest and industrious a GLASS az
you can find op the shores Of the Medi-
terranean.
Only about eighteen of the 800 Arme-
mans who reached here have as yet been
able to start for the United States.
These few emigrants are Of the better
class OF the Armenians; they are fairly
well supplied with funds and will proba-
bly, stsrt for New York via Southamp-
ton. But what is to become Of the re-
naming unfortunate Christians fleeing
from the bloodthirsty Turks, who are
living on charity here with their eyes
turned lougingly towards the United
States? 1t would seem that these reo-
pie may be barred from reaching the
United States, and they may be forbid
den TO land there even If they succeed
In obtaining transportation to the shores
of North America. Surely il ever there
was q case in which iron rules, nscss-
sary, no doubt, might be RELAXED, it is,
in the case Of these stricken people, hy-
ing from the butchsries that have pre-
vailed in their own land.
New YORK, Sept. 30-Offcials OF the
Armenian societies In this city do not
believe that the United States will be
any less lees hospitable in receiving i'm
miRrant Armenians than the countries
OF Europe, which received them with
open arms. j. j. Rooney, secretary Of
the Armenian associations Of New York,
and chairman of the executive commit
tee, said today:
81 do not believe there will be any
trouble about the landing of the Arme-
nien refugees in this country on account
of the i'm emigration laws. They are by
no means paupers. As matter of fact,
the Armenisns are a very industrious
race, and / doubt greatly il the Mar
seilles refugees, IN all their distress,
could be classified as paupers. II the
MarseIlles refugees should decide to
would not be barred out for any reason.
have come here in the last year or two,
chiefly from the interior districts, and
these bad no difficulty in landing. The
ArmeniaDs in this country, OF whom
there are about IL, 900, many of them be-
ing in the west, make it a point to help
their unfortunate countrymen."