The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-09
TOUCHES THE POCKET NERVE.

There Is possibility, a probability,
that after all appeals to every other
motive of human action have failed,
while the rulers of Europe have sat
with folded hands and impassive faces,
while the Armenian subjects of the I'M
speakabie Turk have been ruthlessly
slaughtered, while the nerves of pity.
humanity, Indignation have been inert,
relief may come to the Armenians. and
the interposing hands of the powers
intervene between the. sultan and his
victims because the pocket nerve of
European traders is being Jared. That
nerve is always sensitive, however ir-
responsive those may be that serve the
inner springs Of action The man of
trade may read with Indifference the
reports of slaughters and wash his
hands OF all responsibility. 1t is none
of his concern; he does not make
treaties; he is not his brothers keeper.
What are ministers and governments
for If common people must bother their
heads about the affairs ministers and
governments exist to take care of?
But the case takes on very differ
ent aspect to him when its effects are
felt in business. When orders begin
TO fall off and collections slacken there
come into his own private business
disturbances that annoy with threats
of loss and danger If he still thinks
he has no personal responsibility in the
matter, his sense of the responsibility
or his minister of state is quickened.
1t is his business to have this disturber
OF trade made to behave himself. WHY
does he not do it? Is an honest British
tradesman to suffer loss because. for
sooth' Salisbury is afraid to force OBJ
servance of the Berlin treaty? What
are treaties made for if not to be oh
served? Why are we taxed to build
and maintain the biggest and most
costly navy in the world if it cannot
be used to compel the Turk to do what
ne has agreed to? What do we care
II Russia is hostile and secretly TO-
menting the massacres of the Arme
mans? Is the lion afraid of the bearq
AND when the British merchant, re-
sponsive to the touch of his pocket
nerve, gets to asking these questions
and to intimating to the premier that
he had better be up and doing .
force is brought to bear that no prime
minister yet has cared to affront with
his opposition.
That the Armenian affair has
reached commercial and financial cir
Giles through the nerve that connects
the pocket with the brain is evident
from many sources. One of these ia
the editorials in Commerce" the or
gan of the London chamber of COM
merce. After commenting on the indif-
ference shown by the powers to an
peals to their humanity, religious and
every other feeling, illustrating s'the
utter inefticiency of all the so-calIed
moral forces when brought into COLI
sion with selfishness, whether of indi-
Tiduals or Of governments" he says:
It just occurs to me that nv own subtect
FINANCE. may succeed where everything
else has failed. Owing to the massacre of AR
.nsnians' ana to the state of ter
live and move. business in Trr-
Key, where the Armenians are the chief mer-
chants, has been completely disorsanized so
that merchants in the other countries of
Aurope are likely to find it difficult to collect
their accounts. That will bring the sufferinqs
OF the Armenians home nothing else can
DO and the respective governments may be
induced to take measures to secure the nav
ment OF moneys due which they evidently
Will not take for any other motive.
This pressure from this unusual but
powerful source will not be confined to
England and English merchants. Ger
man tradesmen, Of late years, have
been crowding the Englishmen hard In
all foreign marts, and they, too. are
quite as solicitous for trade ana returns
as are their brothers across the channel.
France, too. III less measure. has the
same interests, and 1t is among the