The record-union., 1897-01-14
A TERRIBLE ARRANGEMENT.

Mr.. Bryce's supplemental chapter to
his ''Transcaucasus and Ararat" is a
treatment of twenty years Of the Ar
menian question. From such a high
authority we have the right to expect
exact recital and cool consideration of
the facts and of the issues taken upon
them. In this Mr.. Bryce has not dis
appointed his readers. His review
reaches the conclusion that up to 1877
the Armenians enjoyed as much peace
and prosperity as any other Christians
in Turkey excepting only the robbery
to which they were subjected by the
Kurds, and other wild tribes on the
Armenian frontier.
With the war of 1877 begun by Rus
sia. consequent upon the Bulgarian
atrocities, and in which war England
dnterfered in behalf of Turkey, there
came the treaty by which England was
constituted the special protector of the
Christians, under guarantees given by
the Porte, and the Turk was stripped
of much of his European territory This
led the Armenians to look for a great
change in their condition, they expect
ing England to interest herself TO a
considerable extent in their behalf.
AJt first England manifested a dispo-
sition to do so and made protests to
the Sultan in their behalf. After
time these ceased and the Sultan then
turned his attention to the revolution
ary movements among the Armenians,
which was naturally followed by stern
measures of repression. The Kurds
were allowed to rob the Armenians
with more Of impunity and the Chris
tians found in the courts very little
favor in suing for the righting of their
wrongs. The real policy of the Turk
tsh Government uncovered, namely, "to
get rid Of the Armenian qpuestion, get
rid of the Armenians"
In the natural course Of such a policy
the Turks discovered" much revolu-
tionary activity, and Imprisonment and
tortures ON that excuse became COM
mon, the British Consul reporting all
the while that peace and content pre-
vailed
In 1894 on pretense that taxes were
resisted, bodies Of Turkish troops were
marched into several districts to pun
ish the people and a brutal slaughter
of men, women and children followed
the estimate Of the British Consul be-
ing that fully 900 were killed by the
troops, exclusive of massacres of which
he had no official reports. Others put
the figure at /, 800. The British remon-
strated, as usual, but nothing came Of
the protests, and in September 1895
the nlassacres were resumed in sixteen
different parts of the country, fearful
ourages characterizing them. People
of all ages and both sexes were butch
cred, women violated and houses
burned, and often with their inmates
confined within.
These massacres were not the result
Of religious fanaticism and rage but
of superior ORDERS" and as evidence OF
that fact Mr.. Bryce says only regular
Turkish troops were engaged in thems
and they always ceased Immediately
on orders coming from headquarters.
The British Embassador reported that
up TO January. 1896, no less than 20
600 people had been slain in the con-
f1icts and assaults, but DR.. Lepsius,
who issued a ponderous volume sum
ming up su the evidence, estimated the
total deaths TO June. 1896, at $1,000.
Mr.. Bryce In a speech at Aberdeen
replied to the British apologists that
interference by England would have
precipitated European war, and
said that no one wanted such war
provoked, for In 1t the Armenians would
be the first to suffer. and most severely.
But without risk of war England might
have sent fleet TO Constantinople late
in 1895, just after the worst unassacres,
and have stopped any further outases