The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-06
THE SULTAN SPEAKS.
Tells Americans About the ArmeI-
ian MasSaC res.

mn Sih>~sttItSs
AN interview with the Sultan is con
tributad to the November Century by Hon
A. ". Terrell lately United states minister
at COnstantiuople. Mr.. Terrell says:
HeSaiI that thefactsah oItr eCent disturb
ances in Turkey lave never been Faithfully
report ad BY the press Of the United States.
andtha H. hoped that would ma Ike known
70 the American people what he was tEeE
about to say. Continuing. h said:
Early during the Ottoman conquest iu
Asia Minor, the Arm enianS, who Were being
crushed tyrepeated inyaSiOns Of the Tartars
and the PersianS. emigrated in large nur..-
bars. and obtained prot ectipn from the OF
tomaD rulers They We're kindly received.
Hospitality treated, q nd received benefits n
the protection Of their lives and property.
No nation continually enga ged in war ear
excel in Industrial AMI Commercial pur-
sIits. Thus, il occurred that while the early
SUltans -rerebusy with conquestS. all manu-
featuring and commercial interests We're
mnncp"liZed 10y Christian races, and chiefly
by the Armenians.
Their religion was also tolerated, for
Mussulmans tolerate the religion OF all men
who worship God. Thus the Armenians
Mussulman rule for over 400 years. They
became the msnufacture contractors and
bankers of the ottoman empire They en-
ioyed their religion, openly worshiped for
centuries in their ancient churches and mo
nasteries. and built new ones when needed
Their patriarch could always present their
complaints at the Sublime Forte, ami they
were always protected in the en- jOyuent OF
their own methods Of worShipihg God.
-Four books are regarded as sacred by
all MuSsulmaus, namely, the Koran. tie
book of COufucius, the Talmu,l OF tie Jews
and the Bible of the Christians. How COuld
% Mussulmap murder Armenians merely on
account of their religion, when the Koran
prohibits cruelty and requires that all men
who believe in God shall be protected, ex-
cept during war?
lone OF ny anCestOrs-Selim I, the
grandson OF the conquerOr of CONSTANT
nople-once thought that his empire would
lie stronger if all his subjects prOfessed
the sarie religion. Some disturbances
raised by Christian races caused him e.
ask the SlIeik-ll- Islam IL IL would he lawful
for him to kill all Christians who refused
TO be converted to Islam. The Sheik H.
sued fetva, in which he answered that 1t
would not be lawful, and that Christians
who were peaceful must be protected.
SO Selim respected the fetva. Fire-wor
Shippers and ldolaters alone have no right to
protection. and Mussu,mans arc prohibited
from eating meat cooked by such people"
The Sultan then cited many evidences OF
the favor and Partially extended to, and
f the confidence reposed in, the Arrnenians
by himself and by former sultanS, tD show
that their religion was not the cause Of their
recent mlsfortrues.
The Sultan more than once repeated his
declaration that no Christian had ever been
prosecuted by his government or people fOr
their religious faith, andthat their churches
and mona steries, which have stood from
the early ages of Christianity Y, had been re-
spectcd, preserved, and worshiped in: that
they had always selected their own patri-
archs and bishops, and were alw avs protect
ed in the full enjoyment of their religious
freedom.
Referring to the ma ssacres, ne said: The
truth, unfurt unately, is never published in
Christian newspapers about conflicts be |
tween my MOslem and Christian subjects |
Though no true Mussulman will ever punish |
any man on account OF his religion IL be |
worships God. yet W hen people bind them |
selves together by their religion, and then |
use it to destroy the Ottoman empire, dit |
ferent question is presented. While Chris |
tian Europe was excited against the Otto |
man empire about excuses committed by /
it's soldiers during the Greek revolution OF |