The Portland daily press., 1897-11-22

can exterminate them, which he is trying
to do. The Greeks always hold the ports
of trade.
1 deny the truth of the accusation
brought against the Armenians as being
unmitigated cheaters and deoe ivers. 1
have had great business experience with
them and know them thoroughly.
An oppressed people always develop
certain amount of defensive cunning. L
have heard both Greeks and Armenians
defend the absolute necessity of this. The
Turks, they say, oppress us, gather
twice the amount of taxes the law allows,
take many things by force and Turk s
note is worth very little. II we get
chance to overcharge it is only to get
our due. This introduces deception ana
dishonesty into trade and commerce. but
the Armenians, if treated well, are an
honest, industrious, faithful people. l
affirm it because I have tried them.
From 1845 and onward the Protestant
Armenians were vigorously boycotted and
thrown out of ali employments. AS q
foreigner l could then establish indus
tries, proformal and protect them. They
became my employees. / was responsible
for them. and my responsibilities became
alarmingly great. had more than fifty
Armenians. first and last, not all Prot
estants. and had they been selfish, cum
ming men they could have victimized me
every month, as our work was with the
English commissariat in the old Crimean
war. Our payments varied from $50, 900
to $50, coo month. But the whole work
was finished with splendid profit to q
church building fund. Those men were
faithful and intelligent. think of them
with respect and admiration. I treated
them well and demanded good service,
and to this they responded. The presi-
dent has unwittingly slandered noble
people.
II he had known that for the last ten
years England has done nothing for the
Armenian he could have spared his slur
and his wit about their raising the devil
and trusting to England to get them out.
We must follow the good president a
little further.
s'The Grand Turk, ignorant Of those
Western appliances, judges, juries, courts
and jails, sends horde Of Bashi-Ba-
zouks, bidding them to be thorough
according to the merits of the case They
more Armenian outbreaks in that To-
callty, because there are no more Arme-
mans to break out. There you have
epitomized much recent history, horrible,
but perfectly natural. {"
The amended reading should be: Then
you have epitomized much recent false
hood, the truth being horrible and per-
fectly devilish.
1t is true that the Grand Turk has no
jury, but that he has no judges, courts
and jails is "a merry conceit." OF those
appliances he has two, and of most three
compared with ours. Their jails may be
five to one and their occupants thous-
and to one. They are crowded with scores
of our teachers, Of the Gregorians, priests,
deacons, colporteurs, and industrious,
worthy men who cannot pay their taxes
ON property that has been destroyed or
"looted;' are crowded into these vile
places where the atmosphere is most hor-
rible and malarious. With no covering,
with poor and scant food, they are happy
if some disease takes them away. They
can leave any day by saying 'Moham-
med is the prophet Of God," but scores
and scores OF them are dying every week.
must not ridicule such a people. Tie
fears we think too highly of their Chris
tianity. Well. they can die for it. One
hundred thousand have been slain, anoth-
or hundred thousand have died lingering
deaths in want and misery indescribabIe,
and unknown thousands have perished in
filthy prisons mot accepting deliverance''
and thousands are still suffering in the
patience of God.
No Bashi Bazouk has been called to
tie work of plunder. outrage and blood.
The regular Turkish soldiery and the
Koordish and Circassian mob have done
it all, under the direction of officers. The
Sultan is responsible for the whole, and
it is his work. He would e1tinguish
Christianity and establish Islam.
We have thus discharged a painful duty
In controverting every statement made
by President Andrews with regard to the
Armenians and the Turks.
How is it that a man go eminent should
unsuspectingly fall into. such jungle
of absurd falsehoods and misapprehen-
sions?
He has furnished us the key. "He con-
versed with several gentlemen who knew
both the Turks and Armenians perfectly
WE'LL.
We have met these same "several gen
tlemen," who know everything perfectly
we'll, in widely different places and at
different times. They are well dressed,
have some knowledge of society, are very
sociable, will find out almost by intuition
your business and what you are after and
whittier you are going, SO as to help you
if any way opens. They attach them
selves to you without your knowing it.,
and YOU find them most agreeable and
communicative on just the subjects you
wish to inquire about. Here is man
whose knowledge is clear, positive and
always supported by well chosen illustra-
tive facts and descriptions of eminent
farther? You have history, politics, re
ligion, manners and customs brought
right before you.
Especially do these several gentlemen"
rejoice in finding an unsophisticated, in
telligent traveller, and if they see that
they have gained his ear they proceed to
stuff him. They are an amusing people.
had experience with them fifty years
ago Every large totel will have two or
three, and specimens will be found in
every large Mediterranean steamer.
At present they are rather monotonous,
for they all talk in one strain. They
talk up the Turks and talk down the
Armenians.
The Sultan has an immense secret SER
vice like the "Third Circle of the Imperi-
al Chancery' SO wonderfully revealed to
us by the "Revue de Deux Mondes"
many years ago. That these gentlemen
are in the pay of the Sultan there can be
little doubt. They all teach one and the
same lesson. 1t is Just what we have
learned from the good president, and
which we have shown to be utterly un-
truthful. II President Andrews, or any
other person, wishes for trustworthy tes-
timony on the Turks and Armenians the
following works are commended to his
notice:
L oF ha