Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-10-10
THE QUESTION OF RANSOM.

The Chicago Record-Herald in a
strong editorial protests against the pay
ing Of a ransom for Miss Stone, now IN
captivity among brlgands. The possible
conseauences, that paper says, would be
"a tran Of atrocities that would shock
civIlixation. The horrors OF past Turk
ish barbarlties would be mild in COM
parison To pay the ransom Of $4,000
now asked by the Turkish brlgands
would Immediately lmperll the lives Of
HUNDREDS OF missionaries not only In
Turkey and Bulgaria but In other Asia
tic countres. The knowledge that the
American board Of missions Is able to
approprate that amount OF money to
Ransom a missionary, or that Christian
people in this country are willing to
raise ID on short notice to save a mis-
sionarys life would be followed by the
seizure Of other women engaged In mis-
sionary work in foreign lands and their
subjectlon to cruel and inhuman tor
ture,"
This Is, no doubt, correct reasoning,
but he logic Of an emergency Is often
vastly different from everyday logic,
and his appears TO be an emergency.
An American woman Is In peril among
barbarous bandits, and common sense
revolts against sacrificing her, even for
prudential reasons. This is at least the
view taken by the American public.
For money Is coming In for her ram
som from all parts Of the Union.
II Is very well to speak about cover
Ing the domains OF the Sultan with the
guns Of our battleships, but how would
that secure the release of the captives.
II It Is true that the outrage was COM
mltted in defiance Of the Turkish gov
eminent
The danger supposed to come from
the payment Of a ransom must be OBJ
Waited in some other way. If bandits
all over Asia should, by that precedent
be encouraged to engage in wholesale
abductIon. the governments having
jufisdhtion over territory In which the
bandit operate. should be made to pay
every rent of the money extorted, and
good Interest besides. II this policy Is
carried out, there will be little danger
of further capture OF missionaries
When the money gathered for the bene.
fit Of Miss Stone has Sc
cured her liberty, II should be
collected from whatever country
Is responsible for the harborng Of the
outlaws. II might then prOfitably be
set apart for an emergency fund out OF
which other ransoms might be paid, II
necessary When paid out second
time, Il should again be collected and
deposited somewhere for a similar pur-
pose We presume the Balkan states
would soon tire Of paying excessive ran.
sons IN behalf Of their bandits. and
exert themselves to clean out the
stronghold In which they operate.
Before this affair Is consigned TO OBJ
llyion II would be well for the Wash.
ington authorities to investigate wheth-
or the Turkish government Is entirely
free nom responsibility In the matter.
Probably they are at work Inquirlng
into II now But II would be no
harm 10 know for certain that the ram
som demanded is not retaliation. In
a sneaklng. roundabout way. for the
damages paid recently by the Sultan,
on account Of former outrages against
American missionaries, II some Of the
bandits could be captured and given an
opportunity to tell their story before a
consular court, they could exonerate the
Turkish government, or give the full
particulars Of the case.