Arizona republican., 1903-05-14
A TALK ON THE TURK
Extract From an Address by Rev. An-
 tranig Azhdarian.

Mention is made in the report this
 morning of the proceedings of the ses-
 sion of yesterday of the Presbyterian | assembly of an address by Rev. An | tranig Azhdarian, the Armenian writer | and lecturer. The address covered an 1 hour and related generally to the work of the church. He made refer
 ence near the close to the troubles | in the Balkans whither the eyes of
 the world are turned, so that that part
 of the address at this time, especially | that part of it descriptive of the per
 Verseness of the Turk, is of more than usual interest.
 Said he: Herewith let me take oc-
 casiOn to express the everlasting thanks
 and heartfelt gratitude for that noble company of Christians in the United States and England, whose hearts being touched by the terrible story of Ar
 menia's woes, sent out material aid i,.
 the form of practical sympathy Such ! relief has been administered to the ! best advantage through the American missionaries as well as through the American Red Cross association Speaking of the Red Cross work MT. Azhdarian said: "The Turkish govern
 ment hampered and opposed it, and even went so far as to order the mis- sionaries who were dispensing relief
 out of the country with a threat that
 should they fail to withdraw within
 three days serious consequences would follow. Indeed the Europeans in com
 pliance with such demands abandoned
 the relief work, while the American
 missionaries held their ground. Mean
 while this mandate of the Turkish gov
 ernment was so vigorously and firmly
 opposed by the European powers that
 the sultan was obliged promptly to
 change his attitude upon the subject,
 and even decided to send troops for the
 protection of the missionaries. Such
 unlocked for act of the Porte is indeed an entire cOrroboration of Mir. Glad
 stones terse declaration. The Turk
 gives heed to nothing but an ultima
 tum.'
 Nevertheless in the recent general destruction of life and property this momentous movement of long prestige, and so largely carried on among the Armenians has sustained an almost
 crushing blow at the hands of the Turk. In the whirlwind of butchery and pill age nearly all the mission stations from
 the valley of the Euphrates to the Mediterranean have shared the general effect of Moslem violence and destruc- tion. True. no American missionary has been killed, but many Of them have suffered the loss of their property have seen their students and their servants and converts slain before their eyes. their flag insulted and trailed in the dust and they themselves have been compelled to seek places of safety. In Harput alone eight of the twelve Am erican buildings within the enclosure were footed and burned, the loss being | estimated at $100,000. Many of the oc- | cupants were killed and the mission | aries barely escaped with their lives. | It must be supposed that this was merely the attack of a mob; for Turk ish troops are not equipped with ar i tillery. The Harput institution of mis- sionaries was assailed by Turkish sol | diers who trained their field pieces upon the buildings. Such deliberately | planned official havoc is more inexcusa- ble when we remember that the sultan | had given specific assurance to the United States that the lives and prop erty of the missionaries should be pro tGNlGh. A yGl IlOl ei NOlu OI 'dpOlOSE or cent of indemnity has been exacted from the Turkish government. The truth is that of all the civilized nations the United States has proved the most inactive in protecting the rights of it's citizens in the Ottoman empire. On this point Dr. Grace N. Kimball who has labored for the last few years as a among the Armenian refu- gees, makes this assertion: Even the American flag was powerless to shield US, and had it not been for the pro- tection of the British consuls we would have suffered the same fate as the Ar nenians.'
 Tn the midst of this violence and treachery t'Ie late American minister 10 Constantinople, MT. Alexander Ter 'ell of Texas, cut a pitiable and shock ng figure. His diplomatic incompet ence and ignorance of the eastern situ- ition on the one hand and his weak, and pusllanimous policy to- ward the sultan on the other made him . most unfit man for such a responsible post at such time. Brave and true IS I hold America to. be- she should l make her Stars and Stripes a protection ! o her people. her best people the bene- actors of my race and indeed of hu-