The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-09
NO CALL TO PROTEST
Over the Russian Outrages-There
Is More Necessity Of Jump
ing on Turkey.
New York Sun Special Service.

New York Sun Special Service.
Chicago, June 9.-William e. Curtis, in
a Washington special to the Record
Herald, says: The president has been in
conference with secretary HAY trying to
contrive some method Of expressing his
own feelings and the sentiments of the
American people concerning the Jewish
in Russia without violating
the canons Of international etiquette but
no effort has thus far been made to
frame a protest or remonstrance concern
ing the massacre of the Christian subjects
of the Turkish sultan in Macedonia by his
own officers and troops acting under his
orders. or at least with his approval.
The Macedonians have given no more
offense to the Turks than the Jews have
given to the Russians; they worship the
same God, and when they are not pro-
voked to resistance are quite as law abid-
ing and orderly. There Is no more rea-
son why the Mofammedans should perse-
cute and massacre Christians In one part
Of Europe and outrage their wives and
daughters and destroy their property than
for the Christians in another part OF
Europe to treat the Jews in a. similar
manner. The Macedonians, however,
have no powerful organization in the
United States to arouse sympathy in
their behalf; the small number of their
fellow countrynen who have managed to
make their way to the United States are
neither rich, nor influential nor active in
politics. The president has received nc
resolutions expressing the horror of the
American people over the prosecutions OF
the Macedonians, while he has received a
bushel or more letters of appeal and pro-
test concerning the sufferings Of the Jews
There Is reason to hope that the per-
solutions Of the Jews in Russia are over
but the kilograms to the newspapers from
Macedonia every morning contain the
news Of more villages destroyed, more un-
offending Christians massacred and more
women outraged. And the fact that the
government censors control the telegraph
and the mails Of Turkey with the greatest
strictness is an assurance that the re-
ports are not exaggerated.
The president Is going to make some
expression for the American people con-
corning the persecution of the Jews re-
CARELESS Of diplomatic usage and prece-
dent. He cannot very well make formal
protest or remonstrance to the Russian
government. It would be quite as much
out Of place as If the car should write
him a letter or send him a. telegram pro-
testing against the act Of the mob at
Belleville, ILL.,, last Saturday, which tor
tured hanged and burned the negro David
Wyatt. We cannot set a precedent for
foreign criticism of domestic affairs.
Furthermore, the president has received
assurances that Nicholas II. deplores as
much as any one the horrors that have
been committed by one sect of his sub
jects upon another and is doing as much
as he can to restore order, punish the
guilty and atone for the wrong. But the
sultan of Turkey Is not taking any steps
to protect his Christian subjects
in Macedonia. On the contrary, his Bashi
Bazouks are riding from village to village,
their scimitars dripping with the blood
Of the innocent and he is urging them on
for the purpose OF exterminating the
Christian population Of one of his own
provinces. The president can talk about
that without offending anybody or VIC
lating diplomatic etiquette.
Nicholas II. is humane man. Every
act of his government for which he has
been responsible since he assembled the
throne has been in the line Of progress
and for the welfare Of his subjects
While he has not had the support of his
ministers in his humane and enlightened
policy and has been resisted with great
determination by the nobility and aris-
tocracy Of the empire, he has neverthe-
less done the best he could to improve the
condition Of his people and protect their
rights.
The sultan Of Turkey has pursued an
entirely different policy. He is the only
sovereign in the universe to-day who en-.
courages the massacre and the persecu-
ton Of his own subjects; who prefers
that they should starve in poverty rather
than be happy and grow rich, and so far
as have heard no great Christian ma
ton mas uttered a remonstrance.