The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-11-17

fleet, and I will give in at once" And
he gave in without another word. Co
ercion is the only policy that has any
effect with the Sultan. He cannot yield
without rislling deposition as an apos-
tate unless he is commanded by pow
er superior to his own. That il the key
to the whole situation. It is an ele-
mcntary truth. How is it that the great
governm EMS of Europe do not seem -
understand This rudementary solution
of the whole question. Russia and
Austria are trying to get the Sultan TO
accept certain reforms, good in them.
selves if under European control, but
absolutely useless without such control.
i ne lessons of the past should teach
hem this They accepted a few years
ago a Musselman governor for the pro-
vince of Macedonia, where there has
been so much recent trouble. A MUS
selman governor is obliged 10 obey the
Eehests of the Sultan, and ne does obey
them. The only solution is that which
England and France, with the CCusert
OF the other Powers, applied to the Lee
banon after the terrible massacres Of
Syria; they sent an army and a. combin-
ed fleet of British and French man-of-
war, and left them there until the Sui
ton began to carry out the reforms.
And the key to the situation was that
the Sultan was forced to appoint a
Christian governor of the Lebanon,
with the consent of the Powers and il
removable without their consent. What
has been the result? There has been
pefce and comparative justice in the
Lebanon from the year 1860 until now.
The thing for Christendom to rcmem-
Der is that all reforms which are not
ratified by coercion, and by the APP
pointment of a Christian governor in
variably do more harm than good; they
I lnVaribly lead to massacres, massacre
everywhere, unless a firm strong hand
/ is laid upon the Sultan that he may be
held responsible for any massacre that
may take place. For, remember, these
massacres are seldom, if ever, the re-
suit of local fanaticism; they are al
most invaribly organized by the Sultan
and his encourage at Constantinople.
When / was in Constantinople the
news came on one occasion that 10000
of the Sultan's Christian subjects had
been done to death, in many instances
with uncomfortable horrors, whilst
thousands had been driven into the
mountains and forests to die of starva-
ton and exposure. Do you wonder
that the instigator of all this is called
the modern Nero-or as the English
poet dubbs him, Abdul the damned. 1t
is disgrace to the Christian nations
OF the world to permit such atrocities
TO go on The Armenian business was
bad enough. The Macedonian business
49, II possible, worse. If we feel it our
duty to send missionaries to Turkey
surely we should feel II our duty 10
seek in every way to stay this reign OF
massacre, and rapine and lust. A clear.
strong, firm word from the Christian
nations OF the world, and especially
from the two great Anglo-Saxo ma
lions, would do much to solve the prob
lem. This would be doing in the TWEEN
tleth century what Oliver Cromwell did
IN the seventeenth when he threw the
shield of great Protestant nation over
the prosecuted Christians in the valleys
OF Piedmont, using not only his own
craftsmanship, but the pen of Milton
on their behalf.