New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-08

n.
trustworthy of all political barometers' ana ."o
announcement from London that very heavy IN
surances are being effected at Loyos IN ooii-
oection with the situation in the Caucasus
where a larger amount of foreign capitdi - =.
rested than in any other portion OF ,he ia
dominions conveys TO the students OF eoii'e.H
porarv history a more vivid idea Of the gravity
Of the situation in what was known 10 'ile oii
.ients as THE Land of the Golden fleece 'no't
any mere newspaper dispatches 1Fue'
American capital constitutes but small proper
lion of the enormous sums which nave oeeH en-
parked bv the Rothschilds. the Mobiles and other
soreie-ners in Russian enterprises. But America.
nevertheless. cannot but be deeply interested IN
what is taking place in the Caucasus just at
nresent in view of the fact that the OIL WeliS
around Baku or rather the concerns 10 "Hioh
they belong are the principal rivals VI nv
Tinted States oil industry in all the markets OIL
the world and that anything that tenos 10 az
nainish the output of the Russian oil naturaHy
serves TO augment proportionately the oeniaho
fo- che American product. To such an extent is
this the case that there are numbers OF people,
particularly in Russia, who are firmly convinced
80 Americans have had finger in all the dis
,,-bances that have resulted in the destruction
e ,ronartv belonging to the oil concerns at
rsak,, I'm recent years. although nobody has ever
heen able 10 furnish atom Of trustworthy
evidence in support of this irresponsioie
charge.
parbans the strangest feature of the Caucasus
is the fact that, with the exception OF the TWO
army corps by means of which alone the Car
IS able to maintain semblance OF sovereignty
and the civil government officials. there are Writ
uallv no native born Russians in the country.
The population of some five millions is the most
polvglot and polydox to be found anywhere in the
+sonalitIes many hundreds of tribes and a con-
siderable number of creeds. Add to this the fact
that the Caucasians whole are prone 10
bloodshed, opposed to the methods OF govern
raent which Russia has for nearly hundred
wears been endeavoring to force upon them ana
iuohued with the strongest kind of racial preJu-
dice and fanaticism. and it becomes possible 10
form some kind of a notion of the elements OIL
disorder in that particular part of the Cars
empire.
IT was Catherine the Great who first initiated
tha acquisition of the Caucasus. partly by means
of invasion and partly, too, through persuading
chiefs and princes TO accept Muscovite su-
zerainty under the promise, never kept or being
rerrnitted to retain their sovereignty and an
tonorny. Then too, considerable portion OF
4na Caucasus was obtained by conquest from
Persia while another big slice of territory was
acquired by similar means from Turkey SPEAK
ing broadly the population of the Caucasus was
and remains divided into Moslems, who are. for
the most part the jewellers Of the mountain
regions. and the Christians, who were and are
almost exclusively Armenians. And IN oIoen
DAVIS the hardy Mahometan mountaineers would
prey upon the Christian lowlanders. Russia,
finding it diffcult-nay almost impossible-to
subdue the highlanders, induced by various
pledges of favor and protection the Armen1ans
of the plains TO assist her in her task. She ap-
pealed to the analogy of the Orthodox and Ar
nenian churches, and by keeping before the Ar
nlenans the antagonism which must necessarily
exist between the Crescent and the Cross and
by holding out hopes to them of the restoration
of the ancient kingdom of Armenia under the
suzerainty of the Gar secured such valuable
cooperation that the mountain tribes were at
length reduced to more or less nominal sub
lection
Subsequently the championship by Russia of
the cause of the Armenans in Turkey, for the
purpose of promoting her designs upon Con-
stantinople, led to extensive emigration of
Arrnenians from the Ottoman Empire. and the
war between Russia and Turkey of 1877 had
the effect of still further adding a portion Of
the Caucasus, populated almost exclusively by
Armenians to the dominions of the Gar. 1t
was not long, however, before the Muscovite
authorities discovered that the Armenians de-
clined to become assmated. They not only
insisted remaining Armenians and loyal TO
their Church, but they likewise began to agitate
with q view OF securing from Russia the full
fiment of her promise to restore the ancient
kingdom of Armenia with an autonomous gov
eminent under the suzerainty of the Car.
Then. too. the Armenians have the commercial
spirit as strongly developed as the Jews. and
the Russian government began to find in the
Armenians the same objections of an economic
III, 1-bf hoy are aS a
pretext for their oppression of the Hebrew
That is to say. they insist that the Armenians
like the Jews, have tendency to monopolize all
the wealth and prosperity, and beggar their fell
low citizens of different race and creed, wher-
ever they may happen to settle. In course Of
time the Armenians grew 10 be objects of as
cruel persecution as the Jews on the part of
the Muscovite authorities. But possessed of
character OF a sterner mould and of a more
passionate, violent and impatient temperament
the Armenians resisted. and the danger of an
armenian rebellion, engineered from abroad by
revolutionary committees disposing of vast
eources. became an imminent danger which
called for immediate action.
II was then that General Prince Galitzin was
appointed Governor General of the Caucasus,
and after examining carefully the situation
ne addressed a remarkable secret official report
10 The Cara copy of which 1 have now be-
fore me-containing his proposal for the in
auguration OF radically new policy-a policy
to which the Gar gave his approyaI-and which
is responsible for the chaos which now prevails
IN that particular portion of his empire Briefly
speaking. the policy was TO foster the AIussulman
at the expense of the Armenian and to en-
deayor TO resist the Armenian aspirations of In
dependence by invoking against them Moslem
luminosity. Not only were the highlanders of
the Caucasus. and. indeed, the Mahometan ele-
,,,srt from ali parts Of Russia encouraged and