Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-10-23
THE ARMENIAN MAssAcREs.

THE ARMENIAN MASSACRES.
The New York press continues tc
publish reports regarding the Armeni
an massacres and the public at large
is in consequence much concerned
over the pitiful lot of the Armenian
people. Everybody agrees that their
position is most unfortunate, and even
Turkish sympathizers do not deny the
| fact that the Armenians are severely
handled by the Turkish authorities
| and especially the seni-savage Kurds
in eastern Anatolien.
But it is not so generally known
that the Armenian question is a politi-
cal one. The geographic position OF
the Armenians resembles very muci
the geographic position of the Polish
people prior to the outbreak of the
war. One part Of the Armenian PEG
pie lives in Russia, another in Tur:
key and a third in Persia, nut the ma
jority of all Armenians are either Rus
sian subjects or Russian !proteges.
Russia has played the role Of pro
tector of the Christians in Armenia,
as France did in Syria. The Russians
had and have still political ambitions
in east ,Anatolien, and 1t is an open
secret in Russia that the conquest
Of eastern Anatolien was one of the
parts of the Russian war program.
To promote this conquest politically,
the Russian government, with the
help Of the Russian Armenians, have
organized the Turkish Armenians,
VITA the object Of revolving against
Turkish rule. The Armenians in Tur.
key, during the present war, rose
against their Turkish master and ex.
PEELED the weak Turkish garrison from,
Van, the capital of the villayet of the
same name. A,feM weeks ago. reports
were published in the press to the
effect that the Armenians had created
the nucleus 4of an Armenian state
Later it was reported that the Turks
he'd cnlasaed the Armenian revolution
The Armenians having revolted
against Turkey at a time when she
was at war with mighty powers, are
regarded today by tkeSrTurks as trait.
ora and internal foes and are treated
accordingly. ut was unwise on. the
part Of the Armenians to accept the
Russian advice to revolt against the
Turks as long as the Turkish army
was not defeated. Now, of course.
the Turks, who have always !consid.
cred the Armenians as treacherous.
have taken revenge on the misguided
Armenians and are furnishing them as
every other government Furnishes
traitors in times of war.
3H3tag9a i~hgaS".f' -
1t is, Of course, foolish to say that
the Turkish-Armenian conflict has re-
ligious motives. AS a matter Of fact,
the Turks are known to be the most
tolerant of all Mohammedans. There
are many Christian tribes under Turk.
ISL rule and one never heard of these
Christian tribes being prosecuted 10y
the Turkish Moslems. The Turkish
Armenian conflict is, rather, a purely
political one.
The Turk, who is generally poor
considers the wealthy Armenian, wne
is the shrewdest Of tradesmen in tn,
whole East, as being a traitor and
foe of the Turkish Empire, and tn.
Armenian, on the other hand, consid
ers the Turk an infidel and barbarian
The armenian, In spite of his CONNER
cial shrewdness, is often foolisl
enough to speak publicly of his ma
tionalism and of his hatred agains
the Turk. In short, neither peopl
understand each other and the resul
is q permanent state Of conflict.
In addition to all these misfortune
that are the result Of unhappy his
torfcal developments, the fact mus
be taken into consideration that tn
Kurds, real savages, are only nom:
nally under Turkish rule. The Turl
ish authorities do not control tles
savage tribes. Unhappily the Kurd
are the n~eigabors of the Armenian
and they seize every opportunity t
plumber and to massacre them. Thi
time It happened the Kurds, who wer
armed by Russia against the Turks
turned their weapons against the Al
menians. SO, at least, runs the repor
of the "Near, East" an English week
ly, published in London.
This uyar will soA<lo tho n,outinn n