The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-07
lM5 Must Save Armenia
TIE EASTERN CHRISTIANS
SHOULD NOT BE LEFT JJN-
DER TURKISH RULE.
F;scount James Eryce Says Al
lies Should Sead army to
Occupy Turkish
Armenia.

Armenia.
London, Nov e5 Correspondence
OF The Associated Press)-In the
opinion Of Viscount James Bryce,
former ambassador 20 the United
states. lit is extremely desirable that
every effort should be made 10 send
IN g sufficient allied force to OCCUPY
wil;it was Turkish Armenia and re-
establish some sort of order there"
This view is expressed in q com
munication to th; Manchester Guar
dinn, coupled wit, :. regret that the
conditions oe the Turkish arniistice
failed to provide for tho imro edtate
occupation by the allies Of the six ar
nenian vilayets and also Of Cflicia
(rnodern province Of Adana on the
Mediterranean Lord Bryce says,
however:
y cannot think that this omission
was due to any doubt as to the ne
cessity, and indeed the solemn duty.
OF delivering all the Armenian Gis-
uricts utterly and forever from any
vestige Of Turkish rule" The Brit
!sh government, he continues, has
pledged itself $50 frequently and
clearly TO this deliverance, and, as
we understand, both President Will
son and the French government have
expressed themselves so strongly in
favor OF such a policy. that We cam
not doubt the honest purpose Of the
government"
ut need hardly be SAID, the state
ment goes on, ..thet to leave the Fast
ern Christians OF Armenia and Syria
Under Turkish rule would excite the
warnaest Indignation all over the couD-
try, and if possible still warmer IN
d:snation in the United States, where
the interest IN Armenia hos been ex!
tre3lely great and has been ev2ncea
b.; the enormous contributions which
haze been made to the, relief Of the
Ar.i,enian refugees.
Can anybody in this country be
found who thinks that after the
three hideous nlassacres which the
Turks have perpetrated in Armenia
since 1895, eliminating in the worst
massacre of all in 1915, when Soo,ooo
Christians perished, it would be pos
sible, for any Christian power, or IN
! deed any power Of human FEELING, TO
leave THE Turk free TO begin oppres-
sious affesh, or to fall TO show by
: tu11ainS. the Turk out of the country,
the anger and horror which his cruel
ties have excited? I need hardly a6d
x5aat the presence Of Turkish rule In
2these regions, with their great stratet;.
gical importance, would be material
to Germany, If ever she saw heai
cha nee, in realizing her schemes Ief'
pushing her influence towai DIS PerslT
and Central Asia. ..f::.
"One.. fails to see any reason wh?
the Turks, being absolutely al the
meccy2of the allies, and having conf
'ffnitsed! with the tacit approval Of Ger.
many. the. .hugest single crime that,
has been committed in the whole
course. of the war, should not have
been compelled to an absolutely :un-
conditional surrender. Why shouia
any favorable conditions have been
gra nted to them who have shoT55l
that, whether under Abdul Hamid:so:S =,
under rEfsans like Enve- and. Ta!aaI4
they afetcapable Of the most revolti.lass
crslnes2"- !
|: Lord Bryce points oft that the; de
mobilization of the Turkish army
will let loose large number Of arm
ed men accustomed to acts OF vic
lence who will scatter over the, coun-
try and for whom the Turkish scv-
ernment will not attempt to provide.
Another thing to consider, he says,
is that allied forces, If on the SPOT.
could rescue many Of the Christian I
women seized By the Tur:.s AID CIR /
ried off to be sold into slavery or 70 |
become inmates OF turkish h;.cen3s (
They might rescue too. ne THINKS
numbers Of the boys that we're seizeo'
given to dervishes ard carried OF .
be brought up as Mussulnlans.
Furthermore, one should renaeHl-s
ber, he says, the great NUMBERS o.
refugees that fed ncross the Hassfan
frontier from the Northern Armenian
provinces, and who have not ven
tured to return owing to the rear OF
encountering rowing bands OF demob-
ilized Turkish soldiers. Only the
presence Of Allied troops would IN
..uce them. to return to their homes
For. all these reasons" he sums up,
"it seems urgent in the interests OF
humanity that these territories
should be reduced to some sort OF or
del. at the earliest possible moment
It is useless to expect any of these
things will be done by the Turkish