The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-28

Of the responsibility for the moral sal
walton of their shattered people
The rest of the Armenians are scat
tered everywhere throughout the Levant.
There are still about 1000 at the big Ar
menian refugee camp on the Suez canal
below Port Said.
Were tho United States to accept
mandate over Armenia alone. it would
be necessary for the peace conference
or the league of nations to create an Ar
menia out of former Turkish territory,
over which to substitute Armenian for
Turkish sovereignty. and into which to
repatriate the surviving Armenians.
FOOD FOR MASSACRE
This step is absolutely impossible with
out first garrisoning all of Asia Minor
heavily. There Is at Erzerum the wrecked
capital of the province of Erzerum,
Turkish Organization known as the Con-
gress of Erzerum, with practically uuiin-
| tied military strength at it's back, At
present it dominates all the six se-called
/ Armenian provinces and such other parts
of the vast unoccupied territory of Asia
Minor lie between the Black sea and the
Bagdad railway The forces represent
ed here are not only Turkish, butt Per-
sian. Tartar, Kurd and Arabic as well
Here is Pan. Islamic organization wait
| ing only the announcement from Paris of
| the creation of an Armenia out of former
Turkish territory to begin massacres
which would complete the determination
of the Armenians begun in the deporta-
| tons of 1915
The capital of Turkey Is no longer Con-
| stantinople. The Constantinople gov
eminent are harmless puppets in the
hands OF the British, French and ftal-
ian military leaders occupying the city.
The capital of Turkey is now Erzerurn,
and the ruler of Turkey is not Sultan
Mehmed Khan v, but Mustafa Kamel
Pasha. formerly commander of the revo-
|lutionary Turkish Third army corps. The
stage is already set All that the pro.
iected massacres, which IL they are
started, will eclipse the horrors of 1918,
are waiting upon, is the Nslightest men
ton from Paris Of the Arrhenians
The creation Of an Armenia TO be com
mitted to an American mandate ts not
only utterly impossible under present
military conditions, but it would involve
the United States is web OF European
intrigue against which It would be help
less
Let it distinctly understood that there
is no entente cordiale In the near east
1.-THE former Ottoman empire is supposedly
dead Britain, France, Italy and Greece
ARE scrambling for the estate it left. or
the surface the four powers are allies
Underneath the surface they are wag-
ing war on each other with every instru-
ment at their command except high ex-
plosve They are~playing the old game
of empire building, In which native fac
lions are played off against each other
in order to keep them demoralized anc
helpless under foreign exploitation. The
recognition of the legitimate aspirations
of the native populations in the near east
over which Britain and France waxed sc
enthusiastic while the question of Amer
icas entry into the war still doubtful
is quite forgotten.
In the matter Of making the world safe
for democracy, Britain, France, Italy
and Greece are as thoroughly Amer
ica's enemies in the near east as Ger
many was in Europe There will be nc
permanent peace In the world until these
four powers lay aside their old game OF
INSCRIPTIONS empire building. The pur
poses for which the American expedition
airy force fought in Europe will have
fallen short of success, unless these pow
ers are made to see that 'nationalism,
lon the lips of subject population. is q
legitimate and necessary word.
In the entire world there Is no more
strategic spot at which to attack the
old game of empire-building than in the
near east No man can say how far-
reaching would be the results for gooe
we're the United States to achieve an
other Cuba In the former Ottoman EN-
pire-next door to Egypt and not far from
India II the United States refuses II
shoulder the Ottoman mandate In the neal
east, no man can say how quickly ths
present exploitation of these peoples VII
, bring upon the world the east VS.. ives
war for which the time is rapidly be
coming ripe.
Conceding for the moment that It Il
possible for Paris to create an Armenia
bv fiat. were the United States to accep
a mandate over it alone, it would thereby
become party to the partitioning OF th'
former Ottoman empire among the pow
ersA 1t is exactly this which IS TO o.
avoideds 1t is this which brings abou
the present welter of intrigue and demon
alizatnn in the near east
CATSPAW FOR BRITAIN
American power in the near east, rep
resented by a mandate over Armenia
alone, would be a catspaw for Grea'
Britain. British diplomatsts are seekins
to establish strong barrier in front o.
the Suez canal and Mesopotamia against
the hordes of rejuvenated Russia.
The United States in Armenia woulc
furnish exactly that.
d Hemmed in on all sides by other power:
engaged in all the intrigue which thf
scores of political and religious factions
in the near east make possible, tn
United States would find its work o.
honest reconstruction in Armenia SO ham
stay there as long as Britain wanted me-
fo-or to get out prematurely, leaving :
allure back of her.
II the United States is to see the mis-
sion on which she entered the war
through to a successful ending, her mrs
| stipulation on entering the near cas-
must be: No parttioning of the Otto
man empire
/ Constantinople. Anatolia the Armenian
nroyinces. Kurdistan Syria and PaPes
fine Mesopotam a-all must come undo
one American mandate. Il leave out TIT
uediaz and Yemen; these backward
countries of Arabia may be disregardet
for the time being.)
If Europe is not willing to accede t
this all-or-nothing stipulation, the United
states must stay completely out Of tn
near east Let Europe stew in its owl
| mice in the near east. And when thu
| east VS.. west war comes upon us, let Eu
rope pay the fiddler.
| IF the United States enters the nea
east with mandate for the entire forme
ottoman empire, what is to be her pro
| rramme?
The answer to this question may b
| indicated under three heads: -
| The separation of church and state
THE Moslenn. Armenian and Greek cferg'
alike need to be taken by the hand and LEI
| gently. grimly and forever out of poll
/! tics.
| 2 The establishment of universal educa
! t;nn. America, in her chain of missionar.
| schools. beginning with Robert oolieg
| at constantinople and extending dow
/ ~ tbe Syrian Protestant college at Bel
rut. already has higher school founda