The Washington herald., 1919-05-11
ARMENIA REGARDS AMERICA ]
AS HER GOOD SAMARITAN
five Continue to Hesitate About Taking the
Mandate Which Distressed Nation Re-
quires. and Europe Expects, We May, by
Our Hesitation, Force New World War.

est American troops. to lead them
back to their homes and defend
them until the ferment Of this
world is over.
This desperate situation of Ar
menia is due to>a succession Of de-
plorable facts:
1. The United States is not at war
with Turkey The President cannot
send in troops without an act of
Congress. even though American
troops are in Russia, with whom
we have no war.
2. In the armistiee with Turkey,
Armenia was not occupied by allied
troops and no provision was made
for evacuation by the troops led by
the brutal officers of the Young
Turk organization.
3. 1t is not known in Paris
Whether the American people will
accept the obligation of a mandate
over Armenia should it be offered to-
tnem- Yet every one feels strongly
tnat 1t is Americas obligation and
no one is willing to offend the
United states by stepping into q
territory which is by tacit consent
regarded as the burden of our great
patton SO Armenia is left naked to
her enemies.
Though the Armenians cannot
realize 1t. so far as helping them is
concerned, we are broken reed
a gutless people.
There is only one hope for Ar
menia. If the American people
should realize the situation and in
slst upon the immediate sending of
troops. demand the mandate over
Armenia, and prepare itself for the
task of defending ana developing
this country, then there is a chance.
There are powerful reasons which
should determine us to take this
step: :
1. II we do not do so the division
OF Turkey amongst the alliesrwill be
a mockery of the idea of self-de-
termination. So far as the Near
East is concerned. the American
idea of developing these people to-
ward freedom and their own ulti-
mate self-control is lost il we do
not accept the Armenian mandate.
2. We alone are in a position to
get for the Armenian state the ter
ritory which it needs for its real
development Otherwise France will
take SILICA, and Armenia will be
without its natural and necessary
port of entry at Alden and Messina-
3. Free from the jealousies and
suspicious of the European powers.
we can hope to bridge the river of
blood and bitter memories which
separates the Armenians from the
Turkish and Kurdish population of
the country. with whom the Armen-
ians must live.
Our sympathy Expressed. :,
1t is up'to the people Of the United
States. We have expressed our SYM
pathy for the Armenians in many
ways. The time for sympathy Is
past We must either wash our
hands as Pontius PLATE washed his
or We must take the Armenian man
date.
England has her own troubles.
When she started to withdraw troops
from Tifiis in April to necessary serV-
ice in Cairo. the young Turks began
the Armenian massacres. Yet Eng
land feels that Cairo is vital II she
maintains India and India is neces-
sary il she preserves her commercial
supremacy. So England sooner or
later must get out of the business OF
protecting Armenia; and even II she
stays the Moslem world knows that
for a time England is not the old
England that made her word the law
in the East. But IL America takes
Armenia-there another element en-
tiers. War will be unnecessary. We
have established our record.
But IL we do Motif we fail to take
the Armenian mandate-then what?
Our missionaries are there by the
thousands. Our women are going
every day on food distribution COM
missions Scores of charitable organ
izations are sending relief to Armenia,
and these organizations are admins
tering their affairs chiefly by women.
We may not send soldiers to Ar
menia, because we are not at war
with Turkey, but we are sending de-
fenseless women there. AS the situa-
ton grows further and further
strained We shall find ourselves in
greater and greater danger OF war.
for America would force war in spite
were attacked by the Turks.
So 1t is really a question whether
or not it is wise to assume the job
of the good Samaritan or to pass Ar
menia by on the Jericho road with
the priest and the Levite and wait
until such times as the thieves return
and rob and murder our own flesh
and blood. Sooner or later we must
act. To act now and to act strongly
will prevent bloodshed. To watch and
wait-will only postpone an evil day!
Copyright. 1913. BY the Wheeler Syndicate)