The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-09
STRICKEN ARMENIA
&C. i. s.s..s SEES DAWN OF HOPE
ny ROBERT wEzLEs RrTCHrE.


Paris. dan. 2s tby maiD How To
rAlifa abe remnants OF people thai
II 3FAN. survived two decades OF massa-
ere. deportation. pestiience and famine
: Gndshcw TO build in the midst Of allen
surroundings a state which viii have
reasonable security and guarantee an
ake-olsa desire OF It's people for free
<lpm.-thfs Il the problem OF Armenia,
(which viii come before the peace con
f1r<nce for settlement OF all the
kmO4tys questions concerning the rehA-
4 Mutation Of small peopies-"self-de-
.sAerntnatton." our president calls tt
none offers more difficulties. yet none
- cries for justice deserved than this
5Ue33, Armenian issue.
Here in Paris there IL . headquar-
s4<ya Of Armenian national effort.
which In obscure and difficult Of ac-
ocsa. AZ is almost lost In the maze OF
@proeAsarda being spread by scores of
n rAree nnG nationalities struggling to
SHmerEc into place in the sun
skAtOuGh the Intervention OF the peace
II unnferAnce and it's world council. But
II found Il. ard what I learned there
ress or to America. for the tale of
ssAEsnensa' struggle for a state OF It's
.4pWa should appeal to American sense
OF fair play.
To begin with, remember that be-
fore this war Armenia was under the
ssuxerainty of the Turk, and a success
sfon OF Turkish administrators shared
the same belief that the best way to
solve the Armenian problem Was to
cause the extinction OF the Arme-
rians; 'he problem" for the Turks
was simply one of Christian people
ihrust into thu midst OF Mohammedan
territory and cutting Asia Minor
through in the middle
In 1885 the world WAS Mortified
Nv the first rassacres OF the Arme-
ri>us In 1908 a second carnival OF
:. killing ,drench~d the unhappy land
&sM biood Again, in 1918. after
sTHrKsy had entered the war on the
side of the Central Powers. and when
the fllrnsy excuse offered that Arme-
rians might threaten in thhrear
Turkish army sent against the Rus
sisns in the Caucasus the Turks I'M
tiatcd the lest and most terrible OF
Their wholesale Killings.
The shocking totals OF men. women
and children put to the sword or
'Irtxrn-sn rcpcd bands until they died
OF exhaustion have all been set forth
in the Bryce report upon Turkish
atrocities In Armenia. In round num-
bers. 500 900 Armenians have been
eliminated" by the Turks since 1915
and another 100000 survived the
marches TITO exile and are now await
ing opportunity TO return to their ma
tive land.
In a word a whole country has been
nearly swept clean Of Its population.
Not even Serbia during the great re-
d treat fof the winter Of 1915 suffered
more wholesale desoiation Of it's
wealth and population. But the Ar
menians are a resistant race. TWEEN
.yty.l7vr thousand of them escaped and
fA<<en ~ - - Al T.
tho. Causacus; 5000 OF them became
fNpt niers under the British General AL
fcnby In the conquest Of Palestine and
Syria. SOC. 900 suffered deportation but
are ready to return and are returning
already to their ruined olive orchards
and vineyards. There liz still an Ar
menian people.
The f1Fxt tep toward freedom was
taken at the time OF the Rolsheyist
revolution in Russia. when the Ar
menians living In Russian territory
along the Black Sea formed the re-
public OF Ararat. This was little
over a year ago. Now, with the COM
ptete defeat OF the Turks. the repub-
1icans Of the north have sicnffed their
Willingness To merge their inew state
with a United Armenia to be born of
the wreckare and tatt.rs of Turkish
Armenia Nut,ar Pasha Ia the genius
Of the Armenian hope born Of the
tremendous necessitics Of the time.
and IL Is he who heads the movement
for rehabil:ated Armenia which
may hope fnr ultimate place among
the free nations.
Eubar Pasha Is the son of famous
father OF the same name who was
once prime minister OF Egypt and
whose work Of regeneration there won
the praises both OF Lord Cromer and
Lord Miner. He has been appointed
10 head i delegation Of Armcnians
row on their way to Paris to seek q
hearing from the conference, and II
there IL a hrst president OF Armenia
doubtless ne will MI that Office
But how, you ask. can \ people ~
duced BY barhartsm to less than one
half sts original number hope to stand
or Its. own feet aEl protect a country
far too large to accommodate itself to
20 srarse a population?
The Armenians appreciate the
gravity of the problem, ana do not
SEEK TO do more than they feel them
selves able to accomplish. Their plan
= to ask that they he adopted tenn
porariiy a. the wards Of a stronger
nAu0n--Great Britain or the United
6saAeA; that this fostering big brother
establish q government for them and
Assist them to md themselves in adj
Shinfsterattve matters. give them a
md preserve order until a native con-
o&AD0saYy can be organized, and
sMheNe All else--finsnce them until
tsy can get their syxtems Of taxes and
Gooeons IN working order. This last
y the greatest necessity, for Arme-
nj = absolutely Impoverished.
The Aumility OF the Armenians IN
Admitting their present incapacity
~ - asking assistance until they grow
= DGeP n admirable and In marked
lNst with the somewhat bump
mnoertiyeness OF many another
la4e equally incap abie to govern
49, nj insistent upon it's right TO
~ AtaNe- II should win the sym
Z Da&Aye3 he conference ana secure as
instances But II 10 safe to say the
MED states. however sym pathetic Il
- Nth Armenian aspirations, is
EEke1y 70 assume responsibility for
= eOWoen1nent 70 far from home
xae Advocates OF 4 united Armenia
~ mot anticipate any serious difficult
- With their neighbors IN Akin.
o6A0Aftos for the new state, for the
1nt1D4 81, the Armenian occupation are
N4lfH veil set New Armenia viii. In
NLM09. GBa.repubiic Of Ararat sly Turk