Arizona republican., 1920-10-13
NEAR EAST RELIEF HOUSES INTEREST," IN
 STRICKEN PEOPLE

A statewide interest has been cre- ated in the peoples of the Near East as the result of a conference recently held | in Phoenix. This was attended by sev- eraI national officials of the Near East | Relief. together with delegates from all i parts of the state. The latter were | much impressed by the address of Dr. l Isaac Yonan, who has been called the l Hoover of Persia" because of the sig nal success which he attalned in aiding his people until they were driven out by the triumphant Turks after the col l lapse of the Russians.
 l Dr. Yonan is an Assyrian. but com- pleted his education in this country. | He was much interested in Arizona, and the Salt River valley in particu- lar. because of his knowledge of the cotton growing industry, with which he
 is thoroughly familiar through expe- rience in the arid lands of Persia and
 Arabia. as well as in our own southern states.
 | In his address to the delegates Dr. l Yonan described the terrible suffering of the peoples of the Near East in such
 a way as to leave a lasting impression 1 upon all who heard him. He said in
 part:
 What have these people suffered
 and lost in this great war? First of all.
 they have lost all their material prop
 erty; they have lost their villages.
 churches, schools. books, trees and
 vines all demolished and made a deso- lation. The Turkish object in that wild
 destruction was simply to cut off all
 the sources of livelihood. so that when the remnant of that people returned
 to their old homes nothing should they II ,l Second, they have lost more than . half of their total numbers in this great war, all of whom perished by slaugh- } ter, famine and disease. The Turks 1 were not decert enough to kill them } outright and finish them in peace, put : they were subjected to the most tor turous deaths. Over 500 900 of them
 were deported, compelled to make long
 marches to the deserts of Syria, where | they died by inches in the hands of . hunger and thirst. over 100, 900 of their 5 daughters have been put to auction and sold for nominal prices and today are ' living in the halls of Turkish harems [ The agonies of these unfortunate girls in the hands of their captors only Heaven can measure. Thousands were killed by axes and burned to ashes. Ii . would take me hours to describe the : sufferings and agonies of my people n during the past years. May God pity
 the poor remnant who are sti1 suffer d ing. All the world knows the bruta O crimes of the Turks the worst massa. o cres of all taking plaee after the armis. = tice was signed.
 There is misery and suffering ampni
 all the war ridden nations of Eufop'
 today, but what is their suffering al
 compared with that of the Armenisn
 and Syr.ans? Almost friendless, home
 less and breadless. still in the hands o
 their enemies. struggling day ard nigh
 for a bare existence. We have beel
 forgotten: we have been forsaken b.
 those good friends who promised us lib ~ erty and protection. In this hour o .Y extremity we turn our faces to thi M great nation and appeal for justice an \ mercy. How long shall We be exile and living in camps and mountains
 How long shall our daughters renal :, slaves in Turkish harems? How lon shall we suffer in the hands oe hunge "a and nakedness? Would 10 God tha pt this great American nation would fet our sorrows and extend the helpin s,5 hand to this forlorn and strangle ss people"