Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-05-26
A Mandate for Armenia?


The President has asked Congress
to undertake mandate for Armenia,
because. as he says, he believes it to
be "the wish Of the people Of the
United States that this should be
done"
How does he claim to know? Do
the people themselves know abso-
lutely that they want it done? The
President bases his assumption Of
knowledge on the manifestation OF
sympathy and material assistance
rendered to Armenia by the Ameri-
can people. But we would be inhu-
man creatures with hearts Of stone
if we had not been. stung to action
by the outrageous tortures and hide
Gus massacres perpetrated on the
Armenian people with the avoWed
purpose of exterminating the race.
Nevertheless. help extended to
group of people in the throes of war
and starvation is quite different from
a guarantee to uphold and defend
that people as an Independent nation
against all it's foes for an indefinite
period, especially when the boundary
lines and the government of that ma
ton have not been established.
1t may be that the American peo-
pie would decide in favor of accept
ing such a mandate If they were to
consult only their sentiments as
basis of judgment, but it has been
conclusively demonstrated that sem
timent and lofty idealism without
other prosaic qualities are insuffici-
ent to govern the destinies of the
world. Questions arise that have to
be answered: What is a mandate?
What does it involve? How long will
it be necessary? Is it the right thing
to do? Is It possible?
The league of nations covenant
and colonies which were emancipat-
ed by the war and which are as yet
unable to stand alone should come
under the tutelage Of advanced ma
tions who by reason of their re-
sources. their experience or geo.
graphical position" can best under
take it, The covenant specifies that
former portions of the Turkish empire
can get on with 1.-The rendering of
administrative advice and assistance
by a mandatory until such time as
they are able to stand alone"
Many things have happened since
the covenant was written. and it is
evident that advice would be made
quate to cope with all the troubles to
which Armenia is subject. General
Harbord's commission which passed
several months studying the problem.
estimated that acceptance Of the
mandate would necessitate the pres
ence Of $4,000 American troops there.
the equivalent of half the strength Of
the entire standing army of the
United States in 1916. The country
known as Armenia is beset with foes
and situated in the middle of the
worlds cauldron of turmoil. At this
moment the Bolsheviki, the Persians,
the Georgians, the Azerbaijans, the
Bulgarians, the Turks and the
Greeks are all in arms and engaged
in more or less active hostilities,
Racial, religious and territorial ha-
treds are all the time just beneath
the surface in that region, likely to
burst forth in flash. All the Euro
pean powers have agreed that none
Of them can undertake the mandate
for Armenia or for Turkey because Of
inevitable trouble that would arise
if one Of them were to become more
influential than another there. They
argue with peculiar logic that the en-
try Of the United States into that
complicated situation will operate to
clear it up and straighten it out.
Granting for the sake Of argument
that it is sentimentally and morally
right for the United States to be-
come the guardian Of Armenia, there
remains the very debatable ques-
ton of whether such guardianship
could be successfully administered
We found out to our sorrow that the
administrators cherished method OF
making war preparations and peace
negotiations by amateur tactics
was highly successful, and we know
even less about the mysteries Of the
near East.
However much transportation