In 1908 when, after a revolution, Turkey proclaimed a constitutional
government someone had to pay the penalty for the disturbance. As usual
the Armenians paid it with the massacre of 25,000 Christians at Adana.
Now that the Turk is being driven out of Europe upon whom is his wrath
going to fall?
Greeks, Bulgarians, Servians and Roumanians all have served their time
under the Turkish rule of massacre and oppression but they were
fortunate. Geographical conditions helped them to free themselves. The
Armenians revolted, too, although isolated from Christian neighbors and
surrounded by ten Turks and Kurds to one Armenian.
The Armenian is the tiller of the land in Asia Minor. During the old
regime because of the systematic oppression, some of the Armenians had
to emigrate to earn a living. Others could not work their lands for the
government had sold their oxen for taxes. The lands of these
unfortunates, were grabbed by force by the Turks. For four years during
the constitutional government this question was before the Turkish
Parliament and was never settled. The Ottoman government can never
realize that the poverty of the public means the poverty of the
government.
Asiatic Turkey is blessed by fine agricultural land, yet Turkey instead
of exporting wheat has to import flour. During the war while I was in
Constantinople half of that city was without bread for a day and a half
on one occasion. The soldiers brought over from Asia Minor were without
food and they were plundering the bakeshops in the city.
In 1908 when Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, the young Turks
invited all the Moslem population of these regions to migrate to Turkey
and promised them money and lands. Thousands responded but they were
disappointed and were saddled on the Christian population of Macedonia.
This started a natural hatred towards the Moslems, and when the war
started these immigrants wisely flew towards Asia Minor, the promised
land. The government is shipping them to Asia Minor and Armenia at the
rate of 1,500 a day. What will become of the Armenians on whom is
already saddled twice more than they can endure by the Asiatic horde of
Turks and Kurds?
The war was renewed because Turkey did not wish to have a few Mosques in
Adrianople under the Christian rule. Yet the Turk did not think anything
about the ancient churches in Asia Minor that were defiled and ruined by
the Moslem hordes, nor of the bodies of the clergy which were mutilated
in time of peace.
What kind of government can one expect from a race that has no such
thing as home and family in the civilized sense of domestic conduct,
laws, sincerity and happiness? And what kind of laws and ruling can be
expected for the infidel and subject race to the above government? Yet
Europe will content itself believing that the Turk will be good
hereafter and will enforce the traditionary promised reforms in Armenia.