The Armenian Massacres.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 7366, 14 November 1898, Page 4

The Armenian Massacres.

The annual conference of the " frienda of Armenia " in England was held at Cardiff in September, Mr J. Biyce, M.P., presiding. The president said the cinders were still hot all over the East, and they might at any moment break again into flame. They should avoid saying anything which might aggravate the existing condition of things, or cause any fresh danger fcr those who remained in Armenia, unhappily unprotected. I Some of them felt very strongly indeed upon | the events of the Jasfc few yea: s, and the j conduct of the so-called European Powers ! with respect to the massacres of two and three years ago. but it would be very reckless and selfish of them to indulge themselves by expressing their emotions on these subjects if such action would involve danger to those who remained in Armenia. He therefore appealed to everyone present to let their discussions be entirely confined to the humanitarian side of the question. One of the speakers was Pro- ' fessor Bamsay, of Aberdeen, who was j introduced as the first of archaeologists and ! students of history of Europe, and as one of those who had taken a most keen interest in the conditions of Eastern Christians. Professor Ramsay said he had stood there more as a representative of the Turkish people, and with sympathy and friendliness for the Turkish people as a whole than as a friend of the Armenians. Many of the Turks he had come in contact with had disapproved entirely of the massacre—some from motives of prudence and worldly wisdom. He confessed he had been entirely wrong when he said some time ago that it would be possible to aim at co-operation with Russia in the peaceful solution of the Eastern Question. It was impossible to resist the conviction that the conduct of the Russian mpire in this question in the East had been deliberately wrong and bad. Whereas two years ago he thought Great Britain seemed more guilty than any other country in the crisis in the East, now he felt glad to be able to think that the burden of guilt no longer rested upon our shoulders, but upon those of Kussia. It was not possible to escape the conclusion that the Russian Empire deliberately aimed at getting Armenia without the Armenians. Russia seemed deliberately to connive at the massacres of th 6 Armenians so as to get the country with as small a proportion of disaffected element as possible. He admitted that this was a grave and serious charge, but no other conclusion was possible. He thought that the friends of Armenia were at the present time true friends of the Turks as a whole, ihe thought of an autonomous Armenia was a pernicious and ruinous dream because the people did not belong to any one district, whilst they had not governing qualities. There were totally different qualities among the Turks and Greeks and Armenians. What was wanted was a united Turkish people. How was this amalgamation of the different races to come about 2 He believed that a powerful ama'gamation was perfectly possible. The prime necessity was to keep the peace, and this should be done with a strong hand. 80 long as a part of the population were in fear of death it was impossible to have ama'gamation. Mr Bryce, speaking at a later stage, said it was the action of Britain that very largely brought about the massacres. He was sorry to say it, but he did not think anyone who had examined history could doubt that if we had not- intervened, if the Powers of Europe had not intervened, and if those peop.'e had been left to themselves there would have been no massacres. When the massacres came we stood by helpless. We were profoundly grieved. Many were heartily ashamed. They thought they could do nothing, and they did nothing. If a like crisis ever arose again—and they all trusted it never might—he conld not for a moment belisve that the people of England would again allow such things to go on. Nevertheless they had the facts to consider. Those massacres happened ; the people were not protected, and the British nation failed to redeem the pledges given; and that was why they were specially bound to help those people. They did not redeem their pledges as a State. Let them do all they could as individual men and Christians.