Helping the Armenians

It is possible that Ambassador von Bernstorff will be embarrassed by the request of the state department to use his influence in behalf of the Armenians who are suffering at the hands of the Turks. He has already publicly stated that the reports of Turkish offenses against the Armenians are grossly exaggerated and that such punishment as many have been inflicted was in the nature of reprisals for rebellious behavior.

It is to be feared that the German ambassador’s sources of information were not free from bias, says the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle. Morgenthau, the American ambassador to Turkey, is in a position to obtain trustworthy information on the matter. He has urged the necessity of giving immediate aid to the Armenians. He has even submitted to Washington a plan for bringing them to the United States. Apparently the state department is not prepared to act at present upon Morgentau’s  suggestion. But it is probable that its appeal to von Barnstorff was made because of Morgenthau’s representations.

The American atrocities committee, of which Professor Samuel P. Duttion is chairman, claims to be reliably informed that the Armenians have nowhere attacked the Turks, but are victims of frenzied followers of the Mohammedan faith, In view of the Armenian massacres which have occurred in the past it is by no means improbable that these advice’s are correct.

There is sufficient evidence to warrant the belief that the Armenians are in a desperate plight. Women and children, if not slaughtered, are obliged to flee from their homes. Americans gave generously to the Poles, the Belgians and the Serbians in the hour of need. Armenians when the appeal is presented in a definite and proper manner.