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The Armenian Herald / Armenian National Union of America THE ARMENIAN HERALD "The Interest of the Weakest is as Sa cred as the Interest of the Strongest." President Wilson. €<se<5 CONTRIBUTORS' COLUMN FOR OCTOBER NUMBER Mr. Archag Tchobanian, the poet, founder of the Mussulman faith. We critic, and writer, whose The Epic of especially invite the reader's attention to Armenia we published in our May num the section entitled, "The Retreat of the ber, contributes in this issue a thrilling Hordes," which is one of the most pow article on Armenia's Loyalty to the Al erful indictments against Turkish dom lies, especially written for The Armeni ination that has ever been penned by any an Herald. It is an appeal to the Amer living writer. ican public and the press to "sing that far-distant, obscure, but sublime epic" * * * which voices the heroism of the Arme nians in the Trans-Caucasus where they Mr. Arnold Toynbee's name is univer are continuing the struggle liberty in for sally known and needs no Temarks on the midst the most terrible vicissi of our part. We published in our early is tudes. sues of The Armenian Hera Id those inter esting sketches regarding the past, pres * • . • ent and future of Turkey and we thins it opportune to republish his well known Tigrane Yergate devotes the second pamphlet, entitled, The Murderm part of his structures on Turkey to the Tyranny of the Turks with a preface ky conditions prevailing in Turkey under Lord Bryce, so as to remind the public the Sultans-Khaliffs. He is not an in that the Turkish state needs final liquid*- veterate enemy of Islam as such, but he tion at the end of this war; that Armenia discloses in a masterly way some of the must completely server its connection wrong interpretations which the Turkish with Turkey, and its right to national rulers have given to the teachings of the self-government must be recognized. THE ARMENIAN HERALD VOLUME 1 OCTOBER, 1918 NUMBER 11 BRITISH POLICY ON ARMENIA We transcribe below in full a special cable to The Christian Science Monitor (October 4, 1918) from its European Bureau which speaks for itself. It is perhaps the most definite pronouncement from the Allies with regard to Armenia and the most ac curate resume of Armenia's services to the common cause which Lord Robert rightly considers "the charter of their right to liberation at the hand of the Allies." The correspondence between Lord Bryce and the Foreign Office regard ing the position of the Armenians has been issued for publication. Lord Bryce's letter, addressed to Mr. Balfour, supports a request from Boghos Nubar Pasha, head of the Armenian National Council, that the British Government should, if possible, do something to remove the painful im pression created by the terms of the statement concerning the conduct of the Armenians at Baku. After enumerating the sufferings of the Armenian people during the war, and their various services to the allied cause, Lord Bryce writes: "It would be a grave discouragement to the Armenians both in France and in European Russia, who are doing their best for the allied cause, were it supposed that a stigma was being placed on the Armenian nation as a whole." Lord Robert Cecil, replying for Mr. Balfour, writes that the latter has been much concerned at the view taken by Nubar Pasha regarding the communique reporting the events at Baku. "The Baku Armenians," he writes, "were not only an isolated remnant, but doubtless their task was made impassible from the outset, by the disorganization which prevailed, and which had thrown open to the Turks the Trans-Caucasian Railway leading to the gates of the city. Whatever may have happened at Baku, the responsibility cannot be laid at the Armenian people's door." Lord Robert continues : "The national delegation commissioned by the Katholikos in 1913 to obtain from the civilized world that justice to Ar menia which has been delayed with such terrible consequences, has given many proofs of devotion to the Allies' cause, as being the cause of all peoples striving to free the world from oppression. 571 572 THE ARMENIAN HERALD "The council of Erivan threw itself into the breach, which the Russian breakdown left open in Asia, and, after organizing resistance to Turks in the Caucasus from February to June of this year, was at length compelled by main force to suspend hostilities. "Great Britian and her allies understand the cruel necessity which forced the Armenians to take that step, and look forward to the time, perhaps not far distant, when the allied victories may reverse their un deserved misfortunes." Meanwhile, Lord Robert continues, the Armenians' services to the common cause have assuredly not been forgotten, and he ventures to mention four points which the Armenians may, he thinks, regard as the charter of their right to liberation at the hand of the Allies. One, in the autumn of 1914, the national congress of the Ottoman Ar menians, then sitting at Erzerum, was offered autonomy by the Turkish emissaries if it would actively assist Turkey in the war, but it replied that while they would do their duty individually as Ottoman subjects, they could not, as a nation, work for the cause of Turkey and her allies. Two, following this courageous refusal, the Ottoman Armenians were systematically murdered by the Turkish Government in 1915, more than 700,000 people, two-thirds of the population, being exterminated by the most cold-blooded and fiendish methods. Three, from the beginning of the war, that half of the Armenian nation under Russian sovereignty organized volunteer forces and, under their heroic leader General Andranik, bore the brunt of some of the heaviest fighting in the Caucasian campaign. Four, after the Russian army's breakdown at the end of last year, these Armenian forces took over the Caucasian front and for five months delayed the Turks' advance, thus rendering important service to the British Army in Mesopotamia, these operations in the Alexandropol and Eviran region being, of course, unconnected with those of Baku. "I may add," Lord Robert concludes, "that Armenian soldiers are still fighting in the ranks of the allied forces in Syria. They are to be found serving alike in the British, the French, and in the American armies, and have borne their part in General Allenby's great victory in Palestine. "Need I say, after this, that the policy of the Allies toward Armenia remains unaltered? If your letter and that of Nubar Pasha make it necessary for the British Government to do so, I am quite ready to re affirm our determination that wrongs such as Armenia has suffered shall be brought to an end and their recurrence made impossible." ■ ARMENIA'S LOYALTY TO THE ALLIES BY ARCHAG TCHOBANIAN The Armenian tragedy has become more than ever, what it always has been, — a sombre and magnificent epic. By the infamous treaty of Brest-Litovsk the wretched Bolsheviki have accepted, as is well known, to use their best endeavors to bring about the retrocession to Turkey, not only of all the territories of Tur kish Armenia, which the Caucasian army with the help of Armenian volunteers wrested from the Turks after such hard fought battles and sacrifices, but also the retrocession of the districts of Batoum, Ardahan, and Kars the occupation of which placed at the mercy of the Turks Rus sian Armenia—the last refuge, the last citadel of the Armenian national life. No sooner was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed by the contract ing parties than the Russian soldiers of the Caucasus withdrew from the front. The Turks took advantage of the favorable situation thus created for them, and again assumed the offensive. The moment was highly propitious for them to bring about the realisation of their Pan- Touranian schemes which have for their object the creation of a vast Turkish Empire extending from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf and including all the Turkish-speak ing races, —Turks, Osmanlis, Tartars of the caucasus, tribes of Azerbaid- jan and of Turkestan. But each and all of these races were to be placed under the auspices of Germany who thus would secure the mastery of the highways to the east and to India. The Armenian people of Aryian descent, the natural friends and allies of the liberal nations of the west, were a stumbling block for the realisa tion of this plan. Hence it was resolved to crush them. The Armenians had no other alternative, but to give way, in order to escape a new catas trophe, the very existence of what was left of them being at stake. But they preferred to resist. Prior to assuming the offensive the Turkish Commander-in-Chief proposed a separate peace on the basis of the Brest- Litovsk treaty. The Armenians, however, did not hesitate a single mo ment. They organized an army on the spur of the moment, under the command of the hero of Armenian liberty, General Andranik, who was ably assisted by two Armenian officers of the Russian army —Generals 573 574 THE ARMENIAN HERALD Nazarbekoff and Bagratouni. They were soon joined by their neighbors, the Georgians. This resistance which lasted several months was ac complished under the most painful and unsatisfactory circumstances for the Armenians. The Turks, led by German officers, were invading the country with large forces which were fully equipped with arms and am munitions, and assisted by their Tartar and Kurdish auxiliaries who at tacked the Armenians from the rear. The latter did not lose heart. They were devoid of ample ammunition and arms.
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