TURKISH CRUELTIES

Evening Star, Issue 16409, 27 April 1917, Page 6

TURKISH CRUELTIES

DISEASE AND FAMINE IN THE HOLY LAND. The plight of the people of the Holy Land owing to the cruelties of the Turks was brought to the notice of a hugely-at-tended meeting held at the Mansion House, London, on February 20, in support of the fund for the relief of Syria and Palestine. Lieutenant-colonel Sir Henry MacMahon (chairman of the London' Commit-, tec) road a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who wrote The cloud of mystery which has overhung what is happening in the Hoiy Land throughout these terrible months is not yet lifted, and one almost trembles to think what will be revealed when we have access to all the facts.” '1 he Lord Mayor, who presided, said it was known that 80,000 persons in one district alone in the stricken land hud died irom starvation. The Bishop of London, who said the message of the War Loan and its great success would be one of the finest assets to us in the coming months, described the causa for which they were assembled as one of the greatest for which the Help of the Mansion house had ever been invoked. He believed that we had been absolutely misled at home about the character of the lurk, and we had been taken in hy the picture of the lurk, with his long white beard and his benevolent aspect. ‘'Handsome is as handsome does'”; hut “ugly is as ugly does ” was alto true, and the ugliest and most devilish things in the world’s history had been done by the Turk. Until he was swept out of Europe we should have no peace. (Cheers.) Lord Bryce said he thought that in some ways the position of the unfortunate subjects of the Turkish Empire was worse than that ox others who had suffered, because here the cruelties had been perpetrated by the Government of the country itself. All the male population of Palestine, even those who had purchased exemption, had been forced into the army. In Jerusalem a year ago, 40,000 people were living on’ rations doled out by the Get’3nau Government, whereits formerly the country had provided more than sufficient for its own support. A year ago it was reported that two-thirds of the population of the villages around Jerusalem had perished by dPease and famine. Since then thitigs had been growing steadily worse. A very large number of people had been executed lor no other reason than that they were Christians. He did not know how far it was true, but he had heard that in some cases the Turks carried their desire to exterminate the non-Moslem element so far as to send infectious persons to Christian and Jewish villages in order to spread disease. The Turks knew they were a had Government, and in order to preclude any possible movement on the part of the people—because there had been no movement—they thought they had better destroy them in anticipation. What judgment were we to form of a Government which knew itself to be so wicked and so hated, that before its subjects made any movement it determined to exterminate them ? That was the rule of the Turk. That was the rulj of those Young Turks—worse even than Abdul Hamid hiirTself—who 10 years ago overthrew the rule of Abdul Hamid to proclaim equal rights for all inhabitants of the Turkish Empire. Did we want any more proof that the Turk ought not to bo allowed to remain as a ruling Power? The Bishop of London wished that tho Turks should be driven out of Europe. He (Lord Bryce) -would drive the Turk—as a ruling Power, and not tho simple Turkish peasant—out of everywhere. (Cheers.) He was not fit to rule over per sent of any faith. A lady in the audience—announced her intention of contributing £2OO, and it was stated that a missionary had given a cheque for £SOO on behalf of himself and his wife.