the Ottoman fatherland that race was the Armenian. It is the
Armenians who wear most nearly the national dress, who speak
and write Turkish best, and recognize the Ottoman country as
their fatherland. Besides this it is the Armenians who engage
in commerce and agriculture, and thus, by demonstrating its
fruitfulness, increase the value of the Ottoman Empire. Because
a few among them justly started an agitation, these our noble
and industrious brethren were being massacred. What a terrible
scene! When we left the school building we saw hundreds of the
bodies of our Armenian compatriots being removed in manure
carts; legs and arms were hanging down outside. This bloody
scene will ever remain impressed on my mind.
“This shocking crime of Yildiz formed a deep lake of blood,
and this lake, during the whole course of a cursed absolutism,
up to the last moment, grew wider. Even during the past
nine months of the Constitution, in spite of the brotherly
feelings which had been shown, the awful events in Adana took
place and the souls of all true Osmanlis melted into tears.
Up to the present time the deep sorrow caused by this event
has not disappeared, because this bloody wound in our social
body cannot easily be cured. While we fill our stomachs with
choice morsels, while we rest selfishly in our comfortable
beds, these fatherless and brotherless orphans, widows hungry,
naked, and barefoot wander hither and thither, and thousands
of families are fleeing from the fatherland. We are convinced
that the government is doing its work, but what has happened
is so great a calamity that it can keep a government busy for
years. However much sacrifice we may make, still it will be
inadequate, because the happiness of the fatherland depends on
healing such blood wounds as these as soon as possible. We are
convinced that the government and all connected with it are
persuaded of this as well as ourselves. We must now wipe out
the traces of the misfortune brought by a cursed period. We
must now comfort weeping hearts. We must understand and teach
those who do not understand that patriotism and brotherhood
do not differ from each other. The responsibility of the
government for the Armenians is very great and very weighty.
The whole Ottoman nation is under obligations to protect this
suffering race, because the liberty we enjoy to-day is in large
part due to the blood shed by the Armenians. We thought that
these truths were so obvious that we preferred to keep silence,
whereas to-day we understand that it is necessary from time to
time to recall the greatness of our obligation. We must not
forget that this unhappy people up to yesterday has endured
only barbarism, and for twelve years has been constantly
oppressed and ground to the earth, and has given thousands of
victims.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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