Show I TURK PLEA to BE f WITH RY TACT ACT i REJECtED BY Y YI ENTENTE I Ottoman CorCI Governments Government's Excuse e for Participating in in War Ridiculed by l Clemenceau Who y Says Na Nation ti n Is Is' Not Fit to Rule p Peoples s. s t By Associated Press PARIS June 27 The 27 The alli allied d council la has s replied to the Turkish memorandum memorandum dum saying inS that It could not accept the Turkish claim that Its territories be restored undiminished The Tho statement of Da mod Sherif Sherlf Pasha delivered to tho council council council coun coun- cil of or ten Tuesday June 17 r respecting the Turkish h position nn anti and nl also o the re reply reply re- re pl ply of the Tilled allied and anel n associated associated 1 governments KOV- KOV J dated June Juno 25 were ero ma made c public today The Turkish noto note follows fol follows fol- fol lows lous Gentlemen should l I. should not bo be bold boM enough h to conic come before the high assembly assembly assem assem- bl bly if it I thought that the Ottoman people people peo- peo plo has hns Incurred nay any share of or responsibility In the war which has ravaged Europe and 1111 Asia with fire an and sword f I 1 apologize in advance for the de development development development de- de which I J must give to my nn statement for or I am In point of or fact defending defending de de- de- de the thc public opinion opinion fending today before ion fon of or the whole world and before his his- tOl a most complicated and understood understood under under- stood ca case c. c CRIMES OF TURKS In the course course- of ot th J war nearl nearly the whole civilized cl world was shocked by byth bythe bytho th the tho recital of or the tho crimes alleged ed to have ha been committed b by the Turks It Is far from m my cast a n. veil yen i over over these misdeeds e ds 1 which are such uch as ns to to make tho the conscience nce of ot mankind thud shudder cr with horror forever fore Still less will I J I endeavor to minimize the tho degree of ot guilt hullt of of the thi actors In tho the great drama dr drama ma The aim which I have ha sot for form m myself Is that of ot showing to the world with Ith proofs In m my hand n who are the tho trul truly responsible authors of ot these terrible ter ter- I crimes I We Ve are under no mm Illusions In recard re- re card ard to the extent of ot the dissatisfaction I tion which surrounds us wo we are aro ab- ab convinced that th a mass of ot unfortunate unfortunate un un- fortunate events has hns made mado Turkey appear ap rip- I ap-I pe pear r In an unfavorable light However How How- cv over ever r when the truth has haj once been br brought night to light it will warn civilized n nations lons and posterity against passing an unjust ju judgment upon us S SECRET CRET TREATIES BLAMED The responsibility for or the war w In th tho East East assumed assumed without the l knowledge knowl no I ed edge o of ot the soverign or of or the people i in the Black sea b by a a. German ship commanded ed b by a German admiral miral I rests entirely with tho the signatories of tho secret treaties which were unknown un- un known alike to tho Ottoman l people ople and to the European These agre agreements ments were concluded between th of ot the kaiser n and d the heads of ot tho revolutionary committee who at the beginning of ot 1 1014 1914 4 had placed themselves in power b by means of coup I call to witness the official dispatches ex exchanged ox- ox x- x changed between the representatives es of France and Great Grent Britain and their respective re respective re- re e governments during the three months which preceded the tho outbreak of ot hostilities between Turkey an and the empire em em- pie pire of the czar czars When war had once been ll declared the eternal covetousness of Russia as r regards Constantinople was skillfully represented to the people as an nehl danger and anxiety for the preservation a ion o of national existence thereupon rendered the struggle lc a desperate on one Our archives are arc moreover thrown enit en- en l it bh 11 ei v r oven onen to an which would I enable tho the statements I I 1 have havethe havethe the honor to make to this high assembly assembly assem assem- bly to bo ho amply confirmed I In In regard to lo the other tragic tr e events here herl the declarations declarations declara declara- I beg leave vc to repeat lions which I haw have repeatedly made to the Ottoman senate Turkey deplores dellores the murder of a great number of her Christian as much as ns sh she does docs that of ot Moslems properly speak speak- in ing In point of ot fact the committee of or union and progress not content with the crimes perpetrated against Christians Christians Christians Chris Chris- condemned to death cleath by every means Moslems HEAP OF RUINS t Several hun hundreds reds of ot thousands s of or tho these e unfortunate beings hunted from their homes aro are still Atm wandering about toda today In tho the middle lc of or Asia Minor without shelter an and without any relief reller for tor their vcr very existence And even enen if tho they returned to their provinces pro they would find themselves Just as destitute for tor a n. large number of towns and villages vii vil lages both Moslem anti and Christian have havo been completely destroyed Asia Minor lInor Is to today ay nothing but a vast heap of ot nil Tho The new government notwithstanding notwithstanding standing Its vigilant care has been as ast asyet asyet yet ct unable to mitigate tho the disastrous t effects of or the cataclysm It will always ays be easily po possible to confirm my assel as- as sel lions by hy an inquiry on tho the spot pot It Is necessary however to dismiss an any theory of or racial conflict or 01 an any explosion of or religious Moreover Moreover More More- 0 over the Turkish people at a a. time when violence could st strive iye c successfully I against rl right ht showed itself able to re respect respect respect re- re the tho lives the honor and tho the sa sacred sacred sa- sa cred feelings of tho the Christian nations subject to its laws Jaws It would woul bo be fairer to judge the Ottoman nation h by Its long history as a whole rather than by bya a single period which shows It in inthe tho the most disadvantageous ad light Ugh PARALYZED BY TYRANNY Whatever er bo ho the names b by which I they are aro called the tho principles nn and the I methods of both Russian and Turkish h revolutionaries are the same namely I. I to destroy society In order older or er to seize its ruins by putting its members out of ot the wa way and taking t possession of ot their property Europe and America are aro endeavoring en- en orInC ea at the cost of or Immense sacrifices sacrifices sac sac- to deliver er tho the Slav people whose whoso ostensible attitude e toward the I entente is sc scarcely different at the I 1 present time from that of ot the Turks R for fOl both have havo bet been n re reduced to silence and both hoth are paralyzed b by an unheard of or tyranny The memorandum um goes on to state that the tho truth has begun to filter filler through and that the trial of tho the I Unionists at t Constantinople has proven pro I Ithe the responsibility of ot the leaders of the committee for tho the war and the other tragic events It Is asserted tho ho mission mission mission mis mis- sion of Turkey will henceforth bo be de devoted devoted tie tie- voted to an intensive economic and intellectual Intellectual in intellectual In- In culture In order to become a useful factor In Jn the league of nations It is stated state tho Ottoman people de desire desire tie tie- sire to see the end enel of continued occupation occupation pation patton of ot its territories ten and it Is asserted as asserted asserted as- as this occupation has leas resulted in excesses committed to the hurt of ot the Moslem population It desir with equal lua earnestness the maintenance on on the basis basi of or the status quo antebellum of ot the Integrity Integ integ- rity of the Ottoman empire which during tho the last forty ort years rears has haB been reduced to the least possible limits LINE FOR DEFENSE It It lastly wishes to be he granted In Thrace to tho the northwest of Adrian Adrian- op ople w where hero tho Mohammedan an population population tion Ion is in an overwhelming majority a frontier line which will render possIble possible possible pos pos- sible tho the d defense of ot and Constantinople What we ask for tor thus is moreover completely in conformity with President President dent ent Wilsons Wilson's principles which we In Invoked Invoked In- In when we r requested quested an nn armistice A fresh tresh l parceling out of ot the Ottoman empire would woul entirely upset the balance balanco bal bal- ance unco of ot the flue east enst Even n a plebiscite would not solve tho tIno question for the tho supreme Interests of ot more than Moslems arc are involved Involve and they form an Important fraction of or tho the whole of ot the human race The Tho conscience of the world worM could only approve e con conditions of ot peace which aro are with right with the aspirations of ot peoples and with eminent eminent eminent emi emi- nent Justice The allied reply follows Tho The council of ot the principal alllan allied an and associated powers pov have read with the tho most careful attention the memorandum memorandum mem mem- presented to them b by your yom excellency on June 17 and in accor accordance accord accord- ance anco with the tho promise then made de desire do- do sire now to offer tho ho following observation atlon upon ItIn it It In yo your r recital of the political In In- In I which accompanied Turl Turkeys Turkey's s entry Into tho the war an and of tho tragedies les which followed it your excellency makes no attempt to excuse or qualify tho the crimes of or which the Turkish government government gov gov- gov was waR then guilty It is a admitted admitted admit admit- ted directly or b by Implication that Turlee Turkey had ha hano no cause of or quarrel with tho the entente powers that she acted as tho ho subservient tool of Germany German that the tho war begun without excuse and conducted without mel mercy cy was accompanied accorn- accorn by massacres whose calculated atrocity equals or exceeds any anything thins thins- In recorded history CLAIMS SUMMARIZED But it la is argued that these crimes were committed committe by a Turkish government government govern govern- ment mont for whose misdeeds ee s the Turkish people were not responsible that there thore was in them no element of rell religious ious fanaticism that Moslems suffered from thorn them not less lesi than Christians that the they were entirely out of or harmony with Turkish tra tradition as historically exhibited exhibited ex ex- In the treatment by Turkey of ot subject races that th tho ho maintenance or orthe orthe orthe the Turkish empire is necessary for tor forthe forthe the religious equilibrium of fit the world so that policy not less than Justice requires that its territories should be restored restore un undiminished as they existed when when the the war broke out The council can neither accept this conclusion nor the argument by which it IB le supported The They do not indeed In dl that the present government of ot Turkey profoundly disapproves of the policy pursue pursued by its predecessors Even It if considerations of morality did not weight with it It ns as doubtless they did did consideration consideration of expediency lenc would be conclusive e As individuals Indi its members member havo have ever every motive o as ns well as er e every right to repudiate late the tho actions which have proved pro so disastrous to their country NO EXCUSE FOR TURKEY But speaking generally a nation must be governed by tho government which rules it which directs its foreign for for- I eign policy which controls is its armies Nor can Turkey claim calm a any iy relief reller from the legitimate consequences of or this doctrine merely because her affairs at a a. most critical moment in her history history history his his- tory had fallen into tho han hands a of ot otmen men utterly devoid old of ot the tho principle of or pit pity could not even command success success suc suc- cess It seems however that the claim for or complete territorial restoration put forward orward in tho the I la is not based merely on tho the plea that Turkey should not be required to s suffer stiffer for tor the tho sins of her ministers It has a deeper ground It appeals to tho the history of or Turkish rule in the tho past an and to tho the conditions condition of ot affairs in the Moslem world orld w world Now the council I Ik anxious not to enter Into unnecessary controversy ers or orto orto orto to inflict needless pain on your our excellency ex excellency ex- ex and tho the delegates who an any vany you ou It wishes well to the Turkish Turkish Tur- Tur kish ish people and admires their excellent excellent excel- excel lent ent qualities But It cannot admit that among those qualities aro are to bo be counted capacity to rule over o alien races The experiment has been tried too oo long and too often orten for there to bethe bo be bothe bothe the least doubt as ns to its Ita result TALES OF HISTORY History tells us of ot many Turkish h successes and of ot man many Turkish tie tie- de defeats e- e feats of ot nations conquered and natIons nations nations na na- na- na freed treed Tho The memorandum Itself refers to the he reductions that have taken place In n the territories s recently under Ot Ottoman Ottoman Ottoman Ot- Ot toman sovereignty Yet in all these changes there Is no case to be bo found either in Europe or Asia or Africa In n which the establishment of at TurkIsh Turkish Turk- Turk Ish sh rule in any country countr has not been heen followed b by a diminution of or material pro prosperity and a 0 fall faB in tho the level le of or culture Nor is If there hero on any cat case e to tobe tobo tojo bo be jo found in which the tho withdrawal of ofT T Turkish rule rulo has not been boen en followed b by bya a growth In material prosperity and anda a rise In tho level of or culture Neither among tho ho Christians of or Europe nor among the tho Moslems ms of Syria Arabia and Africa has th the Turk done other than destroy wherever er h It has las conquered never has he shown hown himself eJr able to develop elop in peace what ho 10 has hag won h by war Not ot in this di direction direction di- di do hit his talents lieThe lieThe lie The obvious conclusion from these nets facts would seem to be he that since Turkey has without the least excuse or provocation pro deliberately attacked the entente powers and been boen d defeated she has thrown upon the victors the hen heavy duty of or determining tho the destiny of or the various populations in her heterogeneous hete ht heterogeneous empire This duty the council of ot tho the principal allied an and anas as associated as- as powers desires to carry out as far tar as 08 rosy may bo be In accordance with the wishes and permanent interests of or ortho tho ho populations themselves RELIGIOUS RIVALRIES But tho thov council observes with re regret regret regret re- re gret that the memorandum Introduces In this connection a wholly different or order r of consideration based base on op opposed opposed opposed op- op posed religious rivalries The Tho TurkIsh Turkish Turkish Turk Turk- ish empire Is It seems seem to be preserved preserved preserved pre pre- served unchanged not so o much because because because be be- cause this would be to time the advantage a either of or the Moslems or of th the Christians Christians Chris ChrIs- within its borders but because its Iti maintenance is demanded b by the tho religious sentiment of men men who never nover felt the Turkish yoke or havo have forgotten forgot forgot- ten how heavily it Wel weighs hs on those who aro comp |