It should be your earnest aim to secure full liberty and protection for the
institutions which, like those now in question, have conformed to the often
onerous and vexatious requirements of the Turkish Government in regard to
worship and teaching. The recent recognition of the rights of such
institutions and protection of their legitimate interests received at
Bourdour and Marsovan, indicate a disposition to deal with this class of
questions in a just and tolerant spirit.
[Inclosure.]
A restatement of facts relating to the unjust and
illegal opposition of the Turkish authorities in Latakia, Syria, to
the American mission there.
Attention is called, first of all, to the confiscation of mission
property at Jendairia.
First. A primary school for boys was opened in Jendairia in the year
1865, and was kept open every year until closed by the general order of
the Turkish Government in the year 1887.
In the fall of 1883, as no suitable place could be found in the village
for the ever-increasing work, the mission decided to purchase a lot and
erect suitable buildings. As they had not as yet been required to get a
firman before building or opening a school,” the missionaries then
stationed in Latakia, Dr. A. J. Dodds, Rev. W. J. Sproull, and Rev.
Henry Easson, bought the ruins of a house and the ground belonging to it
from three brothers, and secured the deed of sale in their names,
witnessed by two chiefs of the village and others, according to the
custom of the place and time, the three brothers being present. The
paper, which was drawn in the names of the missionaries, because the
Turkish Government will not give a deed of property to a board located
in a foreign land, was prepared by a Mohammedan, who has promised to
bear witness at any time to its regularity.
The local government knew that the house was built by and owned by the
American
[Page 637]
mission at Latakia,
and the Government officials have used the house while staying in the
village, as it was the only comfortable and clean place to be found
there.
Second. In 1887, by the general order above mentioned, the school there,
as well as other schools, were closed, and our mission, at the request
of the American legation, presented the diplomas of teachers and
programme of studies taught in our schools to the local board of
education, and these were forwarded by said board to the vilayet of
Damascus, and afterward returned to Beirut, when the new vilayet was
formed, and there they lie even till this day.
About the same time samples of all the books used in the mission schools
were sent to the Vilayet, and no book is used in these schools that does
not bear the sanction of the Turkish Government.
Minister Straus, after a two years’ conflict, secured an agreement
permitting the reopening of all schools where the missionaries had
complied with article 129 of the Turkish school law, and as our mission
had done so, it was instructed by Consul Bissinger, of Beirut to reopen
the schools, and did so.
The present governor of Latakia district, a year or so after, forbade the
teachers to work for the American mission, and, as he denies the
existence of a school where the mission does not own the building, he
thought he would be safer if he confiscated the property in the
mountain. Accordingly in October, 1891, without form of trial or even a
notice to the mission, he took the mission property from the agent and
gave it to the former owners.
Our mission appealed to the Vilayet Beirut and the American consul there,
but could get no redress. The case was then carried to the legation at
Constantinople, and Minister Hirsch, we understand, wrote an official
note to the Sublime Porte demanding the restoration of the property to
the mission, but to this day it has not been restored, and we have been
informed within a few days that no further action will be taken in the
matter without fresh instructions from Washington. This delay is
inexplicable, when it is well known that the property belonged, not to
natives, but to loyal American citizens, and is held by properly
executed deeds.
In the second place, attention is called to the mission property at
Aidaim.
In November, 1891, the governor of Lataokia gave orders for its seizure.
Through Vilayet of Beruit, the mission secured a stay of that order, but
the governor has never countermanded it, openly, at least. Besides, he
has driven the teacher, one of our licentiates, and his son, with their
families, out of the place and has allowed, if not encouraged, the
Fellakin to occupy the grounds, so that the property will eventually be
destroyed unless arrangements can soon be made to put one in the house.
So far as the mission knows, there is no flaw in the title to this
property.
In the third place, attention is called to schools illegally closed. We
give below a list of these schools:
Jendairia, Ain Lebu, Sil Marcho and Mushaisafay on the plains near
Latakia, Gunaimia, Ishbutgo, Muzaira, Dibbashand Al-dainay in the
Kaimakamati of Gebley, and Inkzik in the Vilayet of Aleppo.
These are all old schools having been in existence from fifteen to
twenty-eight years, and in every case the mission had complied with the
Turkish school law. All of these schools were reopened by order of the
American legation, and surely the honor of the Government of the United
States is pledged to see that the mission is allowed to carry on school
work without obstruction, in accordance with an agreement entered into
between its representative at Constantinople and the Sublime Porte,
April 20, 1887.
In the last place, the governor of Latakia is becoming every day more
imperious in his demands, evidently determined to drive our missionaries
out of Serbia. The chiefs are forbidden under penatly of arrest and
imprisonment to allow them to conduct any form of service in their
villages. In this way he is exciting the people against them; and, if
the people were to act on his orders, it would not be safe for our
missionaries to go out among them.
R. M. sommerville,
Secretary Foreign Mission Board of the Reformed
Presbyterian Church.
