Mr. Terrell to Mr.
Olney.
Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, September 25,
1896. (Received Oct. 10.)
No. 995.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose for your
information the copy of a note from the consul general here, with its
inclosures, which relate to the unfriendly bearing of Turkish
authorities toward the Mossoul missionaries. The interference by the
Government with the work of teaching by subjects of Turkey the children
of Turkish subjects can scarcely be prevented by the fact that an
American missionary exercises periodical supervision over the schools.
The right to visit outlying congregations is also naturally desired by
those devoted to spiritual enlightenment, but in times of revolution
such visits by suspected men to the people of a suspected and seditious
race are naturally objectionable to the Government.
I can only deplore the failure to obtain permission to erect residences
for the American teachers of Mossoul outside of the city. At present no
remedy is apparent, but I will renew efforts to have the desired permit.
The threat that missionaries might not be allowed to remain in the
country long is not confined to Mossoul.
My successful efforts during a period of comparative quiet three years
ago to secure the arrest and punishment in that region for the
assailants of Miss Melton seems to have had good effect until recently.
I now fear that a period of severe trial is in store for the
missionaries at Mossoul also.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
995.]
Mr. Short to
Mr. Terrell.
Consulate-General of the United States,
Constantinople, September 22, 1896.
Sir: With further reference to my dispatch
No. 250, of September 5, 1896, and its inclosures, I have the honor
to inclose herewith for your information copy of a dispatch, No.
117, of the 3d instant, with three inclosures, just received from
United States Consul Hurner, at Bagdad, relative to the protection
of the American mission in his district.
I am, etc.,
Luther Short,
United States
Consul-General.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
995.]
Mr. Hurner to
Mr. Short.
Bagdad, September 3,
1896.
Sir: In compliance with my letter of August
13, under No. 115, by which I had the honor to remit to your
excellency copies of correspondence exchanged between our mission
and the vali of Mossoul, I beg to submit again to you herewith
copies of two letters received from our missionaries at Mossoul,
dated August 21 and 24, as well as a copy of a letter from the vali
of Mossoul, No. 512, dated 15 Rabiul Awal (August 24), which is in
answer to my letter to him under date of August 10, copy of which
was remitted to your excellency August 13, 1896.
[Page 866]
I beg your excellency to be kind enough to let me have your
instructions in this matter, so I may be able to proceed in this
matter and lend protection to our missionaries in a more efficacious
manner, if possible.
I have, etc.,
Rud. Hurner,
United States
Vice-Consul.
[Inclosure 3 in No.
995.]
Rev. Mr. McDowell to Mr. Hurner.
Mossoul, August 21,
1896.
Sir: Your favor, No. 108, of July 13 was
received only this week by the Constantinople post. You have already
been informed of the effort being made to have us expelled from
Mossoul, and your prompt and most satisfactory answer in reference
to the same has been received, for which we desire to express our
thanks.
In addition to this, and in compliance with your instructions to
inform you of the conduct of the Government toward our mission, we
would cite the following instances in which we think our treaty
rights have been violated:
1. The Government has refused to allow us to visit our congregations
in outlying districts. The first refusal, made last fall, was based
on the disturbed condition of the country and was acquiesced in by
us. Later, when it became evident that we could travel without
danger to ourselves and without fear of disturbance, our request was
again presented to the vali, and this time was peremptorily refused,
with the added remark that it was not certain that we would be
allowed to remain in Mossoul.
We have repeatedly asked permission to visit places in which we have
congregations, but have been invariably forbidden to go, and on one
occasion the vali told us plainly that it was the intention of the
Government to expel us.
Inasmuch as our mission has been in operation for sixty years and our
right to visit our most distant congregations has never been
questioned by the Government, this has seemed to us to be an
arbitrary interference with our work and a violation of our treaty
rights.
2. Recently a number of our followers and helpers were arrested in
Amedia by orders of the vali on the charge of teaching schools
without official permission. Some of those arrested had never been
in our employ. Others had taught small village schools during the
past winter, but were not teaching at the time of their arrest.
These, after a short imprisonment and after being charged not to
receive us hereafter in their villages, were released.
Two of the number who were preachers, not teachers, were brought down
to Mossoul and thrown into prison. They are now out on bail, but are
not allowed to return, to their work.
These village schools are composed of little children. The only
instruction is in reading and the only text-book is the Bible. This
also seems to be an unwarranted interference with our work with a
view to breaking it up.
Your letter to the vali will be delivered this week. We leave it to
your judgment as to whether it sufficiently covers all these
cases.
In behalf of the mission, yours, etc.,
[Page 867]
[Inclosure 4 in No.
995.]
Rev. Mr. Ainslie to Mr. Hurner.
Mossoul, August 24,
1896.
Sir: Your letter to myself, No. 118, is not
in my hand, but I thank you for your prompt response. I have written
to the consul general asking for a passport for my daughter. When I
know more definitely the time of her departure I will apply for a
road teskeri. It may be I can get it here without troubling you, as
I have friends in that department.
Dr. Hansen and I went to the serai on Saturday and presented your
letter to the vali. He is not here at present, having gone to
Kerook, but the cadi is his deputy and opened the letter. After
glancing through the letter hastily, he asked us: “Who has been
oppressing you?” I told him that our letter was from the consul to
the vali, and that any questions should be referred to the writer of
the letter.
Other members of the council saw the letter and they at once asked
the same question. I told them that I did not think the consul had
written anything about oppression.
They seemed rather stirred up about the letter, and I think it will
do good. We do not know when the vali will return. The secretary of
our mission, Rev. C W. McDowell, has written you about the attempt
the Government is making to break up our work in the mountains by
threatening and imprisoning our teachers and preachers, and refusing
us permission to go to the mountains to superintend our work. I hope
the influence from this letter will be such that they will give us
more freedom in the future. If not we must ask them for more
definite information as to whether they propose to debar us from
that part of our work permanently. If we are to be forbidden to do
anything there we must know the reasons.
There is another matter which I suppose would have been mentioned by
the secretary, but as he did not mention it I will tell you of
it.
In the beginning of 1895 we bought a piece of land just outside of
the city to use for residences. We obtained the transfer of the
title to my name and applied for permission to build four
residences. As the land is plow land it is necessary to get
permission from Constantinople.
The vali who was then here (Aziz Pasha) approved our permit
officially with the Mylis el Ederat, and sent the matter up to
Constantinople. There it progressed favorably until the Armenian
trouble, when everything stopped. I went to this vali a few weeks
ago to ask him to revive the matter in Constantinople that we might
go on with our building. He replied very bluntly that our request to
build houses was only a blind for a school, and that no permit would
be granted us. He said much more in the same strain.
We have dug out much stone and have planted some trees. We began to
build a low wall around the premises to protect the trees and to
give us a quiet kind of a garden where we could go out of the city
for fresh air without intrusion from the public. But last winter the
vali (Saleh Pasha) sent us a sharp order to stop building the wall,
and we have not been allowed to complete it.
The shed for a watchman is in ruins and we began to build a new one,
a simple shed to shelter a watchman and to protect him from the
rain. But this was stopped last winter. As winter will soon be on us
again we are anxious to build this shed, but have little hope that
this vali will allow us anything. Perhaps you can advise us what to
do.
[Page 868]
Our secretary of
legation, Mr. Riddle, told me over a year ago that we needed no
permit to build a boundary wall. But we have been refused permission
to build it, and now herds of cattle roam over our land unless
driven off by the watchman. And if we go there for a breath of fresh
air we find crowds of people sitting there and no privacy anywhere.
We would like to use part of the land for a garden, but can do
nothing as long as everything is open and unguarded. We have at
times almost given up the hope of being allowed to build at all, as
the feeling against American missionaries seems so strong. What do
you think of it? Is there any hope that the political situation will
so clear up that we may obtain our rights in this direction?
Excuse me for writing so long a letter. I wanted to explain the
situation to you quite clearly.
Yours, respectfully,
[Inclosure 5 in No.
995.—Translation.]
The Vali to Mr.
Hurner.
Mossoul, August 12,
1312 (Turkish).
In reply to your communication of August 10, 1896, in which you state
that the citizens of the United States of North America residing in
the vilayet of Mossoul are molested by some people who are incited
by the local authorities, and that such an action will lay the
responsibility on the Imperial Government, I beg to say that up to
this day no molestation or vexation has been offered to them from
anybody, and as in every case the Imperial Government has never
neglected to secure the continuous welfare and quietness to all
subjects of friendly powers, it never failed to extend its
protection to these also.
Elseid Ahmed Feiz,
Acting Vali.
