The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-02-16


The history Of Turkeys claim to close
the DardenelleS against foreign vessels
of war is not generally known, AS the
treaty records bearing on that point are
mainly inaccessible. As the question
will shortly come up in the European
Conference as one Of the most promi-
nent subjects Of discussion, q brief sum-
mary of the various treaty provisions
bearing upon it will enable the reader
to form more intelligent opinion upon
its merits when it is presented by Rus
STA to the Conference. Sir w. v. Har-
court, the well known English histori-
cal writer, has recently communicated
a paper upon the various treaties TO the
London Times to correct the mistaken
notions that prevail even In England,
who is most directly interested, the
statements in which furnish the basis OF
our Information. b.- 'AV -et
From the seventeenth century, at
which time Venice and Turkey were
frequently at war, to the commence
ment of the nineteenth century, the
right claimed by Turkey of keeping for
eign ships of war out of the Dardanelles
was tacitly admitted, but there was no
formal acknowledgement of it until
1909, when the Treaty of the Darda-
nelles was negotiated between Turkey
and Great Britain, in which the former
declared her intention to close the OAR
danelles and Bosphorus to ships of war
of all nations, both in time of war and
peace, and the latter engaged to respect
that right, as will be seen by the follow
ing article: - @ rsal-
ART. Nj. As It has been ut all times for
hidden to vessels Of war to enter the Canal
of Constantinople-that Is to say, into the
Straits Of the Dardanelles and that Of the
Black Sea-and rs this ancient rule of the
Ottoman Empire ought to be in like man
ner hereafter observed in time Of peace in
regard to all Powers whatsoever, the Court
of Great Britain undertakes also to conform
itself to this principle.
This was the first official declaration
of Turkeys rights in the Dardanelles,
and it was made upon Turkeys own
motion. The second came from Russia
in 1888, during the Egyptian war, in the
Treaty of Ukiar-Skelessi, which was in
reality defensive alliance, Russia be-
ing willing to accept the stipulation of
Turkey to enforce the provisions of the
treaty of 1909 as guarantee to furnish
her substantial aid I" The defensive
alliance, however, was not construed by
any European Power as giving Russia,
in case she were at war with another
Power, any more rights in the Dardan-
Giles than she had under the treaty of
1909. In 1S41 the five great Powers
England, Russia, France, Prussia, and
Austria-reaffirmed the treaty of 1909,
which thus for the first time received
general sanction from the combined
European Powers. The Treaty of Paris
of 1856 again reaffirmed the principle,
and added the following article:
The Black Sea is neutralized; its waters
and its ports, thrown open to the mercantile
marine of every nation, are formally and in
psrpetuity interdicted to the flag of war
either of the Powers possessing its coasts or
Of any other Power, with the exception Of
vessels at the mouth Of the Danube.
The last action upon the question was
taken in 1871 at the London Conference
after the close of the Franco German
war, at which the representatives of the
Powers abrogated the above clause and
agreed upon the following declaration
in its place:
The principle of the closing Of the Straits
of the Dardanelles and the BOsphorus, such
as it has been established by the separate
treaty of 1856, is maintained, with power to
his Imperial Majesty the Sultan to open the
said straits in time Of peace to the fleets of
the friendly and allied Powers in the event
that the execution of the stipulations of the
Treaty Of Paris should require it.
If we add to the above compilation
the demands of Russia on the 31st ult.,
for the opening of the Dardanelles to
vessels of all nations as one of the pre-
liminaries of peace, the conditions to be
referred to Conference of the signatO-
ries of the Treaty of Paris, the record
is complete to date. While the armed
vessels of all other nations have been
rigidly excluded from the Dardanelles,
and have never entered the straits ex-
cept in time of war, when they have
forced their way in, American war-ves-
sells have entered it on three different
occasions and sailed up to Constantine
pie without protest from the Porte
The first to enter was Capt. cambridge,
with the frigate George Washington, in
1900; the second, q frigate of twenty
guns, in 1910; and the third, the frigate
Wabash, Capt. Barron, who in 1858
passed up to Constantinople, defending
his action on the ground that the United
States was not one of the signers of the
Treaty of Paris, and meeting with a
friendly reception from the Porte. 1t
may be anticipated at the very outset that
Russia's proposition to open the Darda-
nelles, which the Treaty of Paris closed
j" in perpetuity," will be the principal
theme Of discussion, and the signal for
bitter opposition on the part of the rep
resentatives of England. HAustria or
any one of the Powers should side with |
her, it may prove the rock upon which
the Conference will split, unless Russia
should withdraw her claim. 1t is not |
impossible, however, that her claim will
be Cancelled by all the Powers except |
England, since the impression has for
some time been gaining ground in |
Europe that the only result of closing |
the Dardanelles is to make the Mediter- |
ranean Sea English waters, monopolized
by her occupation of Gibraltar and NAL !
ia. The idea has also gained ground |
very rapidly that it is unjust, if not alb
surd, to shut Russia out from the Medi- |
terranean Sea upon the merely selfish
pretext of England that to give Russia
access to Constantinople and the right |
of way through the Dardanelles would
be to threaten her route to India
Chicago Tribune. .s .1a.
AT one of the Moody and Sankey
meetings in Hartford, Conn.,, last week,
two young men were visibly affected,
and before the conclusion of the services,
that they had become con-
vinced of the error Of their ways. Their
apparent sincerity attracted favorable