New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-01

to give the pork trade over Into the hands OF Ger
many where it appears that the pigs are of IRE
proachable character Thus the four articles OF
| American commerce which have fonnd Turkey q
good market are, the act Of the Turkish Govern
ment laid under ban. to the vast delight of those
who compete with America in this market. OF
| course cannot tell how the matter will be viewed
| by your merchants-less how it will strike the
official mind at Washington But from this region
it looks as though it would require very extra
amount of frank and open smiles the part Of the
| Turkish representatives in Washington to satisfy
the Secretary of State of the superiority of the
| Turkish view as to American interests here.
Another illustration of the small value placed on
American interests by the Turks is the care OF the
ook-publishing house set up by the American
Board and the American Bible Society. These
American publishers have been building up trade
in books in Turkey during nearly fifty years. They
have conformed to Turkish law in all respeots-sub-
NIT all their publications to the Government APP
prevail before pubcation-and have invested capital
| In the book business upon receiving such approval
and authorizations in this and in previous reigns
seemed to warrant tie investment The fact that
these publishers American citizens with bust
interests remains in spite of the fact that they
are acting from benevolent motives. Since they sell
In the markets of the land all the books that they
manufacture and since they have the authorization
of the Turkish Government to sell their books, they
are on precisely the footing any other bus-
ness house of Americans engaged in lawful trade.
Their agents found in all parts Of the country
| and their sales amount to 100000 or 200, 900 vol
umes yearly of all kinds of books. During the last
few years these American publishers have been SUBJ
jected to amount of illegal interference on the
part of Turkish officials altogether unparalleled in
ft,o;r If of
books OF arrests of agents engaged in this author
lied trade have pnt the publishers to great expense
and Inconvenience. Yet the Turkish Government
utterly fails to yield 10 any request for redress orfor
provision against similar illegal actions in future
Whether there is sympathy not in the objects OF
these American publishers, there must be in the
American people a sense of fair play which will see
that .her great money interests be not left to be
tOyed with by men who expect impunity iii touting
a very distant and good-natured and cOnfiding
nation. The fact is that unless the United States
Government shall show that it can and will protect
American interests the last vestige OF American
trade in the Levant will soon be crushed out And
its epitaph will be: "Ded of good-natured neglect
The reasoning apparatus of the Turk is phenome-
nal. You cannot affect him by argument. The only
argument W hlch he employs when he is determined,
Is force and therefore only by the display of force
can he be led to that any Others are determined
have said above that the European interests IN
Turkey are alternating That circumstance does
not lead to any abatement Of expectancy as to new
complications with Russia in the near future. Both
Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia are in more or
less feverish condition. And this reminds me of
little Joke on one of the Bulgarian Ministers. He
had draft of a severe law on the press which he
desired to send to the confidential printer OF the
Government But he had also defence of the
same law which he wished to send to the editor OF
the Martsa in order to prepare the public mind for
its issue But there was error in addressing the
envelopes. The confidential package went to the
newspaper editor and got published entire, with
comments. The poor Minister is angry but helpless.