New-York tribune., 1884-03-23
TROUBLE WITH TURKEY.
THE AMERICAN MINISTER'S FINAL DEMAND
FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.

FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
frRox TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
CoNsrANrINOPLg. March ].
The recent policy of the Sublime Porte toward 'uo
United States and its citizens resident IN turkey Is
not flattering to the pride of Americans. Ii may
even he called decidedly hostile to American inter-
eSts. "a
The Porte wished TO have n revision OF the 'arin
on imports Through earelessness II lei lapso INC
period during which notice of abrogatlon VI lno
tariff might be legally given and then u caun'y ue-
elared the tariff abrogated 1t wished TO ralse from
the American petroleum brought INTO tIe country
marc revenue than the treaty would allow; 50 n
opnorncad that il would collect this increased duty
nd has collected it under thin disguise ever since
II wishes 10 do away with the treaty restrictions
which protect Americans from the rapacity or the
stupidity of petty officials, it approves OF viola
fion by its officials of the domicie OF an American
consular agent in Syria, and of the illegal and un-
lust trial. sentence and Imprisonment OF an Aheli-
can citizen in one Of the islands of the Archipelago
1t does these things with approving conscience
as if no treaties existed. In fact, so far as the
United States is concerned, Turkey has plainly
shown that IL believes that ignoring treaties 1t can
adopt the policy which it has recently enuncated
in regard to the charter of the Greek clergy to wit:
Greeks need not suppose that the interests of the
Imperial Government are to be haInpered by mere
charters"
The Porte in deciding how far It is safe 10 ailoht
foreign Governments, has even ranked the United
States below some of the European States hVeh
the smallest of European Governments can nearly
ALWAYS obtain the courtesy of an answer 10 their
concentrations But the Porte duTng the past year
has treated General Wallace if he were the repre-
sentative of a Danubian Principaity. Remon-
STRANGE after rcmOnstrance against iresh VoI"'iohs
of the treaties it has left unanswered and II mas re-
peatedlv omitted the courtesy of bare acknOwi-
In fnefI
relying upon the distance of the United states ana
has perbaps been emboldened by the fact that
American var-ships cling closely to the western END
of the Mediterranean Perhaps its officials even sup
nose that the American navy is afraid to risk adVeh
lures so far from home the coasts of the Levant
General Wallace has conducted himself with dig
nitv and has kept his temper under most trying cir
cumstances But week ago matters came to
crisis General Wallace found it necessary, for the
sake of the safety of American citizens in Turkey to
press for some definition of the situation. During
nearly five weeks he had been refused personal IN
terview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the
ground of indspositiOn" During all that time the
representative of that Minister declined to enter
upon any discussion of the important questions at
ISSUE Four times the Minister Plenipotentary OF
the United States had been turned away from the
door of the Sublime Porte by the refusal of the
Grand Vizier TO see him. Each time plausible rea-
sons were assigned which seemed to render any IN
slstance on the part of the General uncourteous
Yet it became daily more evident that all these
nlausible excuses for declining negotiation on the
injuries done by Turkey to American commerce and
10 American citizens part of settled purpose
DOT to redress the wrongs.
On February % General Wallace went TO the
Porte once more TO the Minister OF torelgn
Affairs and found that he was out lie was further
told m the blandest that the Minister would
not be in the next day nor the next. ms was
little too much. and the General proceeded TO the
Grand Vizier's Office HI was met nc the door with
the usual profuse regrets that His Highness was too
bnsy 10 see the Minister of the United States.
General Wallace insisted upon an interview IN such
terms that the Turk at length condescended TO Offer
in case he was excused this occasion. to vouch-
safe an interview on any day the General might
name. An hour was fixed for the next day, and the
interview took place General Wallace then pre-
sented 10 the Grand Vizer a brief paper setting
forth the repeated failure of the Porte 10 redress
violations of the treaties and its persistent neglect
20 notice the demands OF the United States LOT
money damages for the benefit of individual Amerl-
cans injured by the action of the Porte, and Tor
mally demanding within ten days an answer TO the
communications so long left unanswered am tod
that the Grand Vizier after reading this ultmatum
undertook to refuse to receive 1t. and wished TO
arcue the matter He claimed thai the United
State, must await q chance of finding the Minister
of Foreign Affairs less indisposed.' However, he
could not help himself as 10 the question OF re
ceiving General Walace's note, and now the Minis
try are celebrating on the course to be pursued.
All Americans here much gratlhed at the ullh-
ness shown by General Wallace in this matter The
long patience of our Government with the insulting
attitude of the Porte had almost led Us TO fear that
II did not realize the necessity for defending its dig
ulty in this far-off land.
The interests at stake ASIDE from those directly
commercial are the lives as well as the property OF
some 400 American citizens, men, women and chill
dren resident in Turkey. OF these citizens the ma
iortv are missionaries scattered over the country,
from Macedon to MesopOtamia. They arc conduct
ing thirty higher educational institutions, colleges
girls somnares and the like. besides fostering some
200 common schools managed on American princ-
pies and using American textbooks that nave been
translated into the various languages. They con-
duct also a large book business selling about
10000 volumes a year. The money invested in
the educational and publication business consisting
of buildings. @plant" stock, etc, is about
ST OOO, 900. OF this property one-half is in Con-
stantinople and the rest in about twenty different
cities in the interior of Turkey. These missionaries
have been sent TO Turkey by large constituency in
America in whose hearts they have warm place
They engage in no business that is not legalzed by
the laws Of the land and by treaties with the United
States. During fifty years the Turkish Government
has never once found an American missionary
transgressing his limitations under the treaties In
fact these Americans never ask Onehalf tho privi-
leges that are freely given by the Turks TO French
subjects engaged in similar operations. These de-
tails show that the American interests TO be pro-
tected in Turkey, although so largely connected
with the missions, such that failure TO show
determination i'll protecting them would detract
from the dignity Of the United States Government.
\ oeoine hat he gofC oil