New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-30
TURKISH DUPLIClTY.
HE pORTE'S ANSWER TO GENERAL WALL
u" <Cr- VIOLATION OF TREATIES.

- ,.,cr,, AN coRgysroxpEST OF THE rRIBUSEl
psoN mo '"'' CoYsTANT1NOrLU, March IL.
The Turkish Government yleld"g " tIa
vallaees demand. has given an answer 10 'no
,o,,octed claims for redress of wrongs
A., % American citizens. These claims "e'o
.,,;o,,o1l,. presented in full reliance upon Tue
., or oouty of the Porte IN the 1orm VI
,oorcsts for the Punishment of the guilty parties
H.. instead of furnishing, the Turkish government
r. uro,ccted men who have injured American c',i-
CONS II has extended its impartial 1aNors ann ~
soYptry officials and to highway robbers IL mas
Aims taken upon itself the Tesponsloiii'! ior tnoi
octs The form of the demand after months OF I'D
tient waiting was for this reason changed mo "
claim upon the Porte for money indemnity loi 'no
;;,,rcl nersons The Porte entirely ignored the
rosoutntion of these claims and thus forced upon
+ba Iuitod STATES the need of making categoricai
demand for an answer of some kind, with the AFTER
native of accepting the position IN wmch Il CON
tnued silence of the Turks would place it-the posi-
non of an obstreperous complainant toe mSighlh-
cant to he noticed.
; THE categorical demand made and secured
ne answer in the form of general refusal OF all the
claims The United States has occasion to be CRATE
ful IN the Turks for at last granting it hearing, al
ibough the answer received does not very much ad-
vance the question of rghtng the wrongs but
simultaneously with this answer the sheWo uiplo
mats of the Sublime Porte have raised a new qucs-
1ion. They claim that the United States Minister
has been guilty of violation of diplomatic usage III
addressing the Grand Nzier instead OF waiting Ills
chances of seeing the Minister OF Foreign AHaHS
All who have ever ha occasion TO take case mo
Turkish court are familiar with the bewilderins
sensation produced by being unexpectedly trans
formed fl ON plaintiff into defendant. II You sue
cccd in seeming the arrest of burglar who has en-
tered your house You will probably find at the police
courr that Won are yourself under guard ana on
trial for having robbed the burglar OF pistol OF
dagger while he was peacefully promehadhg
+Lrouoh vour rooms In fact. You will be lucky II
YOU get of by agreeing 10 drop your suit IN the nope
that the burglar will be mnrclftl enough to waive
the prosecution of his charge Men now lie Ill
Turkish prisons whose sole offence is the use oI
firearms in driving off midnight maiauders They
are tbc criminals. while the robbers have gone free.
OF the same order of defen We strategy Is the
charge raised lv tie Porte against General wallace
This charge is eypcctrd t. turn the attention OF the
United States Government from the real points al
issue BIT that Government ought to know now
r++erlv unprccedented * the claim that the Min
lister of the United States may not present demands
directly TO the Grand Nizicr. All Powers present
demands TO the Grand Nizicr whenever they Choose
and some of the other Ambassadors made some very
urgent representations to the Grand Nlzer within
few hours of General Waace's interview 1t Is
true that diplomatic negotiations with the Porte are
os a rule conducted through the Foreign once
Rut inst so soon rs a question becomes hot-and
hardly week passes ia these days without qnrS-
tion becoming hottie Ambassador OF the rover
concerned inevitably goes to the Grand \Hler
about IT, The only exception to this rule Is When
one Of the great Ambassadors instead OF gong NM
self sends one of his understrapperS to make oo-
mand upon the Grand Nnier The Porte natnriIiy
docs NOT like these critical interviews with the chief
~ NJ lut womb
twice before undertaking to refuse Lord Duiiern
access 10 the Grand Yzier and 1t has never hitherto
at4e,pSed to bar the Grand Viziels door 10 an
American Minister The attempt in this case is an
attenpt TO rate the United States IN lower cafe
CORY than the class of Great Powers. Ii the Ohittu
States is of 10 more Importance than Servia OF
R,umania the American Minister has not the
privilege of the European Ambassadors. and has no
means of presenting questions TO the Porte wnen
tbe Minister of Foreign Affairs is occupied or ndis-
nosed. This effort to set aside the established
nrecedruts of diplomatic usage far as the United
States is concerned is the and substance of the
new point raised 10y the Porte in lieu OF satisfying
the legitimate demands Of the Government
The-beoplc of the United States have themselves
70 thank in no small degree. for the disagreeable
task which now devolyes upon their Government
The Turks have taken up false position as to the
respect due to the United States. 1t devolves upon
rccede from this false position. IL it does no insist
urop this its representatives must henccforth
sneak with bated breath in the presence of the great
inca Of Turkey. But the. Turks would not have
beru encouraged to form their false views OF the
position of America had Congress taken pains TO
have the power of the United States cxhlDited III
these regions. With these Eastern lands America
has commerce which is still OF sufficient import
auce 20 80 worth projecting. But throughout these
S. I,o
officials and people from breaking up the commerce
of forejr, gaours" In ali these lands the people
from the least to the greatest learn no lessons that
ore not object lessons. Bnt they no sign OF the
power of the United States. There Is here a small
steam launch which is hired by the United Stajcs
Government for the Legation 10 use III official visits
on the Bosphorus But it is standing joke among
Turks as among European diplomats, that tins eN-
moment of the power and glory of the United States
is only hired during two or three months OF the
wear and that Congress- in appropratng for it,
economically made the proyiS0 that this steam
laupch shonld be for the joint use of the Minister
and the Consul Thus all the world knows that the
United States Government obliges its Minister to
as its ConsulS consent before he ran use the steam
launch and that often wbea the Consul happens to
be cut in the launch important business of the
Legation must await his return before the Minister
ran communicate with the city. Once IN two or
three years an American snip oi "dr may H"ACa
lasty trip along the coast, creating an evanesceht
impression perhaps. But there is before the eyes
nf these people no abiding picture OF the United
States rs a force in the world. Hence the people
take us at our owniy aluaOn. Well-infOrmed, OF at
least influential people at ConstantinOple have
notion that the greatness Of the United States cX-
lists only because European governments shrink
from attempting adventures beyond the mighty At
lantic. Americans may have grown rich by a iong
Immunity from attack but they have no army. no
navy and would Le instantly conquered if "A