The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-08
GEN. LEW WALLACE.
Views of the Ex-Minister TO Turkey on
Variety of Topics.

Variety of Topics.
| New York Tribune.
| Gen. Lew Wallace, late minister to TurkeS.
| bronZed and hearty looked through pair II
| gold bowed spectacles and greeted Tribune re-
porter heartily at the Gsey House the Other
| day. When asked for a talk about Turkey, he
| lit Turkish cigar to get rid of it, as he said.
because the cigars in this country are much irer,
he said
well, am home again from foreign shore,
and | am returning more than ever satisfied with
my own country. l was always an intense
American but am even more than ever. I
nave no desire whatever to 60 away again. Thu
possibilities OF manhood in this country are to bs
| found nowhere else: certainly nowhere ia
Europe The possibilities of our country itself
are nowhere excelled."
You have made quite tour of your return.
| ing journeyP
Yes; | came through Naples Rome Flor.
ence, Paris and London. | want to sound note
| of warning, as a result of my observations in
| those places All of those cities are well pre-
pared against cholera Their streets are so extra.
ordinarily clean that the first thing that struck
| me on my arrival in New York was the condition
| of its thoroughfares. Any foreigner, any re-
turning citizen, cannot help being struck with
thu laxlty that fails to use this first precautlon
| against that epidemic, which is liable to appear
at any time All Europe is on the alert All
| Americans ought to be So
Was the Afghanistan difficulty over when
| you left Turkey!
II left them on May 90 The Turkish gov
| eminent has been very uneasy about the AT
| ghanistan affair. But her officers have been
| calm and retcent. They were fearful Of teng
| drawn into collision. if one took place They
| had general opinion, however that war would
| be averted. They do not talk at all about Rus
| sian designs on Austria or Constantinople. They
| are wise in their reticenee. Their view Of
| the Russian movement toward Herat ia that the
| Russians seeking line of trade beginning
| at the head of the Persian gulf and, with the
| line of railroad now in process of construction
| coming into active competition with the Suez
canal That is my view of the i'm
| mediate OBJECT of the Russian govern
ment That line Of trade is eventually to go to
| some point on the eastern Mediterranean, say at
| Alexandretta, Smyrna or Constantinople, or
north of the Black Sea, thence westerly to Eu-
! rope. l cannot say whether the Turks think the
| old Russian policy of securing Constantinopie
has abandoned or not. They do not talk about
It, The difficulty between England and Russia
is only temporarily laid. Both powers are ready
to tight. and eventually must come to it. I
| think they would be fighting now, but Bismarck
| discovered that the German capitalists held
| $4cO, 900, 600 of Russian bonds and that host.
| ties would seriously affect their values and bring
| about a crash In Germany Almost at the last
moment he whispered in the ears of the parties
and stopped it. With the tremendous force he
has organized in Germany he has only to whis
| per"
What about Turkeys fnancesw-
| ''Her financial troubles grow out of the Turco
| Russian war. They crvstalzed at tho Berlin
| conference Of the six powers Turkey under
| the pressure, undertook to make an arrangement
with her creditors, English, French, German
/ and Austrian, and went too far She pledged
| too many of her resources This is one instance
| at least, where honesty was not the best policy
| The result is that she has ever since. to use
familiar phrase, been SHINING around to find
| money to meet the expenses of her government.
| The resources of Turkey, the riches of Turkey
naturally, only to be compared to those Of
our own country. The mistaken policy of the
Turks is that they will not draw these re-
| sources One day they will be compelled to 30
so. Then what she has IN the way of mines,
silver god, "copper" iron, coal, and in good acri-
cultural lands will astonish tbs world They
hav9 no idea of utilizing these resources at pres
ent. Theirs is the repressive policy. 1t is tho
opposite of our own, which may be designated
as the aggressive policy. She has an abundance
to pay all her detts with ease. Her financial
condition places her under bonds to keep tho
| peace. AS between Russia and England hes.
| diplomacy is to keep neutral. But she cannot
remain SO, and when she engages. Europe will
! follow"
Are our commercial relations with Turkey
| growing?'
Eyes, steadily. The balance too, is largely in
| our favor We furnish thom petroleum, certain
cotton goods. and alcohol. The principal export
| is petroleum. Our chief competitor is Russia
| She has the geographical advantage. We have
| the advantage of superior quality of product,
which at this time more than compensates. II
| our exporters. however, pursue the mistaken
| policy they have begun of sending over poor
quality of oil, they must inevitably lose the mar
ket totally. I would like, therefore, to avail
myself of the Tribunes columns to give them
| general notice to send nothing but the best thew
| produce. If they will do that they have nothing
| to fear from Russia but will always be masters
in Turkish ports It has been demonstrated
that there is in the Russian article some quality
not desirable which they have been unable to
overcome in the processes Of refining Skilled
persons are of the opinion that the difficulty can
not be overcome
| General Wallace has gone to Quaker Hill,
| Duchess county, to remain there a few days
! He will then go to New Mexico, to give his per
sonal attention to mining property in which he
! is interested.