Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-02

could it be otherwise when the local
police are everywhere unpaid? The
finances Of the empire are in a condition
which none but an Interested person could
regard hopefully. A recent English
writer on the subject has claimed that
great credit was due TO the Porte because
ithad reduced the floating debt. He ought
to have explained how the reduction has
been made If debtor defers payment
until his creditors die OF, or are driven to
accent compositions under the belief that
IL they do not take what Is offered they
will get nothing at all, il isnOt q iHloult 10
reduce hiss Indebtedness. Yet this is the
way in winch the floating debt of Turkey
has been reduced. Subject, perhaps, TO a
few exceptions, though know of none eX-
cent the case of certain European officials
who were fortunate enough to have their
salaries placedupOu the listOtthe Ottoman
Bank. there is not Turkish official in the
country whose salary is not many months
in arrears. Merchants, LAWYERS, and other
business men complain that they can get
nothing done IN any ofthe Turkish offices
without backsheesh, because the
officials state that as they are not paid
they are not going to work. An English
statesman, who knew Turkey well ten
years ago. recently remarked to me that,
without having himself seen what the
Decentralization Of the country is, he
could not have believed IL possible that
Turkey should have lost so much ground
within so short time. There is indeed
one form of activity which is in marked
contrast with the general inertness that
has characterized the action OF the
Porte. Under the influence OF the late
Grand Vizier a series of efforts have been
made to deprive foreigners OF the priv
ileges they possess under the capitula-
tons. These efforts would in every in
stance have been mischieVOus 10 the Porte
if they had succeeded. but in every in-
stance they have failed.
The stagnauOn which reiyns in BUSH
ness is OF the most terrible kind.
Branches Of trade which were almost
| mOnopolies of Turkey have Eeen lost.
The transit trade TO Persia has gone.
The trade with Bulgaria might have been
kept IL the Turks would have allowed
Constsntinople to have been port OF
transsbipment. AS they insisted upon
merchandise intended for that province
paying Turkish customs duties, in which
! case the goods would have TO pay twice
! over, merchants naturally sent their wares
| direct to Bulgaria to the ruin OF those mer-
| chants VINO had been engaged in the i'm
portatiou of goods for Bulgaria. The et-
! feet, | may mention incidentally, has been
! to the beneft Of GermSn and Austrian
manufacturers, whose goods are sent
! down the Danube. The trade had hlther-
! to been largely in the hands of English
/ and French manufacturers. The inten-
! ton ~ Turkey was, Of course, merely to
/ benefit itself and TO spite the Bulgarians;
| the effect has been to deprive Turkey Of
! any advantage whatever from commerce
! with the richest portion of the empire.
! The measure of the announcement given
] n trade ms nv no 4 knp from the fact that
/ the local post which was suppressed
/ some four or five years ago lest IL should
! facilitate conspiracy still remains abol-
/ fshed. Let LondOners in business try and
1 realize what such a fact means.
The disorga HiZation in Turkey and the
( falling of IN It's trade are the more re-
/ marx able when compared with the pro-
gress made in Greece and Bulgaria. DR..
( Washburn has already explained what
/ has been done IN the newly enfranchs d
province. A few week ago l was in Ath-
! ems. and had the opportunity OF seeing the
! quite remarkable progress which Greece
/ IS making. Evidence of her progress is
! 90 be found here also. Ten years ago a
/ Greek merchant steamer had hardly been
seen in the Bosphorus. Now, lying of
Soutari with the feet of English steamers
/ on their way to and from the Black sea or
I the Danube, the Greek flag is constantly
7 HbFus 1uA q Yum NleAl dotAf tbf ~ ~
! its IN tha BospbOrus, where it IS not due
/ to Western Europeans, belongs to Greeks
( resident IN tne capital.
/ There is, moreover, a remark able change
coming over the POPULATION Of Turkey, to
/ which cannot DO Justice in this letter.
Throughout the empire the Turkish popu-
latOn is decreasing az a rate which 1t Is
( difficult TO account for, while the Chris
tian populations Is increasing. The reports
4 10 Hfs1L~
/ give extraordinary evidence of TINS TACT
I have abundance Of testimony to the like
effect. An English Consul told me that
where, in JOurneying between the capital
and his post, he had a dozen years age
/ passed through IS Turkish villages, there
! we're now only u; that these II were
/ smaller than they had previously been
that where there-had been three or four
mosques there were low only two or
| three. The Christian villages, on the con-
| trary, were increasing ia mum bers aud in
population. | have endeavored TO learn
I whether thereis any portion of the en-
I pire where a reverse process IS at work.
/ There has been really great emigration
of the Moslem population from European
Turkey to Asia Minor; but. in spite of
such movement, ] cannot find any evil
dence that any Turkish town has in
creased in population, except it be three
/ or IOuf Villages Oh lu1 4AHIdtic hlNt VI lut'
Dardanelles. In f3c;, the Eastern ques-
ton is settling itself, and if policy of
"hands or could be maintained and
Turkey lett without external interior
ence Of any kind the inevitable result
would ensue very quickly in Europe and
remembering That am speaking OF the
life OF natiOn-nOt very remotely in Asia
! Minor.
The immediate danger TO Turkey and
also to European peace, once the Bulga-
rian difficulty is disposed Of, is MacedO-
MIA. The DISCRIMINATION which reigns
there is complete. Opportunity should be
taken OF the present crisis to insist upon
the establishment OF an autonomous gov
eminent upon the lines laid down by the
commission Of which Lord Edmond Fitz-
maurice was member. The difficulties
Of good government IN Macedonia are in
creased by the jealousy Of Greeks and
Bulgarians. The ultimate settlement OF
the respective rights Of these races viii
take long time, and each Is anxious that
/ the other shall not prejudge the question
by occupying territory. At present the
game OF The Turk is TO ally himself with
the Greek population against the Bulga-
rian, and the result il 10 porpetuate and
intensity ill-feelng between the races A
government more or less detached from
the Porte would do mnch 10 quiet this
jealousy, would at least preserve order
and make life and property secure, which