New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-03
WHAT Ais THE SICK MAN
IMPLICATED ILLS THAT THREATEN
DEATH TO THE PORTE.


aTbe war-cloud in the Balkans" has for years
,en sorely Overworked factor in the news
a the day. Whenever other topics OF interest
wore lacking il has always been possible u cOnJoIc
m some threat against the peace OF the world
IN that much-troublcd quarter Many OF those
scsres have been entirely fictitious Ii is far
n cry TO Stamboul. and Imaginative correspond
II ant or an ingenious editor could evolve from MS
il inner consciousness the most clabOrateiN alarm
ing plots and cOuntcrplots without fear OF contra
diction The state of affairs in Bulgaria, Scryia
and Turkey is really bad enough. But II hall
that has been said were true, the whole peninsula
would have been military graveyard years ago.
Without doubt. however the drift, Of affairs is
steadily irrcsstibly and Enthusiastically toward the
had so far as Turkey is concerned: and 50 bdd
has the condition now become that the end cannot
be far off The dismissal of Prince bismarck
from Office removed the only efcctual guarantee
ga peaceful settlement of this hopelessy involved
Eastern Question. The Ottoman Empire. an
Europe at any rate is in desperate plight, and
the most desperate feature of il is the apparent
/ apathy of the Porte and its unwillingncss 10 do
1 ANYTHING for its own preservation. do not
imagine, however, that this passive attitude IS
! Voluntarily assumed by the amilbc and we'll
meaning gentleman who lives in the llldH hioSk'
or by his Ministers Ii is forced upon them by
fanatical priesthood of Islam Christian Europe
SAWS the Sultan must do and SO. The leaders
of Islam SAYS he must not, under peril 0f hlS
throne and his life. And between the NO. the
armies of Europe and the pricst!cd mob oil islnh'
tbe Porte is between the devil and the deep sea.
No wonder it let's things drift 10 destruction as
they please.
By no means the least important OF the
troubles of Turkey are of a financial nature For
hos h.nr Nlp Inn al
with debts Not until now. however have It's
c,editors become mcnacing in their demands for
settlement Russia now declares that the long
\ DELAYED war indemnity must he paid at once. IL
Il is not she will take fOTciblc steps TO collect 1t
Now for the Porte TO pay the indemnity is as
absolute an impOssibility, financially, as 1t would
be for a penniless tramp 10 buy out the Koths-
chds. Moreover. if 1t were financially possible,
there is the Sheik-ul-lsam declaring that if the
Sultan pays a single penny to the giaour. his
head will be forfeit. And then there Is Bui-
raria from which comes a large proportion OF
turkeys revenue NJ Stambuoh, the energetic
and patriotic statesman who manages the affairs
Of that principaty declares frankly that IN
less the Porte comedies certain Bulgarian de
,nands, that tribute will be paid no more; while
Russia declares that for the Porte to grant those
demands will be a casus bell That Is the Porte
must pay the indemnify or there will he trouble.
But it can get money only from Bulgaria, ana
only on certain conditions. And if IL complies
with those conditions there will he trouble.
For some time the Sultan and his Ministers
have been holding numerous conferences ana the
representatives of foreign powers have been sbi-
iarly busy They have all been considering plans
for q change in the stewardship oil the STATE
debt. Particularly in German quarters II IS stated
that the English creditors anticipate the trans
81. ,l.lin .i.l4
10 the Ottoman Bank To tins the German cred
itors are naturally opposed. and have taken steps
10 prevent it, in connection with which opposi-
ton is the journey 10 Berlin of their delegate,
Herr (Ierlich Secretary the Legation. NJ.
Aubaret. the delegate of the French creditors,
goes hand-in-land with bis German colleague Al
present the debt is administered by the Council
of Bondholders. institution which the for'c
has long been anxious 10 get rid oil. Despite
the opposition of Germany, there now seems d
probability of the administration being given
over TO the Ottoman Bank. This bank. 1t IS
supposed will establish separate department
for the new adniinis and MI vincent
Caillord IL is rumored will be placed at the head
,of the department. Mr.. Caillard. who at present
slls the chair of the Council and is the delegate
of the English bondhodcrs. is. though young, an
experienced man. and is believed 10 be one OF the
chief promoters of the idea 70 abolish The Coun-
ell But REGARDLESS of the fact of the Ottoman
Rank having upward of $2j.000000 at its dis
posal and of Sir Edgar Vincent. man OF in
partial sympathics and high attainments being
the Encouragement. the new combination. III the
opinion of the Germans. would not afford the some
security which the international administration
of to-day offers the Turkish creditors
Should Russia proceed 10 extreme measures. il
would undoubtedly be in Armenia upon the
borders Of which province sic has for some tine
been massing troops and where invasion
would be greatly facilitated by the state of dis
affection and scmi-rebellion into which the once
loyal Armenians have been driven by misrUe and
outrage. The Porte processes 10 look upon the
disturbance at Erzeroum rs of little importance
and only Of local significance Yet 10000 troops
have just been ordered thther; and Russian
agents are TO be found among the leaders Of the
Instruction Nor affairs in Crete by any
h means adjusted. A serious complication of dill
sulties still exists relative to the collecting of
The tthes among the refractory mountalneers.
The changes brought about by Chalir Pach0 last
autumn with a view 10 rlghtng traditional
wrongs in the cXtOrtiOn of tthes have met with
peat disiavor among the Christians ana
raised against the payment of tItheS Ia cash. The
provincial government referred The question 10
the Porte: and its decision favorable - the
popular demand, namely, that in accord with in
divldual inclnatiOns the uthcS might be PAID
either in money kind. lie local authorities
accordingly hoped that the decision Of the Porte
would meet with general acceptance ana that
further difficulties would arise. In this they
disappointed 4 large number Of tjtLc pIvers--
about 40o-dcclarcd their determination 10 de
sst from paying titheS I'm future under any cir
cumstances, and III order TO escape the plcatiOn
OF force on the part OF the authorities withdrew
10 the Skah Mountains where they have formed
INTO bands, depending the exercise of their
predatory prOpenstcS for a livelihood. Dschevad
Pacha has taken energetic measures against the
/ indictments by commissioning llassan Boy the
| colonel OF the eendarnc force AT Canca nj the
1 mead OF II gendaineS. 10 proceed 70 KiSsanOs
II and Olnal0S. and the NJ