Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-06-14
Will Not Agree To- Demands
Of the Powers.
PROPOSED REFoRxs in ARMENIA



n II believed Great Britstn raFQsIl
tbd Rnssia nave Deternined 10
|?> B Esres Turkey 70 opnpay.
ntinople, June 6.-The reply
"a Ia h lkish government to the notes
Representatives of Great Britain,
fance and Russia, regarding the pro-
posed reforms in Armenia, has been
delivered to the envoy. The porte's
answer is not satisfactory. Turkish gov
eminent does not agree to the principle
of the control of the proposed reforms
by the powers. After receiving the re-
ply, the ENJOYS of the three powers
held meeting, at which they decided
to refer the whole matter to their re-
spective governments. The situation
is serious, as last week the British en-
bassy informed the porte that Great
Britain had decided not to accept any
notifications of the proposition effect
| ing reforms in Armenia, and the rep
resentatives of other powers have made
the same declaration to the porte. The
reply of the Turkish government causes
surprise. 1t is thought such answer
would not be given without encourage
ment from some European power, but
the presence of the British Mediterran-
can squadron, consisting of seventeen
ships, at Beyrout, points to an agree
ment between Great Britain, France
and Russia to force Turkey to comply
with the demands of the powers.
Consequently, interesting news may
soon be flashed from Beyrout, Syria,
where it is believed the British fleet
will be called upon to support the de-
mands of the three powers. The meas
ures which Great Britain, France and
Russia insist upon as preliminary to
the reform, include the appointment of
a high commissioner from Armenia,
general amnesty and release of all po-
litical prisoners, the revision OF certain
judgments and the appointment OF a
commission to sit at Constantinople,
charged with the application of the re-
forms and working in connection with
the high commissioner.
| 1t is also demanded by the powers
that the governor and heterogeneous
of Van, Erzeroum, Sivas, Bitlis, Khar-
toum and Trebizond be Christian or
Mussulmans, according as the popula-
ton of the places is inclined. In any
case, however, either the governor OF
vice-governor of the places named is to
be Christian, and the appointment OF
these officials is to be approved by the
powers
Taxes are to be collected by local and
not by state officials, and enough is tc
be retained before the money is for
warded to Constantinople to provide
for the cost of local government, as
under the present system all tax money
is first sent to Constantinople, and but
little of it returns to Armenia.
The powers propose to compel the
porte to make radical changes in the
judicial system, in order to insure fail
trials, the surveillance of prisons anG
the abolition of torture, and the police
is to be composed of Turks and Chris
tians equally. Finally, the Turkish
government is to be compelled to strict
ly enforce the law against compulsory
conviction of Islamism.
AS already cabled, when the sulta1
read the note of the representative pow
ers, outlining the proposed reforms, hi
was not unfavoralby impressed. HI
had several conferences with the for
eign ambassadors, and the Austrian
ambassador urged him to accquiesce t.
the demands of the powers. But i
was added at the time that the sultan
appeared to be counting upon the mora
support of Emperor William of Ger
many, to whom he is known to hav'
sent an autograph letter on the sub
ject.