The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-24
Under His Stupid Reign There
Has Been a Degeneration
of Diplomats.
STATESMEN DIFFERENTIATED.
No One Would Be Surprised if the
Troubled Crown-Wearer Should
Flee on His Yacht.
fCopyright, 1895, by the New York Times. ]

enC the Eastern question COHSiSto eAl4Oiy
of rumors, which breed with such fecund-
ity and circulate with such careering swift
ness that it is quite impossible for events
to keep up with them. or events, indeed,
one gets barely so much as glimpse.
The only tangible issue OF the week has
been whether there should be ten foreign
gunboats inside the Bosphorus or six, and
we are still in doubt if that has really been
decided or not; all else is marking time.
Russias alleged demurrer to Austria's
plan for Joint action created an excitement
at the beginning of the week which
was much heightened by the bourse
rumor from Berlin that Germany had
made an anti-British combination
with Russia and France to extend
their Chinese policy to Turkey,
but this latter turned out to be
strictly financial canard, and the former
has now been whitfield down to reassuring
dimensions Russia, it is said, has merely
pointed out that article II of the London
convention of 1871 stood in the way of
such a naval demonstration as Austria's
proposal contemplated as a last resort,
and that this could only be waived by
consent of all the six powers, which, no
doubt, might be arranged, but which was
100 important a matter to be left to the
discretion of the En- bassadors on the spot.
This objection was accepted as reasonable,
and there the dissent ended.
The British Foreign Office for the mo-
ment, l am told, attaches more import
ance to the revolt in Yemen than to any
thing else, and further news of Its prompt
ness is awaited from Alden with concern.
1t is significant that the Turkish postoffice
has specially sequestrated all copies of the
English papers of November 10 containing
news of this Arab uprising, which in Con-
stantinople also is regarded as the most
serious incident OF the whole business,
aside from its intrinsic importance. Mu-
tiny in Southern Arabia is always ascribed
on the Continent to British intrigues and
to British gold, and if it grows serious
factor in the problem it will be
accepted as confirmation of the
theory now universal in Russia and France
aud sedulously preached by Bismarck's
Hamburg organ as well, that the entire
Armenian trouble was arranged and paid
for by British agitators. Just as we here
scott at Ignatieff's Moscow benevolent So
cety and believe that it's funds really are
supplied to Pan-Slav1stic conspiracies, so
at st. Petersburg and Paris the London
Daily News standing subscription for the
aid of the distressed Armenians is regarded
as proof that the English are arming and
paying Armenian agitators to raise a revo-
luton in Turkey. The signs of interna-
tionaI suspicion and dislikes give color to
the situation, but how much they reflect
the attitude of the diplomats engaged in
making history on the Bosphorus remains
entirely matter Of speculation.
Lord Salsbury's revelation at Brighton
of the Sultan's curious message to him
was so interesting that it rather diverted
attention from his own weighty comments
on the situation.
His remark that Turkey suffers from
want of capable, honest public men is the
key to the whole complication. This
present cowardly and selfish fool OF Sui
tan, has practically exterminated the class
which in other countries is called states
men. It is not only that he has surrounded
himself with ignorant and malicious
knaves, but that if he could be induced to
essay a change for the better, one hardly
knows where he would turn for advisers of
a superior sort. Under his mean
and stupid reign there has been
such a complete degeneration among
the naturally ruling caste and such
merciless wedding out of all the
younger men of promise by poison or exile
that nobody is left who can be of service to
the empire now in its grave plight. He has
nobody fit to send to England, for example, |
in Rustem's place; he has nobody to do |
decent at home. His Izzets and
Bahris and Shakirs, to whom he in his terror !
turns, are worthless creatures, but almost |
any other choice would be as bad. His |
position is so helpless and hopeless that |
people here who know the East best ex-
pect daily to hear that he has quietly fed |
on his yacht overnight. He is believed to |
have large fortune secured in other
countries and the most intelligent thing
that he could do would be to slip away
and try to enjoy it in peace before he is
murdered.
Thus far no hint has been obtainab!e as
to what effect the substitution of Berthe
lot for Hanotaux at the French For
eign Office has had on the stu
alton in the Levant or on anything else.
There is equally lacking any trace of a
new policy or OF a reafirmation of the old.
days reports indicate that England
has been taking extreme steps to compen-
safe herself for China's territorial conces-
sions to the French, and has added great
block of Chinese territory to Burmah,
but we hear nothing of what the
French have said or done in the
matter. There are reports. too, that
England is to be associated with Germany
in further Chinese loan, but on this point
also the French are quite silent. The radi-
cal Ministry, no doubt, has had foreign
policy, but it is being kept safely in the
while all the governmental
activity is concentrated on the readjust
ment OF domestic affairs. The success of
NJ. Bourgeois in avoiding collapse at the
hands OF hostile chamber begins to COM
mand admiration. His progressive death
to duties triumph is expected now to be fol-
lowed by victory next Friday, when the |
revision of the constitution comes up. No |
one now names with confidence any point |
upon which the majority of the Deputies
Is likely TO combine TO beat him.
The King of the Belgians is said to be |
coming here next week, but there is