The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-01
Is THE SULTAN HELPLESS?

The upspeakable Turk is in trouble.
Everybody agrees that he is in cor
ner. having exhausted his ingenuity for
evading and shutting. The reforms
demanded of him We're by Great Brit
ain. France ana Russia. 1t was made
some months ago, but by pleas and
promises and tricks and lodgings moth
ing was done until the patience of
Christiandom was again shocked by an
other outbreak which the sultan de-
clares was brought about by the Chris
ton ArmenianS themselves.
According to foreign papers and adj
vices, the agreement provides that the
governors and vice governors of Ar
menian provinces shall be Christians or
MusSulmans, in conformity 10 the ma
jority sentiment of the people. 1t is
also provided that the appointments
will be under the supervision of the
powers. The collection of taxes Will
be taken out of the hands of the Turk
ish governmental agents and placed in
those of local officials who are required
to reserve enough revenue for defI3y-
ing the expense Of local administra-
ton. The remainder will be sent TO
Constantinople. Under this scheme
the judicial system will be so remodeled
that Christians will be amply protected
by the forms of impartial judicial pro-
cedure. The system of torture will
be abolished, and the police will be
composed equally of Christians and
Turks, and still more important, the
laws against forcible conversions TO
Islamism will be uniformly and rigidly
enforced. The one feature which prom
Uses most success in this scheme is that
it's execution is placed in Christian
hands. To have trusted the Turk with
such execution would have been prac-
teal modification Of the terms of the
agreement.
The Kurds are ruffians with bandit
pruclivitieS. and as is known the sultan
has but an uncertain tenure on his
throne because of his unpopularity with
his own sect the Mohammedans. There
are signs. it is said, of an approaching
revolution. The civilized world il in
tensely interested. The unanimous
wish of western Europe and America
seems to be to see the Turkish empire
smashed and that long misruied people
given relief from barbarian excuses
and unrestrained outrages- But the
difficulties seem to be increasing be
cause of the varied governmental in
terests OF Europe.
The difficulties of the situation are
incalculably increased by recent events.
The latest report from Constanunopie
of a personal and authoritative nature
concerning the sultan IL that he Bas
broken down under the terrible strain.
and II trembling in seciusion in hourly
fear Of assassination by the very men
chosen to guard him from harm, and
that il is quite impossible for him 70
sign the proposals OF the powers with
out exciting a widespread revolution
within his own dominiOns Great Brit
ain. 1t IS reported. viii permit Sir Philip
Currie % absent himself awhile, and
will send 70 the porte Lord Dufierin- an
old and tried hand Ia dealing with the
Turs. to see il be can accomplish any
thing. Meanwhile Great Britain nay
be 80 engaged in China that she can
not bring actual force 10 bear In The
BosphoruS. particularly - there i
probably not 4 single continental power
chat would. at this particular junetuTe-
GU the whole length with her IN eSerc-
ing the Turkish government TRe ST
uasion : not nearly 50 promising s. i
was short time zz0-