New-York tribune., 1895-10-18
TURKEY COMING TO TERMS.

There is good news from COnstantnOpc. The
Powers. il is announced. have peremptorily re-
newed-wih a slight odification-their demand
Of May II for reforms In Armenia. The Porte.
reluctantly convinced Of the futily and extreme
danger of further quibbling and delay. has de-
cided to yield That decision has been COM
municated TO the Ambassadors OF England.
France and Russia. In few days it will be
publicly proclaimed. and an imperial decree put
ting the reforms into operation will be issued.
That is the news. and If true. as it probably is,
IT is most gratifying 1t means justice and peace
for Armenia. 1t means also. Of course. some
respite for the Turkish Empire from impending
dissolution which Is not altogether an evil. Ii
also means what is by no means the least graft
flying. that it is still possible for those three
Great Powers TO overlook for time their jcal-
Ousies and hatreds. and to act together for the
good Of humanity. A very foolish and wicked
attack was made the other day by Germany
or by the semi-ofiical German prcss-upon Eng
land charging her with responsibility for all the
trouble in the East. That doubtless served TO
keep France and Russia all the closer By Eng
lands side in this new Triple Alliance.
The terms Of the memorandum Of May II may
now be pertnently recalled to mind. That
memorandum deals with the six vilaye!s of
Erzeroum. Bitlis Van. Sivas. Mamouret-ul-Aziz
and Darbekir. 1t provides that their number
shall be decreased and their boundaries rear
ranged as TO make the population Of each as
homogeneous, ethnOgraphcally, as possible. The
Wallis, or Governors shall be appointed without
distinction Of religion, and shall be such as are
satisfactory 10 the Powers. Associated with each
Vail shall be a Moavn. or Deputy Vail, who
shall receive petitions, control tax-gathcring. and
supervise the police and prisons, and fill the
Wallis place in the lattcr's absence Wherever
the Vail Is Mahometan the MOavin shall be
Christian and vice versa Subordinate or dis
trict Governors shall be Christians or Mahomet-
ans, according to the religious faith Of the ma
jority Of the population. and each shall have Il
Deputy of opposite faith. District Councils shall
be composed Onehalf Of Mahometans and one.
half OF Christians The police or gcndarmerie
shall be recruited without regard to race or re
ligion, but at least one-third shall be non-Ma.
hometan. The prisons shall be radically re-
formed In the interest both OF Justice and Of
ply steal health. The Kurds shall be dsarmed
and kept under strict control Farming Of tithes
and the corvee shall be abolished There shall
be no more Quarterng troops upon the people
without compensation. Justices Of the Peace
shall be Christians in Christian communities. and
one-third Of all justices in each district shall be
Christians. Prompt and just trial in all cases
shall be assured. Ample ndemnies shall be
paid to all sufferers from the outrages nj Sas-
soon. Talori etc, and full amnesty shall be
granted TO all Armenian political prisoners and
exiles The rights and privileges of the Ar
menian Christians shall be respected throughout
the Empire And to see that all these things are
done there shall be at Constantinople a perma-
nent Committee OF Control, composed OF three
Christians and three Mahometans, selected and
appointed, II course. with the approval of the
Powers
Such are the reforms demanded In the memo