The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-12-06
DANGER OF A HOLY WAR.
Possibilities That Might Result from
Forcing the DardaneIles.

washington Special TO chicago RECORD.
BY the treaty of Berlin each OF the
European powers is permitted to keep
single gunboat, not exceeding certain
draught, anchored off Constantinople. The
ostensible purpose is to add to the Dig
nifty of the embassies and to furnish the
ambassadors means of transportation in
case they wish to leave the city, but the
real reason is that they need an asylum
or place of refuge in case a revolution
should break out in the Sultans capital.
and one is usually impending. The United
States minister has no gunboat at his
call. but only steam launch, which he
and the members of his legation use when
they pay official visits to the palaces along
the river. To send an additional gun
boat or fleet through the straits without
his permission will be TO humiliate the
Sultan I'm most serious manner. IL Is
an insult that he cannot submit to with
out forfeiting the respect and confidence
of his subjects.
1t is learned from official dispatches TO
the Department of State that Abdul Hamid
has been sending private dispatches 10
Queen Victoria, Emperor William, the Car
of Russia and other European soyereigns
imploring them to spare him this mortifica-
ton and predicting that ii will be followed
not only by serious riots in Constanti-
nople, t'51by a general uprising of Moham-
medans Al over the earth. who will ayenge
the insult to the head of their religion by
attacking the Christians wherever they md
them.
The seriousness OF such an event appears
to have been overlooked, although ii would
be more disastrous TO Great Britain than
to any other nation. The Sultan of Turkey
is the recognized head Of all the Moslem
world except the Persians and the people
of Morocco, who are dissenterS and fol-
lowers of Ali. the son-in-law OF Moham-
med. There is a wide difference of opin-
ion as to the numbers in the Moslem
church. Estimates vary all the way from
l75,Ooo.0o0 to 4oo.0oo0O0. There are 1900.
coo in China who now In rebellion
against the Emperor and are oyerrunning
the western provinces. In India there is a
Mohammedan population rS exSesaing % be fSD ;o,s
is % Ooo.O 900. There are 3o000.0O0 in the Malay
peninsula. 100000 in central Asia, 100000
Africa. 5000, 600 in Egypt, II 10000 in Arabia
| and 100000 or 100000 In Afghanistan. In
| southern Russia, in the Balkan peninsula
| and in Bulgaria the believers in this faith
| are very numerous and there are large
| colonies in southeastern Austria At least
| &c, 100000 Mohammedans are found In British
| colonies alone and probably the true total
would reach 90000,0oo.
| The Sultan is recognized by all these
s tSe Pope s
| nized as the successor of st. Peter. They
do not deny Christ, but consider him a
| MOnammeQ prophet anu give Ills IeulEIec
| in the Koran. The Moslem Will swear by
Moses, by Christ or by Mohammed with
equal readiness, but Mohammed Is the last
| and the greatest or their prophets and
| the founder OF their religion.
| In one OF the mosques at Constantinople
| the green mantle OF the prophet is pre-
| served. If that is taken out and a holy
| war proclaimed the Islam population of the
] entire world. except Persia and Morocco.
| would promptly respond. and the Sultan Is
| the only man who can issue such a proc
| lamation. II he Is pressed too hard he
| will be apt to do II, and England. With
the British colonies. would be the first
/ to suffer. The French would be placed I'm
| the attitude of self-defense in Algiers and
| Tunis, there would be outbreaks through
| out all southern Russia and eastern Austria
| and nearly every country In E1rope would
| be engaged more or less, exceDt Germany.
| which alone Is free from Turkish cornplica-
tions. Germany has cultivated commercial
| relations and nearly all the foreigners in
| the Turkish army are German officers. An
4 other point for consideration which enters
| largely into the case are the financial
| obliyations Of the Turkish government 10
! English capitalists. Nearly all the Turkish
debt is held In London and. in case OF
| war, there would naturally be an enormous
/ shrinking in the bonds and naturally a
| s'-r-ere'or If interest. The pocket nerve
| Of the Enylishman Is more sensitive than his
! symrathy. has been shown repeatedly
I'm the foreign relations OF his government.
The great Ottoman Bank. which Is the
largest financial institution In the East, N
owned ana managed BY Englishmen and II
would su1fr seriously In case OF war.