Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-12
OTHER LANDS THAN Guns.

The French government has undertaken
to again advance aggrossivcly toward the
perennial eastern question. and has made q
mess Of IL in two directions. She has dis
covered that she Is more the tool than the
| ally OF Russia, and that the latter, by per-
mltting her to perpetrate additional follies,
! has further alienated her from the balance
! of Europe and increased her dependence upon
the friendship of the car, who admires her
| big navy and appreciates his need Of a part
! nership in western Europe which cannot be
severed by either Great Britain or Germany.
! Russia has allowed France to be Inundated
| In Egypt for this reason, and because she
| is not unwilling to be silent party to Eng
! lands hold on Egypt II, by ths course she
can add to her chanCes OF remaining sole
arhiter of Turkeys future. Russia has re-
fused to endorse the Turkish financial scheme
because 1t would mean practically the aban-
donment of an envabe position which Eu-
rope realizes, even IL it will not acknowledge,
French capitalists may hold millions OF
Turkish boz ds and by controlling the sui
tan Russia again fastens her hold upon the
hcartstrings of France, as well as inSuring
herself against the probabilities of defeat
for her scheme of exclusive control OF the
Black sea and free exit into the Mcditer-
rancan through the DardauCles. France is
playing at diplomacy, and her only reward
is the increased alienation of Europe and a
rebulie from her only ally
a Japanese statistician. Mr. Saito Kokufu.
is authority for the statement that suicides
have been steadily on the increase in his
native country during the past ten years.
1t appears from the tabulated statement of
MIR. Kokufu that among women those under
the age of 20 years and the unmarried are
peculiarly susceptible to the suicidal mania
a phenomenon which has also been oh
served by statisticians in this and in Euro,
pean countries, and which has been ascrbod
by observers who cannot be suspected OF
cynicism to the fact that these emotional
victims of the suicidal impulse had nothing
else to do At any rate, women in the state
OF matrimony seem to be too much occupied,
even II 1t be only with the cares of family
LIE, to entertain the idea of self-slaughtor.
About one-half Of the suicides in Japan have
been found to be persons of unsound mind.
Among men not insane the NEST frequent
cause of suicide is financial trouble. The
suicides of men have been found to be most
numerous at the period when accounts are
supposed to be closed and liabilities met.
enlightenment In Japan has evidently in
creased the stress of competition, and this
has been accompanied by the naturalization
among the Japanese of the common dis
ease of civilization"
For a few months no news has come to
us from the island of Crete, and the general
impression has been growing that the re-
forms promised by the sultan were being
carried out, or, at least, that his officials
were procrlstnating in an inoffensive way.
But now a journal from Athens brings
the report that the Crotan Revolutionary
assembly has met in Vamos, and has ad-
dressed a protest to the foreign conSuls in
Crete, who in a way were to have the APP
pearance of seeing that the reforms were
carried out, calling their attention to the
fact of the non-fulnllment of the promises
pan lr
the state of affairs to their respective gov
ernments; but to the Turks this protest
has the significance of an ultimatum, for
it ends in these words: I'VE demand that
the reforms be Immediately applied. We
desire no excuse; none will be accepted
Unless a favorable and consistent answer
be at once made, we shall be obliged to
secure by force our acquired rights" After
ALL 1t may take the abused degenerates
of the Peloponnesia, who appeal to us mod
erns only through the glorious past OF
Hellas. to do what the rest of the civilized
world has failed to dO-force a promise
from the Turk and make him live up to it
by force Of arms.
The news which it is reported that Husin
Pasha, Turkish ambassador to Russia has
telegraphed to the porte, informing the
sultan of the existence of a complete un-
derstanding between Russia and Great Brit
ain in regard to the enforcement of reforms
in Turkey, will undoubtedly prove as sur
prsing to the other world as 1t has proved
TO Abdul Hamid, who is said to be greatly
excited over the announcement. If it be
true, II undoubtedly presages some real
forms throughout the Turkish empire
Coupled with the dispatch, which comes
from Constantinople. is the statement that
call conference of ambassadors imme-
key, who is now en- route to the porte, will
call "a conference of ambassadors imme-
liately upon his arrival there when a dis
'usson OF financial and other reforms in