The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-20
POLICY OF THE POWERS.
SUBJECT BEING DISCUSSED IN
ST. PETERSBURG.
Nelidoff Has a Scheme For the Re-
form of the Turkish Finances, and
a Reorganization of the Internal
Affairs of the Empire.

Berlin. Dec. I'm. Nelidoff, Russian
ambassador to Turkey, who has just
returned to Constantinople from st.
Petersburg, held today the first of
the conferences with the other ambas-
sailors, which he is empowered by his
government to participate in, with a
view of determining the policy to be
pursued by the powers in the enforce
ment of reforms in Turkey. If the pro-
posals made by the Russian govern
ment through NJ. Nelidoff partook in
any degree of the character of coercion,
it is certain that the Berlin govern
ment would be aware of ii. The fact,
however, that Baron Saurma Won
Jeltsch, the German ambassador to
Turkey, was absent from the confer
ence, is sufficient to warrant absolute
conviction that the deliberations of the
initial conference were by no means
serious. All that is known in Berlin in
regard to the matter tends to show the
existence of a very inconclusive stage
of the negotiations, but the plans dis
cussed Will doubtless be held in more
complete and comprehensive shape at
subsequent meetings of the ambassa-
doris.
HAS \ SCHEME.
NJ. Nelidorff has a scheme for the re-
form of the Turkish finances and a re-
organization of the administration of
the internal affairs of the empire to
which Great Britain and France fully
assent, though the other powers are
less absolutely committed to it. But
Russia has not as yet suggested re-
sort to armed coercion to enforce the
scheme, despite the fact that every
European government is fully aware
that diplomatic. pressure upon the sui
tan is useless unless it be accompanied
by menaces of physical force and the
powers continue to await the initia-
tive of Russia in the application of CO.
ercive measures. The latest utterances
of the North German Gazette upon the
Turkish situation prove that Germany
adheres to the old attitude, and con-
tends that the sultan must not be
threatened and no power must be per-
mitted to take measures tending to-
wards the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF the Turk
ish empire.
NELIDOFF'S PLAN
The financial scheme formulated by
NJ. Nelidoff is understood here to in
volve the revision of the entire Otto
man debt under a guarantee of the
European powers signatory to the
agreement.
control of the European powers over
the Turkish revenues, with the allot-
ment of fixed sum for the mainten-
ance of the army and navy and for
the purposes of the sultan's private
purse, and further provides that the
sultan'S appointment of his ministers
shall be subject to the approval or
the veto of the representatives of the
powers in Constantinople. Germany
has no interest in Fastening events in
the east, and the official portion of Ber-
lin is therefore reticent as to the stu
alton; but the opinion is undoubtedly
held in official circles that the confer
ence of the ambassadors will be futile
unless their conclusions are backed to
the extent of coercion.
Both the reichstag and the Prussian
landtag have begun their Christmas
recess, after sessions which have been
conspicuously devoid of useful legisla-
ton. In the reichStag of late it has often
been difficult and sometimes impossible
to obtain a quorum, and most of the
deputies have shown the utmost in
difference to their executive duties.
The defeat of the government on Tues
day upon the provision for reform of
the judicial procedure has nullified
two years work in and out of the COM
mfttee in the consideration of the
penal code. The government ascribes
its defeat to the detection of the Cen
trists, but the minority vote shows
only a fraction of the Conservatives
and National Liberals, and includes
some Centrists. In commenting upon
this anal-7sis Of the vote the Freisin-
nige newspapers ask what has be-
come of the majority which the gov
eminent was supposed to have in the
AFI1RTCAN T0L<T,r9nT
The assertion made by the Berlin
Post that it was the intention of the
government to resort to prohibitiye
measures against the Importation of
American petroleum as an act of re-
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