The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-19
where visit their penalties on all who
disobeY them.


Selishness is the handspring OF Eng
lands political policy now as ever. The
people of Great Britain as a whole are,
we believe, true-hearted, sympathetic
and jealous for the right as are the
masses of the people everywhere that
popular education has enlightened
them. But nowhere in the world do
greed and privilege and policy of un-
enlightened selfishness hold more un-
disputed sway than in the ministry of
England. This is douhly illustrated
by her position on the question of what
shall be done with Turkey. The people
of England themselves. If left to Them
selves, would we believe, have gone
upon a crusade against the infamy of
Turkish rule with as glad zeal as
they marched upon the Paynfm GEN.
turtles ago. No government of England,
either Liberal or Conservative, has
dared to take manly stand for right,
for justice and for common humanity.
principally because of the English COM
mercial interests that were involved.
English capitalists had invested i'm
mense sums in Turkish securities. Their
first care was to get their money back.
They had done with the sultan what
they did before with a miserable khe-
dive Of Egypt; pandered to his very
lowest vices to persuade him to bor-
row to the limit of his ability to repay
at usurer's rates. Having made this
vile investment they proposed to have
1T back, principal and interest. to the
last farthing. Therefore. they have
prevented any action on the part of
England which, by overthrowing Tur-
kish rule, might destroy the value of
their bonds. Thus has the blood and
honor OF the innocent been sacrificed
upon the altar of the money changers.
Now comes just retribution. This
atrocfous government at Constantinople
is beginning to exhibit it's own inabn-
ity to pay. 1t has been preserved to
no purpose. Reveling in all possible
debauchery and dishonor, it has no
care for the f40O,O00.00O of European
capital said to be invested in various
enterprises and in loans in Turkey
The debtor, who has been saved
from a just destruction that he
might pay promptly. rewards his
rescuers by a cheerful Indifference
to his obligations. Naturally enough.
under present conditions, all kinds Of
trade are at a standstill in the Turkish
empire, and the prospect of the Euro
pean bondholder grows less and less
hopeful every day. Hence the changed
disposition of the Briton He decried
interference when such policy threat
ened the security of his investments.
He Is eiamoring for interference now,
when it appears that those invest
ments cannot be saved except by the
substitution Of some kind of decent
rule for the riot Of anarchy and muir
der that prevails at this moment in the
Turkish dominions This Is the mean
ing Of the announcement made by the
British foreign office, and Of the wf1frl-
ing editorials In the London Times.
complaining that Russia will not toler-
ate Turkish coercion.
The truth Is, 1t has been and still Is
with Great Britain question of profit
and per cent. She has sacrificed every
thing to that. She has involved her
self In the moral responsibility for all
that has been done in Armenia and in
Constantfnep1e at the demand of her
bondholders, and now finds none to re-
spect and few to cooperate with her
in a reversal Of policy that is dictated
equally by them. Her dilemma is real
but 1T is an ignoble one. How different
her standing in Europe and in the
eyes Of the world from what 1t
would have been had she dared to
stand originally for the common rights
Of humanity. 1t Is just that she should
see now. when 1t is too late, that that
noble policy to which she could not
rise would also have been the safest
and best from the mere selfish and
commercial point Of view. a