The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-27
SULTAN MAY BRING ON STRIFE.
EUROPE'S DEMANDS MAY HE NET
WITH A HOLY WAR.


Key to the Situation and Is De-
Heved To he Waiting For the Re-
form Party in Turkey to Revolt
| Against the SuItan-Newspaper
War ON Belgium's Gambling Dens.
Copyright, 1885, by the Sun Publishing and
Printing Association.
London, Dec 26,-Sultan Abdul Hamid
has managed to pass a fairly comfortable
Christmas despite the fact that he is in the
| position of a criminal awaiting sentence.
He has been told this week by his dear
| friend, M. Nelldoff, the Russian ambassa-
DOR that the time has arrived for him
to make up his mind to do what the powers
| tell him to do. or to make way for some
body more plant but he chngs tenaciously
to the belief that the ambassadors are no
more in earnest now than upon scores of
| previous occasions when the situation was,
| to all appearance, as serious for him as it
is now, and it is becoming daily evident
that coercion with all it's perils will have to
be applied.
| 1t is alleged that it is the reality of these
perils that makes the powers even now at
the last moment hesitate to take the irrev-
ocable step The fleets are ready and the
Russian armies are ready in Europe and
/
| Hvered and yet decisive action is delayed
1t was suggested to-day that the powers
fear that Abdul Hamid has really resoIv-
ed upon the desperate expedient of declar-
ing holy war and of perishing, if need be,
beneath the ruin of his empire, and that
they are not prepared for such a fearful
contingency. France, in particular, is said
to be displaying at this critical moment
unexpected opposition and belated distrust
not only of England, but of her friend and
ally, Russia.
Another ill-informed reporter telegraphs
to-day that Austria and Germany are
| again raising objections to coercion, and
! they have notified the other powers of their
! inability to take any share therein. There
is no truth in any of these reports. Rus
sia continues to lead Europe. There is
not one single power prepared to say her
nay in any course of action she may deem
| necessary to make Europes will respected
IN COnSIantinople.
Abdul Hamid's mind remains a confused
mass of hope, fear, fanaticism, mendacity
and fatalism, absolutely without the leVen
of one quality of manliness or of kind
/ ness. Sull delay is undeniable, and in
quiries in London elicit no reasonable ex-
PLANTATION of ii. The Impression seems to
prevail, however, that It Is an integral
part of Russia's plans to have Moham-
medan rising in Constantinople against
Abdul Hamid and that the pause is de-
llDe4dl6 III OTQ6l 10 permit TURKISH re-
formers to depose the sultan and thus
obViate the armed intervention of the
powers. 1t may be there is something in
this explanation.
1t is beyond doubt that Prof. Anthony
Salmon and other refugees in London, who
are in close touch with the Young Turkish
party expect a revolution to occur at any
moment, and at dinner of members of
the same organization in Paris the other
night everybody was eXcitedly expecting
what, to the few outsiders present was
| described stirring from
ConStantinople.
some months ago, M. Gerard Harry ed
ttor of the Independence Beige of Brus-
sells, which is one Of the best newspapers
published on the continent of Europe, en-
tered upon campaign against the gam
| bling hells recently established in a num-
ber of towns of Belgium with the pleas
ing result that he is already the defen-
dant in several big libel actions. His cru
sade has resulted in a number of gaming
dens being closed by the police, and the
government. is pledged to deal with the
evil, which was fast becoming a grave
scandal. M Harry's campaign almost es-
tablishes journalistic record for the
conspicuous vigor, courage and ability
with which 1t was conducted and the rap
Within the last two or three
loose kind of legislation, gambling
hells, styling themselves private
clubs, multiplied in Belgium. There was
little of the club about them save the
name, for anybody who cared to patronize
|
| ease Not only in such health and pleas
ure resorts as Ostend and Spa had their
cercles prives, where roulette and tenteet
| quartette We're played upon as
| large a scale, although less open
~, as at Monte Carlo, but es-
Establishments of the same kind have
been cropping out in much smaller places,
including Dinant, Rochefort Chaudefon-
! tain, Nauemur, Charleroi and Erguelinnes
In little village ON the river Meuse there
! were two casinos and another village just
| across the frontier from France did roar
ing trade in the same line of business,
| thanks to it's situation and its vigorous ad-
| vertising in French newspapers
1t was the unbiushing manner of touting
this establishment which first attracted
is reason to believe that at about the same
| time diplomatic representations were made
| at Brussels by the French government
| whose paternal heart was torn at the al
| most daily sight of train loads Of French
| gamblers en- route TO that strategically
placed hell. In truth ali these cercles prives
| did well and the proprietors were I'm a fair
way to make snug fortunes, when the In
| dependence Beige began its illustrated
! morning sheet, lie Petit Bleu, and took
them in hand. The extent of their prosper
ity may be gauged by the fact that the
! great Monte Carlo Company say its re-
ceipts fell last season by five or six mil
lions of francs through this Belgian COM
petition. Early In the movement an at
tempt was made to bring the club at Di-
rsIe5 nse5 t. That book; 5st sgrm the judges
public" did not legally apply to members
Of a club duly entered and Thereafter,
each gambling den carefully modelled IL
self upon the Dinant pattern, but most
| of them while complying with the Bel
| gian law as TO privacy, advertised largely
| in France. England and Germany, ana
| even in countries as remote as Russia
and Turkey, so that Leopold's small king
| dom woke one day 10 find itself laboring
| under an international reputation as a
handler and safer gambling center than
| the principality Of Monaco.
But even worse than this was the dis
| covery that the gambling hell owners, in
| order TO facilitate their nefarious oper-
| ations, had engaged in a wholesale sys-
| tenn Of municipal corruption. The Inde-
| pendance Beige has charged many munlc-
| iDal officers and men OF high political
social standing with being Ia the pay OF
| the gamblers. A favorite method OF corr
| ruption has been 70 buy the services OF
| these public men, members Of parliament,
| lavryefs burgomastere. aldermen, town
| councillors etc. as presidents or chair
| mon OF committees Of the sO-called pri-
| vate clubs. In some places roulette and
| frenlea Quarante were played ln buildings
belong 70 the municipalities. At others.
/ generals Ia the army have been seen pre-
4 siding al Inaugural banquets az such es-
| fablFhmontH with the Insignia Of tho Or
l Il aHIulur