The San Francisco call., 1896-07-05
What Shall Be Done to Patch
Up the Tottering Turkish
Empire +?
THE CRETAN REVOLT SPREADS
Frightful Slaughter in Armenia.
Three Thousand Non.Com batants
Slain at Van.
[Copyright, 1896, by the New York TImes.l

"
the disaster of Adowah threw Crispi out of
power 1taly's position in international
politics has been queer to the verge of
my stery. 1t was known that the new Pre-
mier, Rudini, disliked the triple alliance
and believed that friendship with France
was the true Italian policy. Knowing
these to be his views, it was natural to sus-
pect him of seeking to carry them out, and
the uncertainty as to what he might not
secretly be doing in this direction has been
a source OF chronic uneasiness here, as at
Berlin and Vienna, since last April. Now
this element of doubt is removed. Rudini,
under what compulsion one knows not,
has committed himself to the triple alli-
ance and a warm English understanding
in outspoken terms, and the Italian Cham
Der has approved his attitude by large
majority.
1t is especially useful to have this mat
ter cleared up because we are plainly
drifting into a difficult and dangerous
situation. There has grown to be regu-
lar alienation now of weeks when the
ambassadors at Constantinople think they
have patched up the rotten old fabric of
the Turkish Empire so that it will stand
while longer, with weeks when new and
alarming assures yawn and the whole
structure seems topping for the final fall.
This is one of the bad weeks. Crete, so
far from being pacifed by the Porte's be-
lated concessions, is systematizing its re-
volt into a revolution. The Christian
Deputies elected to the National Assem-
bly,, which the Sultan has summoned to
meet at Canea, either say that it is unsafe
for them TO attend or ii they come to
Canea will hold aloof, intending to issue
proclamation stating that the Assembly is
fraud and that their true allegiance is
due to the revolutionary committee.
The Cretans are now holding most of the
rougher parts of the island in force. They
have 1000 Turkish regulars shut up in the
fortress of Kardanos and expect to be able
to starve them out, while elsewhere In
mountain encounters the Turks are con-
tinually defeated by ambushed rebels.
The Greek G overnment still maintains
a sem mblance of neutrality, but the Athe-
nian press is quite offhand now andIopenIy
breaches Cretan propaganda. 1t is
notorious. too, that a swarm of small
Greek traders are in Cretan waters, pro-
fessedly distributing relief but really
landing guns, cannon and munitions of
war for the rebels.
Stories come to-day of disturbance on
the Turko-Greek frontier. They may or
may not be true, but certainly they are
not surprising.
In Armenia, also, matters have sudden
ly taken grave turn for the worse. It is
understood here tonight that something
exceptionally terrible has happened at
Van or in its vicinity. The Armenian
committeeman here say that 5000 nom
com batants have been slaughtered bv
Turks and Kurds. From experience one
learns to discount such figures, but no
doubt sufficiently shocking story will ar
rive from Van in day or two.
What is per maps of more immediate i'm
portance is the sudden revival of predic-
tons from Constantinople of revolutionary
outbreaks in the Turkish capital itself.
Precisely how much OF this sort of thing
Europe can stand, or where she will draw
the line, battles prophecy. 1t is evident
enough, however, that the nearer the
doomed Ottoman Empire approaches to
destruction the closer the European pow-
ers are drawn toward the necessity of de-
Gliding what and who shall take its place.
That this decision will inevitably be set
bAC0 ny lA0 ShOIQ HAS Dteu du axiom In
European politics for generations.
Whether it is really unavoidable no one
can say, but we are drifting all the while
nearer to the point where it will be made
clear, ana the British Parliament, under
these circumstances, is awakening to the
Importance of debating the foreign out
look. 1t discussed the Cretan situation at
length last night, and on Monday it will
have an oratorical field day over the ques-
ton of the payment of the India troops
now in the Soudan. The resolution of the
ministry to insist that India shall be
charged with the regular pay of these men
meanwhile, and that England shall only
pay their transportation expenses, not only
evoked unanimous and vigorous Indian
protest, but angered four-ffths of the Tory
rank and file in the House and fully that
proportion of the Tory press
With its large majority the Governme Mt
can no doubt carry its point, but it will be
done at the serious cost of party disaffec-
tion. Why the Cabinet should do this it
would puzzle the wisest brain to tell.
Lord George Hamilton is presuma ably re-
sponsible for it, but he is the most unpop-
ular of all the aristocratic Irish barnacles
whom the whole party would be delighted
to see discarded. He assuredly contrib
utes no strength to the Ministry.
Chamberlain is said to have finally de-
cided in favor of select committee of the
Commons as the machinery for investi-
eating Rhodes and the chartered COM
pany. This is what the Radicals have
been urging and what all the chartered
company influences are against. 1t re-
mains to be seen if he has secured the
assent OF the Cabinet for this committee,
and # SO whether the Tory House will be
allowed to pass a measure enabling the
committee to sit through the recess, which
alone would make it of any use. Upon
this point will turn the credit and good
faith of the Ministry in dealing with the
whole Transvaai business.
The final adoption by the Reichstag of q
civil code for the whole German Empire
marks an era in the history of iurispru-