New-York tribune., 1896-11-21
MISSION OF THE BANCROFT.
THE EXACT FACTS AS OBTAINED FROM
OFFICIAL SOURCES.
PASSAGE OF THE DARDANEIlEs BY FORCE NEVER
CoNTEMPLATED-M MINISTER TERRELT:S RE-
QUEST FOR A GUARDSHIP AND HIS
PROMISE TO GET HER TO CON
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AD-
VhNCED FOR DELAY IN
THE PROGRAMME

81 lfiFspt.if'N NJ
vANcED FOR DELAY IN
THE pRoGRA ANNE.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
Washington Nov. 2O-A new "confdant or
the Secretary Of State-taken into mis- conn
dcnce no doubt. because the newspaper he rep
resonts was convicted within day or two or
having deliberately faxed" an interview with
.chor Dupuy de LONE the Spanish Minister
hcre-is out to-day with statement in the course
Of which h talks Of "the grotes1ue yarn that
the little unarmored gunboat. the Bancroft mas
been sent by the Government To force the OAR
danelles" His pnEud fancy makes mn talh
Of IAN ultimatum made on Turkey' OF Minister
Terrell. placed on the quarterdeck IS the Ban
croft storms the forts valiantly waving defiance
against the naughty Mosem.' and of the htile
ship about to attack an array Of modern artil-
lery and torpedoes that no armored snip a'oa'
could withstand" These and similar state
ments. he said. were made In certain news
papers. though of course no one ever did make
them His fancy simply assumed IT, II was
easier than to hunt up facts for himself at what
he Is pleased TO call the Foreign Office.
Together with another new "tonhdanl ~ MT
Olneys whose long cared antics We're the sub
ject Of comment in one Of these dispatches 'h'
other day he wonders how it Is that the Wash
ingtun bureau OF The Tribune is able TO secure
news at the state Department without running
errands for the Secretary Of State. as he ana
his friend seem to he doing. instead Of perform
ing work for which. presumably they are paid
by their employers The correspondent of the
Tribune has neither The time nor space TO eX-
plain why. but Will proceed-quotirg. when
necessary. the exact language used by Minister
Terrell in his dspatches-to tell some additional
details about the "grotesque yarr' OF the Ban-
croft. which II is hoped. will not compel these
two fat-witied Dromios TO sneeze "a soon as Mr.
Olney takes snuff.
THE FACTS ONCE MORE STATED.
1t has been said in these dispatches that the
destination ~ the Bancroft was Constantnopl"'
that Minister Terrell had requested that That
vessel or some Other small vessel be sent for
service "a a dispatch boat ut the Turkish CAPT
tai. that h. intended - Join the vessel at smyrna
and taxi. her through the Dardanelles whether
a iirrnan was or was not granted by the sultan.
and that the Russian Government had knowl-
edge OF this plan and did not oppose II. CERTAIN
newspapers have said In sensational manner
that the Bancroft would force the Darda-
nellcs The facts have never warranted such
statement. unless il was meant merely that IL
was proposed 20 send the little vessel through
the straits These dispatches have said that
the authorities did not expect that the trip o.
the Bancroft to Constantinople would be forci-
bis resisted by Turkish guns On the contrary.
II mas ben inilma,ed that In due course the
Sultan would grant nrman to her and that he
would probably take this action a. soon as he
learneI hat Russia had consented 20 the ships
going 10 CDnstantinopl, or that "A hrman might
De Withheld hut no objection be offered to the
yessel going through the Dardanees.
These ar, the facts in the case derived from
an official source Recently Mirstcr Terrell
advised the stat. Department in dispatch
that the condition of affairs at Constantnople
was such az 10 cause him much concern. He
said that there was danger ~ serious disorders
breaking out in Constantinople and that the
situation in other parts of Turkey was far from
reassuring lie was apprchensvc as TO devel-
opments and thought 1t highly important that
measures should be taken by this Government
for the protection of American interests In Tur-
key SIR Terrell said In his message that one
OF the best means ~ safeguarding American in
,crcsts would be- the presence at the SuItan's
capital Of n naval vessel He suggested that
the ship should be a small one. in order that
treaty stipulations on this score might not he
offered IA al objection to her passage through
tb. Dardanellcs None of the vessels on the
European station came under this head. and the
Bancroft was accordingly selected for the SER
vice.
At 10 time since definite knowledge a. to the
destination Of the Ban 'roft has become public
have the officials denied tia, the vessel was
selected for duty a. "A dispatch-hoat at tonstan-
tinople An effort was made at first Il discr"ilt
the story that ths vessel vas going through the
pardan"lles without n hrnian, but now nothing
of this kind is even heard. IT denial were
given "t II wouli only be necessary To show
tina, " hen the ittl' vessel was ordered 10 th"
N.v-York Navy Yarf she went ther" with the
distinct understanding that changes were To be
made in her interior arrangements tc ~ her for
guard boat service NJ the Turkish capital. II
might BE- added that private letters received
here from officers on tn" Bancroft state posi-
lively that the destination Of the vessel Is con
stantinople: that the fact has ieen we'll under
stood hv them since she left New York: that
certain repairs to her boilers are needed. but
that it is proposed not to make these until she
reaches the Golden Horn.
list WHAT MINISTER TERRELL SAID.
The mos, significant statement OF Minister
Terrell In his dispatch to the State Department
relates to his programme for the vessel after she
arrives at SMYRNA ON this subject Mr. Ter
rcll said. after advising that gunboat be or
dercd TO Smyrna. that he would meet the ship
there go on board her. and proceed with her
to Constantlnople. The exact language employed
I'm Mr.. Terrclls dispatch was Let her be or
1ersI
Then the Minister goes on to say that he will
make arrangements to get the vessel through
the Dardanelles. He thus expresses himself:
.I will get her to Constantinople He does not
aav that il Is his purpose to force the Darda-
neiI,s Nevertheless. his remark Is positive.
He may have meant that he would apply for
frman and that he had no doubt Of it's being
granted: or that his application of February
last might be reconsidered and favOrably acted
upon: or that the Sultan might voluntarily is
s,,. a frman Hut he did not so express him
"A IN
would get the Bancroft to the Turkish capt.
raj Notwithstanding the fact that he had
authority to take her through the Straits.
Irnon this was based The Tribunes statement
Thai The little vessel was going to Constanti-
nople "hrman no frman. Knowing that
Russia had great influence with the Sultan. Mr..
Terrell NAV have relied confidently upon the
friendly attitude OF the Russian Minister at
toward the United States. He