The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1896-10-01
WEARY OF TURKEY.
State Department Urged to Take Wig
OrOus Action.

"The empire of Turkey has, in the opin-
ion of a very large number of Americans,
lived long enough" 1t was, says Wash
ington correspondent, an official of the
State Department who spoke, at the same
| time pointing to pile of letters just
opened and read. Then he continued:
Il judge from letters coming every day
from all parts of the country urging us to
take vigorous steps to put an end TO the
| Turkish outrages and prescribing the de-
| thronement of the Sultan as the best and
| justest and promptest means to that end.
| Some of our correspondents go into elab-
| crate detail as to the exact method of
going about it. One in particular may
| interest you. Were we to follow it out the
President would send our White squadron
to Turkish waters. While the fleet was on
| the way our Minister at st. Petersburg
would call on the Russian Minister of
Foreign Affairs and propose to him that
inasmuch as Russia could not, under the
! treaty which now binds the European
powers, dethrone the Sultan, and further
| as Russia wants Constantinople, Russia
should order her Black Sea and Mediter-
| ranean fleets as near COnstantinople as
practicable under the said treaty, and then
our White squadron would steam within
shelling distance of the city and open fire
till the Sultan had abdicated and the
Government was wiped out. The Russian
fleets would keep close to the White squad
ron and thereby let it be known to the
other powers that we had the sanction of
the Gar for what we were doing. That
would prevent any nation but Turkey in
terfering with us. When we had cap
tured the city. and put the officials to
fight, we would announce that we had ac-
complished our mission, and giving the
tip to the Russian admiral, quietly with
draw. The downfall of the Turkish Gov
ernment would warrant Russia seizing
the city, and this she could do by landing
her troops from her fleets and taking
prompt possession. The White squadron
could remain till everything had quieted
down and without our saying a word let
the other nations take it for granted that
we should recognize Russia's right to Con
stantinople, to which she has, our corre-
spondent insists. an unbounded right over
other nations. Then we could recall our
squadron, the Turkish empire outside
Constantinople would be at the mercy
of the other powers, and they might do
with it as they pleased for all we cared.
By such a coup, as the correspondent puts
it, we would rid the world of n royal muir
derer, save the lives of thousands now in
danger of the Turkish wrath, make our
selves solid with the Christian world. and
then mote the comprehensive mind of this
statesman our squadron could come back
by way of Cuba. kick the butcher Wey-
Ter off the island. recognize the independ-
ence of Cuba, whip Spain if she whim-
pered, and then come home and resume its
drill in fleet evolution"
The official, continuing. said that letters
were still coming in urging action in be-
half of Cuba and that every fresh outrage
reported gave an impetus to this corre-
spondence. Some of the letters contain
severe criticism of the department for not
acting more vigorously in behalf of both
the Cuban revolutionists and the unpro-
tected Christians in Turkey. The horrible |
butchery of the newspaper correspondent |
by the Spanish soldiers in Cuba has called |
forth 4 very decided expression of in |
tense feeling on the part of the letter writ |
ing part of the people and demand that |
prompt measures be employed TO bring |
Spain to reparation. In reply to my in
quiry as to what the department is doing
with regard to both Turkey and Cuba. the
official said automatically that. it was
doing everything which the rights of
American interests demanded and inter-
national law permitted.