Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-21
SUBMITS TO THE POWERS
Sultan Accepts Frontier Proposed By Nil.
itary Attaches.
Question of indie mnity Remains to BE
Settled-Am ba ssadOrs Seem to
Have Settled This, Too.

CONSTANTINOPI.E July 21.-The sui
tan has issued an trade sanctioning the set
tlement of the frontier question in accord
ance with the wishes of the powers.
The original demand of the Turkish gov
ernment submitted June -. was for all the
northern portion of Thessaly down to he
river Peneus and TO point, approximately
twelve kilometers beyond the line Of the
Salambria. in the district of Larissa.
AS the Salambria rises in Mount Dho-
bini. a western peak of the Khassias and
extends across the whole of Thessaly east
ward to the Gulf Of Salonica, a concession
of this demand would Rave meant an i'm
portant increase in the Ottoman territory.
This proposal the powers have unitedly re-
fused to consider for moment IS prac-
ticable.
In reply they Informed the Turkish gov
ernment that all that Turkey could hope
for was a rectification of the existing
mountain frontier for strategic purposes
submitted q line drawn just south of the
khassias mountains, which includes one or
two small villages inhabited by Greeks.
intimatiHg to the Turkish government that
on its acceptance of this line the Greek
inhabitants affected would be transferred
at the expense of the Greek government.
and under the protection of the powers. to
Greek territory, beyond the line.
on July ). in reply to the note of the am
bassadors containing this proposal. a spe-
ciai council of the Turkish ministers draft
ed mazbata, stating that the porte could
not consider the frontier proposition by
the powers. nor any other line north OF
the Peneios. the natural boundary
Held Out for n Week.
This attitude of the porte was firmly
maintained for a week until Baron SaurIna
Won Jeltsch, the German ambassador, re-
ceived precise instructions from the Ger
man foreign office to insist upon the strate-
gic frontier line proposed by the military
attaches. This unconpromising attitude
was evidently the result Of misconception
OF the part of the sultan, who had been
led TO believe from sundry small differences
of opiEioa on matters of secondary impor-
lance that Germany was not in agreement
with the other powers.
On learning from the quarter where he
had hoped to ind support for his preten
sions that there was no alternative but to
accept the decisions of the six cooperating
powers, he appealed successfully to ;he
Russian and to the Austro-Hungarian en-
perors, receiving in each case the definite
assurance that the strategic frontier line
was the maximum of territory that Turkey
could hope to obtain.
Sultan still Basgled.
The sultan still hasgled. explaining the
delay as the result of the demands of the
priestly and military parties in Turkey;
and i, was not until the Russian govern
rsent issued a circular to the powers sug-
costing that steps she uld be taken for eX-
pediting the conclusion of peace that the
Tt rkish government began to give way.
The rinal submission was not made until
the ambassadors Monday broke off the ne
gotiations. referred the whole matter to
their respective governments. with view
of applying coercive measures. and in
formed the porte that any subsequent de-
cisions at which it might arrive must be
communicated in writing, instead of orally,
as heretofore.
Indemnity to BE Settled.
The question of indemnity still remains
to be settled The ambassadors appear to
have assumed that the capital sum would
reach four millions of pounds Turkish,
which is. however, highly problematical.
Financiers in London, Paris and Vienna
consider that the ambassadors are inclined
to be somewhat too generous.
The pourparlers may drag or for some
time yet. 1t is regarded as certain, how
ever, that a definite understanding between
the powers and the porte on ali questions
connected with the peace negotiations will
eventually be reached. and that :he Otto
man troops will be withdrawn frcm Thes-
saly before the rainy season sets in in Oc-
tober.