New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-28

on the state Of things which preceded their
foundation. They have set UP in Egypt new
standard of equity, and have famlarized the
Oriental mind with the spectacle, previously I'M
known. Of judicial methods, impart!ality and in
corrUDtiliity.
Criminal cases still remain in Egypt. as in
other countries whore the "capituittion3'' eX-
list, within the province Of the Cor-udr court.
A foreigner can rob or Kill either another for
eiGror native, and can then claim CXcmp-
ton from t!c Jurisdiction Of any tribunal save
that Of his consul! who, in the majority Of cases.
considers it necessary to shield him from pun
ishmont on Tie score Of his Being a fellow
countryman. Moreover, ii is difficult nay, al
most impossible. to arrest a criminal, no matter
II he Is found i'll llagrante dcliGto. For before
foreigners dOmicile can be entered his consul
or some representative Of his corcul must be
present | know cases in Egypt. for instance,
where gang Of foreign criminals took refuge
upon the premises of another foreigner Of diff
fSrtnt nationality. In this case not consul,
bat hall dozen consular representatives were
necessary before the police could act, either by
entering the dOUicilc or by arrcsting the GRIM
inals Now it is difficult enough TO get single
consul to move. TO obtain the timely co-opera-
ton Of half dozen Of them is next door to an
inposslbility. The worst offenders in this re-
spect arc the Greeks. Time and again have
Greek murdcrcrs thieves and forgers been
banded over to their consul in Egypt for pun
lshmcnt and have then either been acquitted in
the teeth If evidence else permitted 10 escape
and TO resume 4 few weeks later their career Of
crime.
Tho trouble Of Egypt in this respect is that
cf every other Oriental government. matters
being still further complicated in tie case Of
some Of them ~ the practice Of dishonest con-
sul5 in permitting themselves to be bribcd into
according letters Of naturalization. ard citizen
ship to wealthy natives Of the country in which
they are stationed. by means Of which these
pscudo-CitizcnS then escape not only the jurs-
diction Of the tribunals OF the land Of their
birth. bat likewise become exempt from taxa
ton. Many Of the scandals which on more than
one occasion have almost involved the United
States in altogether ridiculous war with
Morocco have been due TO evils Of this kind
In China. France. which as Eldest Daughter
II the Church has from time immemOral
claimed the right Of protecting all Catholics
In the Orient. actually at one time went SO
flr as To insist that every Monaghan who joined
the Catholic Church became ipso facto French
man ana as such exempt from Chinese taxa
ton and from the jurisdiction Of Chinese courts,
and amenablc only To the French consular tri-
bunals
OF course. the existence of the "capitulationS'
is unjust and contrary to al, ideas Of equity and
Of logic. 1t Is practically equivalent to forcing
every Oriental Government to tolerate crime
within its borders. provided ii is committed by
foreigners. And look AT it which way one viii,
it is gross infractiOn OF the sovereign rights
Of a sovereign nation. But on the other hand
it is difficult for any civilized government TO
conidc the protection Of the lf. and property
OF its citizens resident in or visiting Oriental
countries to native tribunals such as, for IN
stance those of China, where offenders are sliced
To- death bit 10y biz; or in Persia. where men
are buried alive in quiCkme up to their necKS'
ar in Turkey where men are done tn death with
blows ~ long rods on the bare stomach. Irue'
I'm Jlpan a code of civilized and criminal law
as un-to-date a. that Of the United states has
noy been established. But even there the
Europaan Governments do not feel that they
have any positive assurance of the permanency
of the present condition Of affairs, and that Is
why they show SO much reluctance To yield TO
the demands of the MikadO for the abolition IN
lis dominiors If that bugbear OF all Oriental
monarchs the "capit atoms"
EX-ATTACIIE.