Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1897-05-21
"A SURPRISE TO EUROPE
TURKEY SHOWS HER STRENGTH TO
EUROPEAN POWERS.
The Porte Placed In n Stronger Po-
sitiOn Than Known In Fifty
Years.

London, May 1.-THE sultan's reply 1,
| the note of the ambassadors at Constan
| tinople Offering mediation, saying h,
would be ready to discuss the matter af.
ter the great Bairim festival, which ended
/ last night, 1ustifies the fear that the pow.
ers have aroused a spirit they can not
easily subdue.
Abdul Hamid's attitude is cool to the
point of insolence. 1t is that of sover-
eign with powerful army behind him,
and he is disposed to treat the powers
cavalierly.
Articles pubnsned in the semi official
press of the continent show that the in
crease in the prestige of the sultan is the
chief concern Oh european cabinets, and
the prospects of a prompt enforcement
of general reforms for the Turkish en-
pire are thereby relegated to the very
distant future. The Journal Des Debats
declares the result of the war has been
to place Turkey in a position she has not
held for the past half century, adding:
Her tremendous military effort is
largely in excess of what the struggle
against Greece required. 1t was done to
refute the allegation of decrepitude, and
to demonstrate to the sultan's own sub
jects and to those of the smaller states
and to the great powers that Turkey Is
able to hold her own against a war with
Greece"
The British, Russian and Austrian
newspapers echo these remarks and 1t
Is generally felt that this fact will have
to be reckoned with in the negotiations
upon the conditions of peace. In the
meanwhile the postponement of the sui
tan's reply until after the great festival
Is interpreted as meaning that his majes-
ty intends that his army shall continue
Its victorious advance until every strateg-
ic point on the Othrya mountain range
Is in the hands of the Turks, and that
only then will Edhem Pasha receive or
ders to stop fighting. The resumption OF
lighting by the Greeks in Erirus is re-
garded as a foolish move, and only fur
nlshes Turkey with a plausible motive
for refusing an armistice.
The chancellories are also occupied with
the difficult problem of how Greece will
pay the war indemnity which Turkey
seems certain to demand. M. Delyannis,
the former Greek premier, in his news
paper sanguinely argues that Greece can
not be expected to pay an indemnity be-
cause the Turks declared war officially
without provocation.'
This view of the question is not shared
elsewhere, and an International congress
to administer the finances of Greece on
the lines of similar Turkish commissions
10 iiioohCu. nc GTeth WOULD,
1t Is proposed, sit at Athens and over the
Greek customs for the purpose of collect
ing the Greek debt, and possibly for the
war indemnity.
Indemnity Demanded.
Constantinople. May 17-Sixteen million
pounds CTurkish) is mentioned as the
amount of indemnity Turkey will ask
from Greece. Placards have been posted
in the Stamboul quarter protesting
Athens. May ia private dispatcn
from Arta, just received, says the TURK
ish garrison at Prevesa, at the northern
entrance to the Gulf of Arta, which nas
been besieged by the Greek land ana sea
forces almost from the outbreak ot tns
war. has sent the Greek archbishop ana
five notables of Prevesa TO the commah-
der i'm chief of the besiegng Greek army
with a message saying the Turkish torce
is ready to capitulate 20 the regular
forces of Greece.
Paris. May lit is stated that the oe-
Law of the sultan of Turkey in arranglils
FOR n cessation of hostilt.ies is due to the
direct advice of Emperor William OF Ger
MANY. not to grant an armi5sice uhlli ihe
Greeks have again retreated.