The news & observer., 1897-11-21
He TAKES AGL0OMY VIEW
THREE DIPLOMATIC SENSA-
TIONS FOR THE WEEK.
GERMANY OCCUPIES NAo CHOU BAY
Russia Heads Off Germany by Demanding an
Old Idemnty From Turkey Thus oostruet-
ing Her Naval Programme--Austrla
Gets Claim Against Turkey.

Gets Claim Against Turkey.
London. Nov. 20.--The stock pot of in
ternational politics has been enrlcned
during the last few days by two OF thret
homes which promise to furnish an oppor-
tnnitv for plenty of contention hereaItef'
Russia contributed the first in her noll-
6cation of November 13, to the Forle,
that the arrears Of the Russo-Iurk war
indemnity amount to 1,3OO,0OO pounds
sterling and that if Turkey intends to
annly mart of the Greek indemnity to-
an increase of the Turkish armaments
Russia will demand he payment OF this
amount. This was followed by a second
note on the same ST. .ect to-day. Austria
furnished the second bone IN her ue
mand for the payment OF the arrears uue
the Oriental Railroad Company Tor iTaAs-
porting Turkish troops during the war,
this company being an Austrian concern
and the arrears amounting TO ozo,oU0l
pounds sterling at the same time INSIST
ing 17ron tie dismissal of the Vah or
Adam, Asia Minor, and of the Mutessa-
riff of Mersina, the port of Adam, the
two officials who were responsible Tor
the indirnities to which an Austrian mer-
chant Brazzafolli was recently subjected,
also for their share in the insults COM
nlained of by the Austrian consul at
Mersina. who interfered in behalf OF
Rrazzafolh. the agent there of the Aus
trian Lloyd Steamship Company, to all
of which demands Turkey submitted. In
cidentally the Turkish government Is
also said to have abandoned her naval
plans as a result of the second note of
Russia on the subject Of the war in
demnity arrears due that country.
Germany favored the contents or the
stock pot with hot sauce from CHINA,
in the shape OF the landing of her sail
ers and marines at Kiao Chou, on the
Shan Tun peninsula, ostensibly for the
purpose of insisting upon redress for
the murder of two German missionaries:
but. possibly, it is intimated, in order
to obtain a good coaling station and
harbor for repairing her fleet in the far
east.
Turkeys bad case of swelled head is
responsible for two Of these contentious
contributions to the simmering Of the
political pot Her easy victories over
Greece have so rehabibilitated the Sui
tan's pride that he had almost arrived
at the belief that by following the adj
vice of Captain Mahar, the author, Of
''Sea power in history" and making his
navy strong, Turkey might become the
seventh greatest power and iberate her
self from the obnoxious tutellage of
christendom. Germany offered her as
sistance TO build ships for Turkey and
also offered to supply that country with
the necessary arms, ammunition and
uniforms in return for about % per
cent of the Greek war indemnity. Then
Russia saw her chance to check the pro-
gress of German influence at CONSTANT
nOple. For the past twenty years she
has held her unpaid /. O. u, as a club
to force Turkey to do her bidding and
now again, but in a more summary fash
ion than usual, she has repeated the
operation and has killed two birds with
one stone, namely, sharply checking Ber-
lin craftsmanship and preventing Tur-
key from emancipating herself from her
dependence upon Russia. Naturally, this
has been a bitter pill for Germany to
swallow, losing, as she does considera-
BILE prestige and big contracts at the
same moment.
Great Britain's part in these proceed
ings remains to be developed. Ger
mans swoop down upon Kiao Chou
Bay, China, has excited the chancellories
and the advices from Shanghai, that
two steamers have been chartered there
TO convey stores and material in Kiao
Chou Bay, coupled with the intimation
that the German occupation of that place
Is apparently to be more than temporary,
color to which is given by the fact that
the German marines are now engaged in
building winter barracks, leave little
doubt that Germany has practically an
nexed Kiao Chou Bay, which, next to
Port Arthur, is the most important har-
Dor in China. As fait accompli is an
almost unanswerable argument in the
east, it is difficult to see what France,
Russia, Great Britain and Japan can do
in the matter, unless they set to work
and grab other portions of the Chinese
empire.
Under these circumstances, the diplo-
mats are asking what the United States,
whose interests in the east are advanc-
ing by leaps and bounds, says of the
seizure of Kiao Chou Bay.
The British Parliament re-assembles
during the second week Of February,
three weeks later than originally intend
ed. The principal tasks of the session
will be the Irish local government bill,
and the reform of the London county
council, referred to by the Marquis of
Salisbury in his speech on Tuesday last
before the National Union Of Conser.
vative Associations, when the Premier
asked his hearers il they wanted to be
governed like New York city.
Then Parliament will be called upon
to legislate for the army, the question
of increasing it's strength appealing
most urgently to the country generally.
There Ia a widesnread demand that the