The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-20
FROM TERRELL.
United States Minister Reviews the
Situation.

official statement is made at the stat
department:
The department of state has re
ceived a dispatch from the Unite'
States minister to Turkey, relating t
the situation between that country an
Greece and the. Turkish declaration o
war.
Terrell states that the minister from
Greece has been informed he mus
leave before next Wednesday. He /!
not permitted to communicate by tele
graph with the Greek government. Al
subjects of Greece are required TO leave
Constantinople within Is days. Thc
note of the porte to the foreign power:
diSclaims any desire for territorial con-
quest. The Turkish minister informs
Terrell that the Greek government re-
quires all the subjects of Greece Of
military age reserved for military duty
The Turkish government claims the
regular Greek troops seized and We're
terrifying Analysis in violation of an
agreement prohibiting it. Hence the
attack there by the Turks on the 18TH
The Turkish troops are scattered along
the border of Thessaly and cannot
quickly concentrate for decisive battle.
This may enable the Greek army to
fight them in detail.
Another beIated dispatch from Mr..
Terrell was given out at the state de-
/,
from Pera, the diplomatic suburb of
Constantinople, and in it Mr. Terrell
simply confirms the press reports of the
initial statements of the breaking out
of hOstilities. The United States navy
is prepared to do all that is necessary
for the protection OF American inter-
ests Admiral Selfridge, the COM
mander of the European squadron, con-
sisting at present of four ships. all in
the eastern Mediterranean, has been
expecting an outbreak of hostilities.
and from time to time has advised the
navy department of the outlook.
He is now under general instructions
to look after American interests, and
no attempt has been made, nor is it
likely to be made in the immediate flu
ture, to give him precise directions as to
his conduct.
The movement of the vessels of the
squadron will be left entirely to his
discretion. the department believing
that as he is at the seat of war he is
better prepared than any one here to
act 10 the best advantage. The first
sign that the admiral has begun the
disposition of his little squadron to
meet the war epoch was the receipt
OF a cablegram at the navy department
today announcing the arrival oc the
United States cruiser Minneapolis at
Syria. This is an island in the Greek
Archipelago, lying at the foot of the
Aegean sea. and 81 4 point almost
equally distant from Crete. where war
has been actually going on for weeks,
Athens and the entrance to the Darde-
nelles, so that it is admirably selected
in the judgment of the department as
1t is a place of observation and a base
of action in either direction where an
American warship may be needed.
The officials of both navy and state
=.
ill-trsatment to Americans in either
Greece or Turkey. which is regarded as
about the only possible cause for frc-
ton now. Possibly, at a later stage in
the war. in the event that the Turks
are defeated there may be rioting at
Constantinople or some of the larger
Turkish cities. but that is not feared
at present.
It has been suggested that the presi-
dent probably Will be called upon to
issue a proclamation of neutrality now
that war has begun between Turkey
and Greece. The officials have looked
into the presidents in such cases and
have concluded that the conditions at
present do not require the issue of 4
notice. The purpose of q neutrality |
proclamation is 20 guard American citi- |
Zens against the consequences of in |
fraction of the neutrality imposed upon |
nations not party TO war. It does rot |
directly concern either OF the belliger- !
ents. but is intended II warn American |
citizens that il they esDOuse the cause |
of either cOmbatant they viii ansClVe !
their own country from extending pro-
lection to them.
Conditions NAV arise later on. il is |
said at the state department. warrant
ing the issue II a proclamation, bat the
Americans :, Turkey and Greece are |
so tew IN number and ara Of such a
character as to make I unlikely that |
they Will involve themselves III trouble.
The progress of hostilities is being
watched with the keenest interest in /
military circles here. Already there
has been a great demand for accurate
maps of the scene Of the first outbreak
and this has been responded to by the
information bureau by giving
orders for the preparation of such q
map as was issued during the war be-
tween China and Japan, a publication
OF great value to the student of war. /
1t may be said that while the sympa-
thies Of the army officers lie largely.
with. the Greeks. they fully expect thae
the Turks viii prevail in the end. If al
lowed 20 wage war untrammelled by
the interference of other powers and
there are signs To indicate that such
ar arrangement has been reached by
the principal military and naval powers
/
The war department experts say that
Turkey. on paper at least. has one of
the most formidab bic armies in the
world and although it is generally ad-
nitted that its strength may not be
anywhere near as large as thus set out,
still there actually exists a military
'Orce besides which that of Greece is
absolutely insignificant in numbers. In I
addition to this numerical superiority |
he war department experts say that I
he Turkish forces for some time have {
lad the benefit of thorough training by {
/ number of German army officers, the i
lest drill masters in the world At !
present, the Turkish commander-in- I
hief. EdhOm Pasha. has at his back
me of the ablest strategists in all Eu- {
ope in the person of Lieutenant Cen t
raj Baron Conan Won der Goltz. a '
ferman officer loaned" to Turkey by 1
Emperor William. This officer is said I
o unite in himself all the qualities of S
most fitted scholar and an expert
need soldier. He participated in the
var with Denmark.in the Franco-P rus-
ion war and in the Austro-P russian =
var, and in addition he is the author
( three military books that are re- .
arded almost as text books in the
ervice. 1t is reported here that Baron =
on der Goltz is really the author of z
he plan of campaign under which the 1
turkish army is now fighting. The d
-ar department is prepared to collect
Il the technical information that may z
e derived from the war. Captain a
criven, the military attache of the Z
nited States embassy at RomeS has
Iready telegraphed the department for