The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-07


Tor the most part. Lord Salisbury, Eng
lands prime minister, is silent, and Mr..
Gladstone and the Liberal newspapers are
no longer eloquent and impressive regard
Ing the odiousness of the Turk, and no
longer demand the partition of the Turkish
empire to its neighbors To those who have
given any attention to European politics
this changed condition should cause no sur
prise. If they felt surprise it was because
Mr.. Gladstone assailed and denounced the
Tory administration as he did for not pur-
suing a policy which would have forced
Great Britain into war with Turkey, with
all the dangers to the British government
which such rupture would create 1t is
cause for establishment that Mr.. Gladstone
should have given to the public the paper
he did, because he must have known that
If the line Of action which he indicated had
been followed Great Britain would have
been involved in a war which, whatever
else may have followed, would have lost
that nation its hold in India. That his elo-
quent and indignant arraignment of the
Salisbury administration has not been fol-
lowed by other attacks may be due to the
fact that the disturbances in India, due
chiefly to the hostile attitude of Great Brit
ain to the Sultan, have led him to fear the
consequences of the policy he so vigorously
set forth.
For many years Great Britain was the
fast friend and protector of Turkish rule
1t took a part in the Crimean war, more
than forty years ago. to keep the seat of
the Turkish government out of the clutch
of the covetous Russian. In the treaties
which have since been made by the great
powers involving the territory of the Turk
ish empire, Great Britain has stood for the
territorial integrity and the power of the
Sultan. Until recently the Sultan has re-
garded Great Britain as his ally, and it was
not until a few months ago, when assured
of the support of Russia and Germany, that
he displayed his contempt for the changed
attitude of Great Britain toward Turkey,
which was first Indicated more than year
ago by the British representative who
threatened to lombard Constantinople and
did not.
A member of Parliament, in recent arti-
Gle in the Forum, clearly sets forth the rea-
sons why Great Britain has been on good
terms with Turkey and the consequences of
hostile policy by the former. He says
there are 5O,OOO,OOO Mohammedans i'll India.
While the Sultan is not the temporal ruler
of these millions, he is their spiritual head
the veritable successor of Mohammed. 1t
is claimed that no religionists so entirely
believe in their creed and so vigorously
practice it as do the believers in Islam.
Centuries ago, when victorious followers of
Islam seemed destined to subjugate Europe,
their profession of faith was There is no
God but Allah, and Mohammed is the apos-
tie of Allah" With the same fiery and
blind zeal the Mohammedans of to-day, the
world over, sag, There is no God but Allah,
and the Sultan is the apostle of Allah"
With 100000 Mohammedans in India, self
interest dictated a lenient policy on the
part of Great Britain toward the power rep
resented by the Sultan. That policy has
helped Great Britain to easily retain SUI
premacy in India Any violent change in
that policy to purpose to curtail the power
of the Sultan or to take from him a por-
ton of his territory would array against
Great Britain's rule in India this large num-
Der of religious fanatics, who count it gain
to die for Islamism.
Taking this fact into consideration, one
can easily see why Great Britain alone can
not interfere to check the new pretensions
of Turkey or do anything in behalf of the
Armenans in which Russia and Germany
does not unite. When both these powers
stand ready to take advantage of any hos
tile act against the Sultan it is no wonder
that Lord Salisbury is inactive and that
even Mr.. Gladstone, his political opponent
has ceased to make speeches in favor of
suppressing the Sultan which won the APP
plause of the sentimental. There is no
sentiment in the attitude which Great
Britain is compelled to assume toward Tur-
EaV