Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-08-03
SALISBURY EXPLAINS
Difficulties The Powers Are laborins With in
tho Peace Negotiations.

London, Aug. 2.-The MARQUIS of Sails
bury, replying in the House of Lords. to-
day, to the Liberal leader, the Earl of
Kimberly, who questioned the govern
ment as TO the state of the peace nego-
tiations between Greece and Turkey out
lined the status of the Constantinople
exchanges OF views, occasionally refer
ring to them in sarcastic tones The pre-
mier said 1t was no wonder that the pa
tience of many people was sorey tried by
the delay The complexity and multi
piic1ty of the negotiations he added
might, however, account for their length
Continuing. Lord Salisbury explained
that the peace the Powers We're trying to
arrange was no ordinary agreement be-
tween q conqueror and conquered coun-
try. The territory conquered by the
Turkish army was one assigned to Greece
by International arrangement and there
fore the Powers voice in regard to it's
disposal was recognized by the Sultan
The latter was right in demanding secu-
rity against incursions such as those
which brought about the present war.
and for that purpose a rectifcation Of
the frontier on strategic basis was a
reasonable demand. lit was also reason
able to hold that the Greek communities
should not be placed under Turkish rule
The premier further asserted that Her
Majesty's ministers believed those ques-
tions had been settled and that Turkey
had accepted the frontier line traced by
the military attaches of the embassies of
Sut IoNtiS, tuOuSH the premier shared
in Lord kimberley's announcements that
accomplished facts We're not really so un-
til actually accomplished.
Speaking of the indemnity to be paid
TO Turkey by Greece, the premier said:
There comes in the mysterious and diffi-
cult question of the German bondholders
We do not think that any International
duty lies on Europe to provide for their
payment. though ! admit they have been
long unpaid"
Lord Salisbury further said: .srhe
credit of Greece in the European market
VIII Tor long time be exceedingly small
aud some form of control of Greek
sources of revenue is inevitable. l cam
have advanced very far, and must ad-
init that the question may be a source OF
very considerable delay
With reference to Crete. his lordship
said there was no use for the Powers to
attempt to arrange form of government
until the more important controversy had
been adjusted. The present attitude of
Crete seemed to be favorable to an agree
ment so far as the Christians were con-
cerned. but the two creeds were no nearer
than they had been for many centuries
The only solution. he said, seems to
be To dig ditch across the island. with
the Christians on one side and the Mos
lens on the other. Our earnest object is
to arrange what has been promised, TAX
ing care to be just to both sections We
are not inclined to admit merely because
the Mussulmans are in the minority that
their interests are to be neglected.
Lord Salisbury said he fully agreed
with Lord Kimberley that Crete was in a
dangerous position. The element of dan
ger however. did not arise, he insisted
because the island was mixed up in the
affairs OF the Ottoman empire. but rather
from the terrible division among the
creeds, a division which might yet require
a power greater than all the soyereigns
of Europe to Danish it.