The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-23
RUSSIA'S STRATEGY
SHE CHECKMATES TURKEY AND
GERMANY WITH ONE MOVE
Her Demand of Payment of Balance of Tur-
keys War Indemnity Calls a Halt In the
Latter's Increase of Navy aud Black
Germany's Trade With the POrte-The
Significance of Germany's Seizure of q
Chinese Port


Germany's Trade With the Porte-The
Significance Of Germany's Seizure of q
Chinese Port
Copyright by the Associated Press)
London. November 20.-The stockpot OF
international politics has been enriched
during the last few days by two or three
bones which promise TO furnish op-
portunity for plenty of contention here
after.
Russia contributed the first in her
notification of November 18th, to the
porte, that the arrears Of the Russo-Turk
war indemnity amount to 81, 800, 600, and
that if Turkey intends to apply part Of
the Greek indemnity to an increase OF
the Turkish armaments Russia will de-
mand the payment Of this amount.
This was followed by a second note on
the same subject today.
Austria furnished the second bone in
her demand for the payment Of the ar
rears due the Oriental Railroad Company
for transportating Turkish troops during
the war; this company being an Austrian
concern ana the arrears amounting to
G32O, 600, at the same time insisting upon
the dismissal of the vail Of Adam, Asia
Minor, and or the uiutessarif of MeriSna,
the port of Adana the two officials who
were responsible for the indgnities to
which an Austrian merchant Brazzafoli.
was recently subjected, and also for
their share in the insults complained of
by the Austrian consul at Merisna who
interfered in behalf Of Brazzafol, the
agent there of the Austrian Lloyd steam
ship Company, to all OF which demands
Turkey has admfttef
also said to have .bandoned 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 of the
stockpOt sauce from China in the shape
of the landing of her sailors and marines
at Niao Chou on the Shan Tun Pennsu-
la, Ostensibly for the purpose of insiting
upon redress for the murder of two Ger
| man missionaries; but, possible, it is in
| timated, in order to obtain a good coal
| ing station and harbor for repairing her
| fleet in the far east.
Turkeys bad case of swelled head is
held responsible for two of these conten-
| tions contributions to the simmering of
| the political pot. Her easy victories over
| Greece have so rehabiitated the suitan's S
| pride that he had almost arrived at the
| belief that by following the advice of Cap
! tain Mahar, the author Of Sea Power
| Turkey might become the seventh great
power and liberate herself from the OBJ
noxfous tutilage of Christiandom. Ger
| many offered her assistance to build
| ships for Turkey, and also offered to sup
| ply 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 progress of German in
fluence at Constantinople. Fos the past
twenty years she has held her unpaid 1.
| 0. Z. as a club to force Turkey to dc
| her bidding aad now again, bet in a more
summary fashion than usual she has re-
| peated the operation and has killed two
birds with one stone: namely, sharply
fSS nnrfSh lin nd
| venting Isirkey from eTf1ancipati ting her
| self from her dependence upon Russia
| Naturally, this has been a bitter pin fol
| Germany to swallow, losing, as she does
considerable prestige -apd big contract Is
| at the same moment.
Great Britain's part in these proceed
ssgs remains to be developed. Germany:
| SWOop down upon KiFso Chou bay. China
mas 'es cited the c4lanoellories and the ad
vices from Shanghai, that two steamer.
! had :t~een chartered there to convey store
| and material to KalO Chou bay counhat
| with the intima tiOn that the German ,oc
! cupation Of that pace is apparently t,
he more than temporary, color to which
!! is given by the fact that the German
! marines are now engaged in building
| winter barracks -4eave little aoubt tha
IeGermany has practically annexed Kia
Chou bay, which, next to Port Arthur, i
lstRe most important harbor ia China.
/ AS a 'fait aecrnpli' is an almost un
, + snswerable argument in tho east it i
: + difficult to see what France Russia
Great Britain and Japan can do IN tn
matter. unless they set 10 work an
grab other portions Of th. Chinese EN-
!. pire.
Under THESE circumstances. the diplo
: mats are asking what the United State
: whose interests in the east are .Es1vanc
{ irg by leaps zsnd bounds, says of tn
II seizure of the bay. The Gritish parlia
: ment reasseEnt]es during the secon
: week of February, three weeks later tha
originally dnte.ded. Parliament will b
/. called upon to {agiSlate for the army tn
. question OF Increasing its strepsth ap
peaing most urgently to tire country gen
orally. There is a widespread sdeman
that the otner questions he sheaved an
that the sessioa be devoted to tise army
) 1t is a notorious scandal that million
= of pounds sterling are wasted annuall
!. out of the enormous toal OF G21sess. 600 ex
! | pended upon tAe army. As a result tn
country has entirely lost confidence il
the war office and there is a nniversa
:. cry that the cabinet take the matter il
iS3ts own hands. and introduce a workman
like BILL em.ssdying a definite and con
I.sistent policy.
The Marquis of Salisbury's proposition
+ up smash tse London county council
las already referred to. has raised ;
I-sfOrm throuShc 1t the land and .tse Brit
Lisf premier now is even a worse ISLAND
ed man than Mr.. Richard Croker. O
>elee tion in that city.
p 'I,ne news from India is also as dis
eeifaging as it scan be. The sudden re
| cruz ascence of activity on the part of tn,
! tribe smen. when 1t was thought that tn.
| nffai, was aboirt finished. shows tha
| whattver the British officials may think
the natives of the invaded country ar.
not aware that they are beaten. TIL,
cost rof the military operations is ALREADY
estimated at e2,5ea; 300, and this amount
| will probably be do,bled before the close
| OF the campaign.
''Satan=s invisible world Dispiayed"' o,
"Dssspairefg Democracy is the sensa
tional title Of sensational book dealing
! with the greater New Y ork which W. T
| Stead. the editor of The Review of Re-
views will give to the public of England
and America next month. as the fruits o.
his recent trip across the water. This
! book is 20 be a companion piece of III
| Christ Came 10 Chicago" the unique dis
| section Of the darker life IL the western
metropolis, which Introduced the versa
| tile and indefatagable English editor to
| s<axa tod fn zoe in, hn 0ff Of